DEANSTON
Client Deanston
Role Concept, Design, Direction
Year 2022
Deanston approached us with a unique issue, as a very young distillery in the world of whisky (founded in 1966) and one of only two distilleries in the world that makes ‘waxy’ whisky, they had been sweeping the awards scene but struggling to make a brand impact with consumers. We saw this as an exciting opportunity as, without the baggage of the past, Deanston could define itself with an identity as unique as it’s whisky and shake up the competition around it.
I began by delving into the whisky landscape looking at what other brands were doing and grouping them into trends to make sure we set ourselves apart. We then defined the brands four key attributes and explored how they come to life visually - inspired by Deanston’s ‘spirit of the sixties’ origins and layered hand-crafted approach. The visual through-lines were pop-art, psychedelia, bold type and textured layering that brought to life the waxy quality of the whisky. I then merged these moodboards & focused them down to compliment the creative routes helping us neatly define the brand world.
Category Visual Research
Brand Attributes Moodboard
Over the next few months we refined and expanded the visual identity creating a unique and disruptive world unlike any other whisky. Featuring a bold type treatment, vibrant colour palette and riso-graph inspired illustration style along with brand stamp and iconography the new brand book went out to global markets for testing from the UK to Taiwan and came back with overwhelmingly positive feedback helping create a new and exciting space for Deanston to thrive.
Initial Design Direction for Creative Routes
Initial Design Application
