The international creative community of thinkers and rebels has once again taken innovative packaging design to the pinnacle of perfection. Inspired by the story of the Karoo mermaid, a prickly durian, prayer cards from the 18th century, the finest essences from the Swiss Alps, and much more, the creatives developed breathtaking packaging designs in the third round of Make a Mark.

When there are no limits to creativity and strong partners pull together, dreams come true: Together with Estal and Avery Dennison, LEONHARD KURZ is presenting the eagerly awaited third round of Make a Mark. Notably, this year, the curious and unusual packaging designs are not only made for wines and spirits but also for food packaging and non-alcoholic liquids.

Make a Mark is a platform that offers designers worldwide the opportunity to create packaging and labels that are so sustainable, luxurious, and innovative that they stand out from the crowd, shielded from competitive pressure and cost calculations. KURZ as a specialist in surface finishing, Estal as a manufacturer of premium glass bottles, and Avery Dennison as an industry leader in high-quality and sustainable label materials bring together the best designs on their platform, driving rich synergies and innovation for the future of packaging design. The 20 design studios that created packaging for Make a Mark III were supported by representatives from the relevant KURZ branches. We have chosen six projects to present to you in more detail. 

AI mermaid from the South African Karoo region

The South African design studio Bravo Design not only focuses on special packaging but also on exciting storytelling. In their project for Make a Mark, the design team brought together cave painting, the world’s oldest art form, with AI-generated content from Midjourney and ChatGPT to bring the story of the mermaid from the Khoi San cave paintings into a packaging design. Karoo means “place of thirst” - a very apt name given the fact the extraordinary bottle contains Blue Agave Spirit.

Mixed feelings: Farmgroup creates durian packaging

“Lovehate” is what the Farmgroup design team from Bangkok has named their controversial packaging, a replica of the infamous Thai durian fruit. With a glass bottle from Estal and decor finished with KURZ LIGHT LINE® Laser Seamless/AL-XL, the durian milk packaging pays homage to the famous fruit from Southeast Asia, which is very healthy but known for its unpleasant odor.

An hourglass and the London beer flood

London-based design agency Lewis Moberly is turning the enjoyment of beer on its head. Beer is too often simply consumed without the beer and the brewery actually receiving the recognition they deserve. The fictional Fitzwood Brewery changed the narrative and drinking experience of its beers with the “Sour Glass” concept, for which Lewis Moberly created a unique bottle reminiscent of an hourglass. The outer construction around the bottle is sustainably made from oak barrels in which the beer has matured. The bottles are refillable and have a special cap that allows for slow pouring. Fitzwood Brewery is based in Fitzrovia, an area synonymous with the London Beer Flood of 1814, when hundreds of thousands of pints of beer accidentally spilled into the streets of the city’s poorest districts.
 

Perfectly imperfect - Each bottle is a unique work of art 

The German design team Yummy Stories calls the concept behind this artistic packaging design for non-alcoholic sparkling wine from a fictitious brand “Renaissance.” To achieve this, Estal used rejected glass bottles that did not meet the usual standard. This gives each bottle an individual and unique look. The upcycling of bottles and a fresh design concept bring together old and new to celebrate imperfection and individuality.
 

Colorful bottles filled with liquid aroma

A perfume for food? Intensify the taste of food with a few drops of Fiore to enhance the aroma? Yes, there is such a thing. The Swiss design studio ARD has bottled exclusive essences from the Swiss Alps in colorful, geometric packaging with eye-catching typography and elaborate finishing. The KURZ LUXOR® 307, COLORIT® 362, LUXOR® 308, and COLORIT® 948 A decors make the packaging particularly eye-catching.

A fairytale synthesis of Italian flair and Norwegian design

Avamposto is a private residence in the Italian town of Piacenza, surrounded by nature, fragrant lavender fields, lush vineyards, and animal farms. The aim of the Olssøn Barbieri design team was to translate their impressions of their visit to the estate into a label for a gin bottle. At the same time, prayer cards from the 18th century depicting saints provided the basis for the filigree hole pattern and the design of the label. The result is a romantic bottle that can be stored in elegant, wooden outer packaging.
 

Would you like to find out more about these innovative projects? You can find detailed information on the Make a Mark website. The articles ’Make a Mark: Collaboration Trumps Competition’ and ‘Unleashing Creativity’ offer a look back on Make a Mark I and Make a Mark II.

Make a Mark was designed to run for three years from the start of the project. However, this doesn’t mean that the creative project is now over. The numerous awards that Make a Mark design projects have won attest to the enormous success of the project. It will be interesting to see what innovations Make a Mark comes up with next.