A young British designer has been confirmed as the winner of the 2021 O-I : EXPRESSIONS Design Awards with an entry inspired by old Norse legends.
Rebecca Edwards, who works for Hunter Luxury Packaging, received her award during the Packaging Innovations event in London.
O-I explained that the awards challenge young designers to create ‘innovative and appealing’ brands in glass which tackle a real issue faced by spirits owners – how to convey both premium brand cues and enhanced sustainability.
Rebecca’s design created a drinks brand called Ormr (Old Norse for snake) and derives from the story of the giant serpent Jörmungandr, which grows so large that it encircles the world. The packaging design explores the ‘tactile’ capabilities of O-I : EXPRESSIONS, utilising the potential for ‘complex, detailed relief printing’ to offer a unique texture on the snakeskin.
Melianthe Leeman, O-I’s global category director (wine and spirits), said, “The judges were entranced by the creativity of Rebecca’s design, in which the 360° depiction of the serpent captured the essence of the circular economy, in which glass plays such a vital role.”
Rebecca Edwards said, “It’s an honour to be recognised in the competition and a great way to start my career in packaging design. As a designer at Hunter Luxury, I work predominantly on secondary packaging, so it was fun to work on a primary packaging project. The inspiration for the Old Norse influence in the design comes from a personal family link to Orkney and Shetland, which both have really interesting Viking history. The combination of this inspiration from old mythology, paired with a modern innovative manufacturing process, was a really interesting concept to explore.”
All five finalists had their entries printed onto LUX bottles from O-I’s new Contemporary Spirits Collection. They were displayed at the Packaging Innovations wxhibition.
The other finalists were as follows:
- Diana Moreira – ‘Waste Spectrum’ played with the contradiction between luxury and garbage
- Rita Pires – ‘Genius of London’ drew on iconic London landmarks to highlight the threat of rising water levels
- Joao Vieira – ‘Bright Future’ offered the buyer a doorway into a more positive world
- Rodrigo Villalba – ‘Cherish’ used tropical plants and flowers to remind consumers of the beautiful world which might be lost if we do not act urgently.
