The Bottle Design of
Carbon Sake
The Product Brief
We took two elements of Japanese culture, the rice wine drink, Sake, and a traditional method of carbonising wood, Yakisugi. With this, we created an exciting new brand and bottle, Carbon Sake.
Our aim was to disrupt the Sake market, creating a brand that reinvigorates the national drink of Japan. Through research into Japanese culture, we discovered Yakisugi. The lessons taken from Yakisugi, which involves charring of wood to release Carbon as a protective element, ignited both the imagery, a bold dark aesthetic, and the product name in one.
New and unique techniques such as tailored wood-like textured glass, acid etching and large embossed logography were used on this project, making for an award-winning design.
Project Tags
The Product Brief
We took two elements of Japanese culture, the rice wine drink, Sake, and a traditional method of carbonising wood, Yakisugi. With this, we created an exciting new brand and bottle, Carbon Sake.
Our aim was to disrupt the Sake market, creating a brand that reinvigorates the national drink of Japan. Through research into Japanese culture, we discovered Yakisugi. The lessons taken from Yakisugi, which involves charring of wood to release Carbon as a protective element, ignited both the imagery, a bold dark aesthetic, and the product name in one.
New and unique techniques such as tailored wood-like textured glass, acid etching and large embossed logography were used on this project, making for an award-winning design.
Project Tags
Step-by-step solution process
Our methods used in production
Bottle Design 1
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Step 1
We created a mood board to ignite the direction of the brand’s imagery. We hoped to tap into the less commercialised elements of Japanese culture seeking something a little darker and mysterious. This sent our focus towards texture, traditional ceramics, ink and tattoo styles, eventually arriving at Yakisugi and its use of Carbon.
Bottle Design 2
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Step 2
We developed a variety of 3D wood textures before choosing an appropriate fit for this brand. Materialised in acid-etched black glass, we pushed the limitations of production to ensure the texture covered 360 degrees. At the front of the bottle Carbon can be found embossed in Kanji, the adopted logography in Japan, adding authenticity to the design.
Bottle Design 3
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Step 3
Produced in black glass, we were able to replicate an authentically tailored wood-like texture onto a carafe style bottle. From this point, we needed to add only a few additional design features: with acid etching, large embossed logography and a splash of red, the bottle is as vivacious as the culture that inspires it.
Bottle Design 4
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Step 4
As Sake is made for sharing, our bottle’s silhouette feature has been designed with the classic ceramic decanters in mind; showing an appreciation towards the existing tradition but eliminating the need to decant the liquid. The wide 32mm bore lends itself to these style cues whilst also pushing the limits of glass production capabilities using independent section machinery.
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