Description:

Departed Spirits had already broken category norms with its anti-precious positioning, “top-shelf spirits for bottom-shelf people,” and its distinctive tin format. But in a world of short attention spans and fast-moving trends, packaging alone wasn’t enough. We needed a way to stay visible and relevant beyond the shelf.
The Limited Release Series became the vehicle. A communication system designed to move fast, support new product drops, and give the brand more ways to speak.

“I am an experiment.” A platform to take creative risks and try something new. Each small-batch flavour, like salted mango gin (Super Mango) or blood orange with ancho chilli (Bloody Cello), was designed to grab attention and drive trial.

The design avoided typical spirits cues. It leaned into the unexpected. In a time when everything looks AI-generated, we made work that felt deliberately uncertain. It raised the question: was this made by a robot? It wasn’t. It was 100% human, by choice. Built to provoke the question. Built to start a conversation.

Each release was supported by a consistent, design-led system built to cut through. Surreal poster artwork grabbed attention on the street, while bold, brutalist typography and irreverent copy set the tone across every channel. Social reels, loops, stills, and launch assets all followed the same stripped-back but striking visual language.

The system was modular, fast to deploy, and easy to adapt—designed to support ongoing drops without losing impact or identity. In a category full of sameness, it gave Departed Spirits a recognisable voice and a flexible framework to keep showing up differently.

The Limited Release Series was a design system that worked hard. Every asset looked and felt like part of the same story. It sold out on launch, helped secure retail expansion, and opened up export opportunities in Japan and the USA.
It proved that great communication isn’t just what you say. It’s how well you design every way you say it.