CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT // PACKAGING DESIGN
Fearless Gin
Client: Interrupt
Sr. Copywriter: Ernest Turner
As an end-of-year gift for clients, creative agency Interrupt partners with local distillery Toledo Spirits to craft a custom small-batch alcohol; and of course, an agency’s bottle design might be almost as important as the taste of the booze. I was lucky enough to develop the concept and execution for the 2021-2022 spirit, Fearless Gin.
HERO COPY
The most interesting gin in the world
Sometimes the best ideas are sown at conference tables and marathon meetings. Sometimes they come like a flash. Some of our best ideas we take home on the back of cocktail napkins after a social hour (or two… or three). As a partner of Interrupt and a new member of the inaugural club interrupt, you’re part of an exclusive group of fearless thinkers devoted to the pursuit of the greatest ideas. So, we set out to create a gin in your honor. A gin as fearless as you, dear member. You might not always drink gin. But when you do, we recommend Fearless Gin, shared with your favorite people.
Conceptually, we reimagined the source of great thinking (from a focused exploration of scientific origins) and traced it back to social gatherings. The seeds of many a great idea throughout history were sown on the backs of cocktail napkins during a social hour…or three. A secret society came to mind in concept development–one that had a turn-of-the-century sensibility with a tongue-in-cheek approach; to align with this vision, the Fearless Gin wordmark and typography had to be equally eccentric and left-of-center.
The botanicals imbued into this batch liquor were unique and unexpected, bringing a floral overtone to the palette. I illustrated a floral pattern in the style of late-victorian wallpaper patterning, integrating all of the berries, plants, and flowers that make up Fearless Gin. This pattern was the star of the bottle design, but also got a second use, in gold, on the inside lid of the gift box–a nice easter egg to find as you open the box!
As the concept progressed, we found ourselves discussing (really, riffing on) all of the amazing victorian advertising references we had pulled for inspiration. This snowballed until we had written and illustrated an entire newsletter detailing the faux exploits of all the agency employees, aptly titled The Interrupter. Equal parts silly and interesting: we built small games into the paper that led readers to a hidden reward online.
