Fresh From the Field — Scapegrace Gin by One Design
This Fresh from the Field features One Design‘s mahi for scapegrace Gin. A distinctive design outcome that challenges category norms, setting a new benchmark for quality and authenticity in the RTD market.
The brief:
Scapegrace Gin was expanding into the high-end pre-mixed cocktail market and needed to hold their premium positioning against other commodity driven RTD offerings. What we found surprising to learn was that this product is the ONLY authentic combination of gin spirit plus mixer on the market (most other gin RTDs are gin-flavoured-alcohol) so the packaging needed to reflect this premium offering – which is clearly evident upon tasting.
The intent was to position the product in opposition to the typical perception of RTD’s – cheap, disposable and low quality. The pack itself had to reflect the premium nature of the liquid within, and the luxurious bespoke glass bottle was crafted to demonstrate this point of difference and to allude to the ritual and indulgences of a cocktail hour.
The response:
A proprietary bottle was the logical way to distinguish the product, reflecting the award-winning sophistication of the spirit and brand. We pushed the glass manufacturers for over a year to achieve the desired form, with the vertical glass bevelled bars reminiscent of classic cut crystal glassware – the perfect vessel to enjoy a cocktail.
The bottle design process was an exercise of continuous refinement & amendment, so that equal amounts of brand and vessel could balance in harmony. As these cocktails are concocted with minimal ingredients and little to no sugar, the ethos of ‘less is more’ applied to the design and packaging. Scapegrace’s iconic disk roundel was incorporated in black to link to the black coloured gin bottle, and was refined to work at a smaller scale, paired with hand script typography to identify the signature flavour and mixer. Playful copy ‘You’re Welcome’ was introduced as an element of discovery beneath the crown seal as a nod to the convenience which this elegant, pre-mixed format brings.The end result is a refined concoction that brings the indulgent experience of a hand mixed cocktail to the accessible convenience of an RTD.
From the founder, Mark Neal: “The Scapegrace design and position elevates the overall liquid, occasion and the Scapegrace brand. This proposition was sold into all the national retailers and was instantly core ranged across the key banners. The refined aesthetics of the bottle jumped out to the buyers. Fast forward 6 months and the Scapegrace RTD was 55% ahead of expected sale projections.”
