Design agency Blue Marlin creates brand platform through packaging for UK-based startup gin company Warner Edwards; friendship of company's owners inspires brand design

Mathew Kearney

LONDON , April 16, 2013 (press release) – Integrated brand design agency Blue Marlin has created a brand platform via packaging for start-up gin company, Warner Edwards. Their premium gin, distilled on a Northamptonshire farm, became available to purchase online at the end of last year, and has just launched in retail outlets in the United Kingdom.

It was Warner Edward’s unique brand story of friendship that inspired and guided the design. Tom Warner hailing from England and Sion Edwards, a Welshman, originally met at agricultural college. The pair became great friends and, soon enough, an idea to create a premium gin brand sourcing ingredients from each of their farms, situated either side of the Anglo-Welsh border, was born. The two made a brave entrepreneurial move, leaving their jobs to pursue their dream of distilling great premium gin.

The design represents the several relationships behind the brand as well as its premium appeal. The graphics depict a weather vane pointing west to Wales and East to England where the ‘E’ and ‘W’ letters could stand for both an orientation and a nation. The same message is communicated atop the vane where a dragon, symbolic of Wales, shares a glass with a Lion, representative of England.

Blue Marlin London Creative Director Simon Pendry comments: “It’s not everyday that you have a brand story that so effortlessly avails itself to design. We wanted to reflect the incredible story of friendship behind the brand as much as possible. The bold yet simple graphics and structure will drive Warner Edward’s premium on shelf appeal.”

Brand co-founder Tom Warner adds: “We had a simple vision – to create a great gin. It was really important to Sion and myself that the rich heritage of friendship and family our brand is built upon was central to our packaging. We knew Blue Marlin had extensive experience of huge global brands and just as many start-ups, so we were always confident it would produce a fitting design for us.”

Warner Edwards Gin has been met with across the board acclaim in industry publications and specialist gin blogs, picked up silver at the San Francisco World Spirit Awards and been the subject of a full-length feature on prime time BBC television show, Countryfile.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.