FortyTwo Studio – Label Profile: Peter Howson, The World is on Fire

GRAPHIC DESIGN

PACKAGING

WEBSITE

Royal Deeside’s Burn O’Bennie Distillery approached us with a once-in-a-lifetime brief - the plan was to produce a one-off bottle of 30 year-old Aberfeldy single malt, and put it to auction at Sothebys — the kicker was that the release was being made in conjunction with a commission of renowned Scottish artist Peter Howson.

The proceeds of this — the rarest of bottles — would be gifted towards the River Dee Trust and their #1MilllionTrees project, dedicated to the conservation of this ancient body of water, which runs from the foothills of the Cairngorms, east through Royal Deeside to meet the North Sea at Aberdeen.

Howson created six early sketches for the commission called “The World is on Fire” and it was Sketch #5 that was chosen to feature on the bottle. The sketch shows two young children fleeing the urban industrial decay of modern society, with Howson's familiar foreboding figures chasing them away. With such a powerful message and important art piece to be included, the challenge was to get out of the way of the artwork, while still achieving a functional and thoughtful piece of whisky packaging.

Using recycled glass and ethically sourced FSC-approved paper stock, we set about creating a label that not only showcased the Howson artwork, but also gave prominence to all relevant information about this very special bottling.

The result is a large wrap around label that covers the largest area of the bottle possible. Produced in full colour flexo, the label features a debossed clear varnish displaying the name and age statement of the spirit within. We also created a spirit declaration tab along the vertical edge, with a golden foil for the distillery brand marque and extended spirit and release information.

A unique bottle, with a very special purpose — literally one of a kind.