O-I Design Awards
O-I awards showcase sustainable printing technology Students from around the world designed premium bottles with themes of sustainability for the recent O-I Expression Design Awards competition. Jess Mills was in attendance.
� Fig 1. Left to right: Josh Brooks (Easyfairs), Elaine Logan (O-I), winner Rebecca Edwards and Adam Ryan (Pentawards).
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ntrants were instructed to create designs that could be directly printed onto glass bottles using O-I Expressions technology. The digital technique prints sculpted decorations onto bottles to create a 3D effect. The bottle used was a 75cl premium standard bottle, which will become commercially available in May as part of O-I’s new Contemporary Spirits Collection. The collection, which contains 33% recycled content, features three bottle shapes; the Lux design was selected for the competition. An expert panel of internationally renowned judges selected five finalists at the initial stage of judging. Each of the finalists had their entries printed onto a Lux bottle, which were all displayed at the Packaging Innovations Show.
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The winners Rebecca Edwards was the overall winner with her entry inspired by Old Norse legends. Her design and brand name Ormr (Old Norse for snake) derives from the story of Jörmungandr, a giant serpent who encircles the world. (Fig 1) Ms Edwards, who works for Hunter Luxury Packaging, said the Old Norse influence came from a familial link to Orkney and Shetland, which both have an extensive Viking history. She further commented that the combination of old mythology paired with modern innovations for manufacturing was ‘an interesting concept to explore’. Melianthe Leeman, O-I’s Global
Category Director of Wine and Spirits, said: “The judges were entranced by the creativity of Rebecca’s design, in which the 360° depiction of the serpent captured the essence of the circular economy, in which glass plays such a vital role.” The judges were impressed by the high standard of entries from students and young designers across the globe, although they weren’t the only critics. The People’s Choice award received hundreds of votes with only a few points between second and first place. However, João Vieira’s ‘Bright Future’ design came out on top.
O-I Expressions O-I and Dekron, a subsidiary of Krones, have worked together over the past eight years to develop O-I Expressions. The digital printing technology enables customisable packaging, with a range of colour and design possibilities, as well as affordable rates and industrial speeds; depending on bottle size, the Dekron printing machine can decorate 100 to 500 bottles per minute. The Dekron machine uses CMYK colours, which covers 80% of the pantone spectrum, and can print tactile effects, such as embossing, by layering ink in tiers. The technique also uses organic ink to ensure that the glass can be recycled and has lower inventories to reduce waste, making the process more sustainable. The Dekron machine is equipped with four double printing modules (eight in total) that work in batches. The printing
TITLE: ORMR DESIGN BY: REBECCA EDWARDS POSITION: WINNER (JURY’S AWARD) The inspiration behind the design comes from Old Norse mythology, where the giant serpent Jörmungandr grows so large that it encircles the world. The brand name is also inspired by the legend, with Ormr being the Old Norse word for snake. The design explores the tactile potential of OI Expressions, utilising detailed relief printing to produce a snakeskin-like texture. The distinctive design also facilitates 360° branding, allowing the consumer to recognise the brand regardless of how the bottle is oriented on shelf. Additionally, there is use of blank space, which would be difficult to achieve through traditional labelling techniques. The colour choice is also minimalistic to make the embossed sections stand out.
50 0 Glass International February 2022
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