Tiago Russo and Katia Martins Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for The Brollach Single Malt Irish Whiskey in Packaging Design

Tiago Russo and Katia Martins honored for packaging design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ The Brollach Single Malt Irish Whiskey by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins, designed for The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Golden A' Design Award Explained

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

More About The Brollach Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Brollach is a disruptor. Born of tradition but unbound by convention, it is a whiskey that is at once a proud product of Irish history, yet charts a new path. It is the culmination of a long and personal search for a whiskey worthy of honouring family, one that would be amongst the finest Irish whiskeys ever produced. It is a whiskey of unparalleled distinction, embodying the design, craft, skill and attention to detail that The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. pour into every bottle.

About Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

Tiago Russo is the Chief Design Officer at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., a premium & luxury Irish spirits brand that aims to elevate and return to Ireland its former glory and reputation as home of the best whiskies in the world. Building an empire with a global mind-set and Irish heart. Over the last decade Russo has designed for some of the most respectable brands in the world. His impressive portfolio spans the luxury lifestyle domain from spirits to cosmetics, automotive to timepieces including: The Macallan, Dewar’s, The Dalmore, Craigellachie, Bacardi, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe, Coty Inc. and McLaren, to name a few.

Award Record

Tiago Russo and Katia Martins is a winner of 5 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Packaging Design Award

The A' Packaging Design Award is an international packaging competition that recognizes outstanding packaging designs by talented packaging designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to packaging designers, graphic designers, branding agencies and product manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include bottles, boxes, cans, pouches, tubes and cartons. The awarded packaging designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/packaging

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/148768
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/148768
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!148768
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/287645
Further Information from the Laureate: http://bit.ly/41lX58D

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: The Brollach Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Function: Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Category: Packaging Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
Colors: Peru, Saddle Brown, Maroon, Black and Sienna
Images: 5
Client: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

The Recognition

Laureate: Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
Country: Portugal
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #148768

Credits

Team: Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
Image Credits: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

Design Details

Unique Properties: The Brollach's theme and design concept is all about the weight of heritage. With a naming that relates directly to Jay Bradley's family name – the Founder of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. - the ideology of this whiskey was to create something that could transmit the passage of time through history, through heirloom, in a more traditional approach that highlights the classical notions of craftsmanship.
Inspiration: The medieval style of forged metals and wood were the starting point of this product, envisioned that, upon looking, could bring the thoughts of History running through the box, the perception that although this is a brand new and contemporary product, the user could still feel the passage of time running through the oak grain, the weight of ancient craftsmanship through the metal trims, and the presence of a whiskey that matured, endured, and could be passed over generations.
Research: The Brollach was developed considering two different sets of research. As the tone of the brand, it was the aim of this product to highlight and elevate the whiskey-tasting experience, and at the same time, to represent a homage to the craftsmanship and family heirloom that is in the foundation of the brand, and therefore a strong focus was put into understanding and achieving the best results out of traditional techniques and materials that represent Shay's work and traditional Irish manufacturing.
Challenge: The Brollach represents an homage to the history of the brand and Irish whiskey. Unlike any other whiskey designed and created until now, each and every single detail, each feature, is all about the family heirloom. A traditional approach to the furniture-making heritage of the Bradley family has been revisited and reimagined to create an experience that values tasting and celebration with the weight of time, of passion that travel through generations to create a unique moment in time.
Realization and Technology: The metal and the oak combine in a way that doesn't need additional artefacts, it doesn't need a special coating or polishing. It is original, true to its origins, simple, yet luxurious; humble in nature, yet a conqueror. The metal is flat, bulky, with a bold presence. It makes a statement, cools down the wood presence, and adds the imagery of structure, of foundations. The wood adds presence, humanity, in a story of home feelings, of fortification of a true Irish heritage.
Operation and Interaction: The wooden grain, intertwined on 45 degrees, guides the eyes towards the centre of the box: the more you glance, the more your vision converges to the bold metal trims and the sneak peek of the monogram and bottle inside. There, the dark suede invites the user to immerse onto the contrasting products that emerge in front of the metallic trims. Bottle, glasses, booklet and certificate, bring up intensity by contrasting that same darkness with the metal, colours, and the whiskey's natural shades.
Project Duration and Location: Designed between 2020 and 2021, The Brollach had to then meet almost a year of fabrication until every single detail was ready. As a design that heavily immerses on the heritage and craftsmanship connotations, every single detail had to be executed with utmost precision, with the techniques applied to the metal lining or the engraving being developed for several months until reaching the level of perfectionism and dedication that make this product, truly, an homage to Irish whiskey.
Specifications: Straps hold the glasses with two slots, an ancient technique for belts or armours. The bottle is inserted onto a thick oak base with a deep locator. Bold, bulky, strong, yet with an elegant take, such as the soft neck brace that keeps the glass vessel in place. The drawer underneath, with a silver plate on the front and a leather pull, reveals a hidden compartment that contains the drinking accessories and testers, revealing an additional depth to the entire whiskey-tasting experience.
Keywords: Whiskey, luxury, design, craftsmanship, heritage, experience, immersion, packaging, product, exclusive