LARK Distilling Co.
A MYSTICAL IDENTITY FOR LARK WHISKY
- Brand Strategy & Design
- Identity Design
- Packaging Design
- Comms
RECOGNITION
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Benjamin Maze - Photographer
Ben Coope - Videographer
Martha Olivia - Illustrator
Leon Nikoo - Animator
LARK wanted a total re-stage of their brand, presenting themselves (and Tasmania) as the epicentre of luxury New World Whisky. We saw an opportunity to break free from Scottish tradition and embrace the mystery of this whisky-making super-climate.
THE CHALLENGE
Built with perseverance, innovation and a pioneering spirit, LARK has evolved from being Australia’s first licensed distillery in over 150 years to the country’s No.1 luxury single malt whisky.
But although their credentials were growing year by year, the brand’s presence was still relatively regional. Our task was to reposition LARK as a globally desired whisky – premiumising their identity so they could compete in prestige and ultra-premium whisky tiers.
WHISKY FROM ANOTHER WORLD
To establish a new brand positioning that would resonate with a target audience of global cultural pioneers, we wanted to showcase what sets LARK apart. We began with a deep dive into the LARK brand and Tasmania itself.
A one-of-a-kind whisky born from an island of beautiful extremes, LARK is the magic of Tasmania, distilled.
A NEW IDENTITY
We developed a new brand identity as distinctive and characterful as LARK’s island home. For a naturalistic, expressive brand mark, we referenced the tapered forms of Tasmanian leaves and heroed the beak of our brand icon, the skylark.
The brand icon was refreshed too with a future-facing skylark, imbued with the national flower of Tasmania and the silhouette of Tasmania’s iconic Cradle Mountain.
We introduced a vibrant blue primary brand colour, inspired by the bioluminescent seas that surround the island.
The flavours, liquid stories, supporting colour palette and numbering system for each variant followed suit, taking inspiration from Tasmania’s wildest locations.
MADE OF TASMANIA
The bottle borrowed from the natural features of a skylark, with a proud ‘chest’ and tapered sweeping facets down each side that subtly evoke layered ‘wings’. While the base was imagined in bio-luminescent blue to add a hint of Tasmanian magic to the faceted glass refractions.
Extending the bottle’s features onto the labels, we designed them to echo its tapered form. Vibrant, modern and deliberately understated, allowing the bottle to take centre stage.
THE SKYLARK
To bring Tasmania’s mystical island world to life further, we created a hero illustration of the brand icon.
Enlisting the help of illustrator Martha Olivia, we created a multi-layered, sensorial illustration; carefully crafting the unique flora and fauna of Tasmania into a zoomorphic collage of a dynamic skylark using the rich, vibrant colour palette of the island.
Each skylark is carefully crafted to reflect the depth, individuality and provenance of the different expressions.
The skylark illustration wraps around the outer packaging, immersing each pack in rich, vibrant colour and texture, while a consistent thread of bioluminescent blue weaves through every variant to unify the entire range.
A MYSTICAL ISLAND
We wanted to make sure our suite of photographs and video content could capture the wonder, drama and otherworldliness of Tasmania. Celebrating the effect of light on the lens and the landscape, and giving Tasmania’s super climate a tangible presence in the imagery.
This meant working with specialist wilderness photographers who understood this implicitly. Australian photographers Benjamin Maze and Ben Coope set out on a fortnight-long photographic expedition to capture epic, mystical locations across Tasmania that would spark our global audiences’ curiosity.
THE ISLAND IS CALLING
The retail concept looked to capture the essence of Tasmania through a lens of exploration and discovery.
Vibrant, enticing, immersive and sensorial, we designed our spaces to capture the imagination of a global audience and showcase the magical island of Tasmania.
A NEW WORLD ATTITUDE
For the tone of voice, we created a unique framework that could speak to three key pillars: the explorer mindset of the LARK team, the whisky-super climate of Tasmania, and the new-world whisky itself.
Pioneering, provocative and passionate, we wanted to strike a balance between lyrical and straight-talking, direct and detail rich. To do this we laid out how the brand’s voice should flex depending on the topic it was discussing – bold and energetic when talking about the people behind the spirit, and lighting up romantically when speaking about the magical island LARK gets to call home.
