Graphic

The Balvenie celebrates their commitment to craftsmanship and working with makers in their latest range of Cask Finished expressions collaborating with London design agency Here. As the most hand-crafted of single malts, it made sense to launch The Balvenies latest range using the intricate art of paper craft and illustration. Here Design collaborated with paper artist Owen Gildersleeve to bring the flavour of the whiskies to life through a series of key visuals.

The project began with the creation of a range of new pack designs for The Balvenie. Delicate illustrations were printed on paper labels in foil to emphasise key characteristics of each whisky’s story and flavour profile. By drawing on these origin stories, these fine embellishments capture the finesse of each Cask Finish and the craftsmanship behind each.

Together with Here Design, Owen Gildersleeve designed a series of layered three-dimensional paper sets for the bottles to sit in. Using flavour as inspiration, each unique set reimagines its whiskys individual tasting notes in an abstract and graphic manner using various stock and papercraft techniques. Though distinct in detail, all sets incorporate organic shapes and flowing lines to capture The Balvenies honey-smooth character. And to represent the development of complexity through the range, the number of layers changes in line with the age of each whisky.

The sets were then photographed in warm lighting to convey The Balvenies iconic honeyed warmth. Based on the real-life qualities of these artworks, Paris-based digital design studio Parallel took the designs to the next level by recreating them as a series of wonderful digital animations. On screen, elements curl and grow as if alive. As a final flourish, Here Designs in-house audio team layered each clip with an uplifting yet gentle soundscape.