NetWorks Issue 17: The Design Issue

Designing Luxury

Exploring the Intersection of Artistry and Functionality with multi-award-winning designer, Tiago Russo.

When we announced that this edition of NetWorks magazine was going to be focused on design, we were delighted to hear from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., one of our sponsors. A leader in the field of design with their exquisite, limited edition whiskey releases, they offered the opportunity to interview Tiago Russo, their Chief Design Officer.

Great design is more than creating something eye-catching or beautiful, it is, in the words of Debbie Millman, “one of the few disciplines that is a science as well as an art. Effective, meaningful design requires intellectual, rational rigor along with the ability to elicit emotions and beliefs.”

Tiago captures this sentiment perfectly with his stunning, technical designs that balance luxury with efficaciousness. As a world-leading designer, I wanted to know not only about his skills and experience, but about his approach and how he incorporates function effectively into his award-winning designs.

Having worked as a designer with The Macallan, Bacardi, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe and McLaren (to name a few), Tiago has built an impressive portfolio of work, but how does his approach change with these different products?

“Every brand, and every product needs considering differently, and you need to have a different mindset for everything that you do” explains Tiago. “Different brands will have different types of target audiences, and they’ll want them to interact with the product in different ways.”

With luxury clothing, the tactile response from the consumer will be paramount, as the item will be worn.

How does it feel, how does it move, how does it hold up throughout the day? It’s incredibly personal, and therefore the consumer needs to be able to engage with it in that way. Compared to something that will be for display, and the elements that need to be considered are completely different. When it comes to items that you interact with, visual comes first, but the best design provides a complete sensorial journey. Even the sound that the product makes is important; “good design needs to encompass all your senses” says Tiago.

In his current role as the Chief Design Officer, Tiago is based in Portugal where he is responsible for creating the stunning designs available in The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. vault. From start to finish, the design may take two years which he breaks into 5 or 6 stages. The first is to pin down the mood of the product. Luckily enough for Tiago, this means he gets to sample the incredible whiskeys produced by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. He didn’t start as the biggest whiskey fan when he started there, but now considers himself a connoisseur of the spirit.

Every product has a deep connection with Ireland, something that he is always mindful of. He will spend a lot of time in research and development at this stage, looking at the values of a product. The trick, he says, is to find something else that will tie in with the mood and intent of the product. In his current role, Tiago has incorporated whiskey glasses, obsidian whiskey stones and cigar cutters into his different designs.

After pinning down the mood of the product and brand, it’s time for pen and paper. At this stage, there are lots of sketches, doodling and ideas flowing with Tiago and his team. When an idea has been settled on, it’s time to use CAD 3D modelling software, Solid Works. This program has a lot of engineering capabilities for checking feasibility of a job, and how it will work as a physical product. Next, to create something realistic, they use Key shot to render the designs to look real.

“It’s important to create something that is 99.9% like the real version. We only really make one 3D printed version, just for confirmation of the ergonomics and feel of the product, as we’ve already made sure that everything works by that stage (except with the Érimón Glasses, see box out). We already know what the finished item will look like from the software we use.”

One of his favourite designs is The Emerald Isle, an ultra-rare release of just seven sets. This contains a triple distilled single malt, a watch, and Celtic Egg – both unique and sublime pieces developed exclusively by the famous jewellery house, Fabergé.

Tiago spent a long time in the research and development phase, wanting to really capture and showcase the beauty of Ireland. Deciding to focus on the seven wonders of the island, including The Old Head, Cliffs of Moher and Giants Causeway, Tiago created seven different luxury whiskey sets, each with different design elements.

“I created different line drawings of each of the different locations. They were then gold plate engraved into the whiskey cases, so each set is different and tied to a different area” says Tiago. “The designs were then incorporated across the set, so the Fabergé watch and egg that comes with the set is completely unique, while maintaining harmonious design across the collection.”

Not only do Tiago’s designs adorn the watches and egg, but each of the eggs show the co-ordinates of the wonder that they depict, and open to show an uncut emerald – that Fabergé will make into jewellery of your choice. “I really wanted to think of something completely different, and completely addressing all the senses; a brand-new experience for our customers.”

