Lind & Lime: into the limelight

Into the limelight

By Jen Newell, Production Manager, Contagious

Design agency Contagious created a distinctive look for Lind & Lime gin which reflects the brand’s heritage and ecoconscious values.

rom launch, Lind & Lime Gin has proved hugely popular with ground-breaking sales, a presence in multiple territories and a raft of global taste and design awards to its name.

First created as precursor to a new distillery and brand home in Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, local history and pride has always been at the core of the Lind & Lime brand. The Port of Leith, where the new distillery is now rising on the water’s edge, has a centuries long connection to the spirit trade and this local history informed every detail of the brand. It is reflected in the bottle’s curves, which mirror the industrial glass kilns that once dotted the skyline on a ship’s approach to the city and the emboss on the bottle’s base “Leith Glass Works’’ – is a stamp of local pride.

The Lind & Lime name and credit for the gin’s fresh and lively citrus notes were inspired by Royal Navy surgeon and Edinburgh local Dr James Lind, who saved countless lives when he made the connection between citrus fruits and the prevention of scurvy.

The brand’s eco-conscious principles are visible in every element of the packaging design. The bottle’s distinctive oceanic tint, which beautifully compliments the gin’s lime profile, was achieved by experimenting with post-consumer glass waste – a brilliant example of what can be achieved when design agency and manufacturer work in close collaboration. The outer wrap is a now collectable illustrated tissue paper – a detail that helped fulfil the desire for 100% plastic free and recyclable packaging. Investing in a bespoke bottle silhouette gave Lind & Lime, Contagious and the manufacturer the opportunity to create true stand out for the brand; the negative space around the bottle is purposely designed to create advantage. It allows the Lind & Lime silhouette to breathe – when lined up along the back-bar with its peers, this negative space illuminates its presence.

The label substrate is a subtle cord embossed paper, running in tandem with the circumference of the bottle. The simple bold linear typeface complements the ridge and furrow lines running down the bottle, the lines themselves bouncing light like breaking waves. The finishing touch – the neck label over the stopper – is stamped proudly with the newly crafted Leith Distillery mark and an epitaph to Dr Lind.

The end result is a striking design fit for this lifestyle brand with history and local values at its centre.