Oscar-winning designer creates ‘animated’ Hendrick’s pack

William Grant & Sons-owned gin brand Hendrick’s has partnered with Isle of Dogs graphic designer Annie Atkins to create a limited edition “animated” gift tin.

Hendrick’s Gin and Oscar-winning designer Annie Atkins have created the limited edition packaging

Atkins, who received an Oscar for Best Production Design for her work with director Wes Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel, took inspiration from Victorian London and the zoetrope for the design of the packaging.

A zoetrope is named after the ancient Greek word meaning ‘wheel of life’ and is a slitted cylindrical drum lined with drawings. If the cylinder is spun, the images can be viewed through the slits and appear to form a short animation.

When the limited edition Hendrick’s packaging is opened and the bottle removed, it can be spun in a similar manner to reveal an animation hidden inside the pack.

Atkins said: “I immediately wanted to work on the project – there’s something so fun about an open brief. This project had a lot of room for imagination and I knew I could bring my prop-making experience to it. I wanted to make something low-fi and low-tech that was easy to use and something that you could have fun with.

“I thought about a box turning into something fun and how it could relate to the Victoriana style of Hendrick’s and its lovely use of steampunk meets unusually futuristic but old-fashioned motifs. When I thought of the zoetrope, everything clicked into place.”

As well as the hidden animation, the pack features a “repetitive festive pattern” inspired by the signature rose and cucumber flavours of Hendrick’s Gin.

Lisa Fitzsimons, global marketing manager at Hendrick’s Gin, said: “The Hendrick’s Gin Zoetrope is a magical gift that will transport its lucky recipients into an unparalleled world of curiosity.

“We couldn’t consider a more fitting and curious collaborator than Annie Atkins who meticulously brings fantastical worlds to life with her designs for some of our favourite whimsical films – she has artfully done the same with this inventive creation.”