The sets have broken records, the most recent selling for $2.8 million to American collector Mike Daley. You can check the Whiskey Vault at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Website to see these and more of his amazing designs. The kind of budgets required for something like this and the freedom that Tiago has for his designs, aren’t common. But Tiago has advice for designers whatever their product or budget.

“It’s always down to what and how the brand wants to position itself” he explains. “What do they want to convey to the users, and how can we tell that message with the product we are designing. No matter where I’ve worked, the challenges are the same, and there will be hundreds, or perhaps thousands of similar products competing against yours.” So how do you stand out, and reach your target audience?

Well – it depends, and what it depends on is who your target audience is, what your message is, and your budget. Some companies might want to sponsor bars or create an air of exclusivity. Others may want to go for market saturation, positioning themselves cheaply, or use pop-ups in popular areas. Each brand and designer will need to decide what they want to achieve, and how their positioning and actions can go about achieving that goal.

Of course, the smaller the budget, the less movement you will have with design options. Tiago gives examples of spirits. For people working with a smaller budget, perhaps paper labels could change to embossed or burned leather labels. Or you might want to leave the bottle naked and use metal foiling as a label. This is less material, potentially more sustainable, but would most likely be seen as a more elevated and elegant option. Always consider your position now, your desired position, and how you might get there. With the speed of technological developments, it’s important to be up to date, which is something that Tiago doesn’t struggle with.

“I am very tech savvy, I love technology, one of my first roles was working as a product analyst for tech companies so I would test new products from leading technology businesses, including Logitech and Microsoft. Software as well, so I’m always researching and trying to see what is new, any exciting (or boring!) software or hardware that can help with our work.”

If you aren’t naturally interested in technology, this might be more of a challenge, but with the tools available, it’s important to invest some time in making sure you know what’s available.

I speak with Tiago a few days before the latest winners of the A’Design Awards are announced, and he is waiting to hear if he has won their platinum award with his design for The Mulong, an upcoming release from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

There are three awards that are the highlight for any product designer, the A’Design Awards, The Red Dot Awards, and the iF Design Awards, founded in 2010, 1954 and 1953 respectively. Tiago’s department has won 27 design awards this year, and over 100 design awards, including the A’Design, Red Dot and iF Awards over the last three years. Tiago and his friends used to speak about winning these awards when they were in university, so achieving this dream already in his career, is a dream.

In 2021, the Devils Keep won a gold medal in the A’Design Awards, coming in just under Pepsi who had done a massive rebrand that year. After this success, Tiago wanted to win their platinum medal, which he achieved with The Emerald Isle in 2022, and again with their Storyteller release in 2023. Winning these extremely competitive, global awards is a massive achievement, and well-deserved recognition of the hard work and creativity that Tiago and his team embody.

The A’Design Awards focus more on packaging, but the Red Dot Awards recognise product development, so they submitted the Érimón and Finn Glasses, which won the award in 2023 (see box). The iF Awards recognise excellence in both product design and packaging, and Tiago’s team won their first iF Award in 2023, also with Storyteller, meaning they have achieved the triple crown of design awards.

Looking to the future, Tiago wants to continue to create great designs and innovate with every product. He doesn’t see the value in chasing a certain number of awards; “we want to have recognition, but most of all, we want to be excellent.”

THE ÉRIMÓN GLASS

“I really want to focus on the process of making the whiskey, and I want all the flavour profiles to be really noticeable.” This was the starting point for designing their unique, award-winning whiskey glasses.

Their Érimón Glass beautifully combines the results of 18 months scientific research and design excellence to create a product that won Gold at the 2023 NY Product Design Awards and was a recipient of the distinguished Red Dot Award.

As Tiago explains, although the aesthetics of the glasses were crucial, even more important was the material. “The glass itself is important. Just like different metal can change the tastes of different foods, so too can the composition of glass change the profile of a drink. We created glass made from soda-lime, and the material engages with the whiskey in a unique way.

You can see some of Tiago’s work on these pages, and by visiting The Craft Irish Whiskey Co website: https://craftirishwhiskey.com/whiskey-vault/