Spotlight: Wine & Spirits

U.K.'s Pearlfisher Brings Super-Premium Gin To U.S. Stores With a Splash of Elegance

The Indigo by Larios premium gin bottle has an asymmetrical composition and an iconic indigo "splash" that tell a condensed visual story that is explained on the back panel.

The Pernod Ricard spirits company had a story they wanted to tell with their new super-premium gin, Indigo by Larios. Pernod Ricard called on their favorite and trusted design firm in London, Pearlfisher, to create a brand identity and packaging that would tell this story on several levels.

Pearlfisher created the Indigo by Larios identity from the ground up. The story the bottle tells, graphically and literally, is of the gin-making prowess of Martin Larios. The historical Larios was appointed as Distiller to the Court of Spain in the middle of the 19th century. When Larios wanted to reserve the best barrels of gin for private use, he marked these barrels by brushing a 'splash' of indigo ink on the barrel. The actual indigo ink, made from a rare plant at the time, also reflected the nobility of the special reserve.

Today, the splash of ink becomes the brand mark and the Indigo story is recounted on the label on the back. The bottle has a masculine and refined feel with tall, clean angles and a stately presence. Topping it off is a unique clear Surlyn(TM) cap, creating the illusion of glass being molded over the screw-top, which also reinforces the premium positioning.

The project was led by Pearlfisher creative partner Jonathan Ford with help from creative director Shaun Bowen and designer Sean Thomas. The Pearlfisher team analyzed the super-premium spirits category and isolated key characteristics that could answer the question: "What is the platform you can build a premium brand with?" The conceptual answer was "knowledge," where the mark of indigo could symbolize a mark of knowledge.

"The blue splash of the indigo paint expresses the heritage of the brand," Ford says. The clean structure of the bottle expresses the clean, crisp gin, which is underlined by the story of the Larios and Indigo. The bottle decoration and type is applied through a silk screen transfer process that allows for the high degree of registration control important for this bottle.

Aside from the very precise type, registration was also important for the blue splash, which is actually three shades of deep blue overlapped. The semi-transparent layers of ink achieve a depth and vibrancy in the splash, and "lift" the blue over the bottle. Ford also says that today's sophisticated spirits drinkers have become accustomed to asymmetrical bottle designs and blending of different typefaces. "That is an art in itself," he says, confident that all the Indigo elements work together to express high quality.

Ford thinks the cap (or other opening method) is an often-overlooked aspect of the complete package, where the consumer may experience a small let down when accessing the product for the first time. A unique shape, feel, or sound can enhance the ceremonial opening, especially of a premium product. With the Indigo bottle, "it's almost like you're breaking the glass to get to the premium gin inside," says Ford.