Bacardi presented us with a distinctive opportunity to craft a limited edition Weekender-inspired Bacardi Carta Blanca bottle packaging.
With a longstanding partnership spanning over seven years through the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, we embarked on a fresh narrative for this project. We conceived a compelling story:
‘Back in the 1860s one curious Indian artist named Rajah set out to explore the world in search of utopia and happiness. He travelled slow, stopping and spending time in one town after another - Istanbul, Paris, London, Barcelona - taking in local music, culture, cuisine and beverages. He eventually reached Cuba and happened to visit a local bar on the weekend.
A few new friends recommended he must try a new rum. Always up for new experiences, Rajah and friends ordered a few rounds of rum and they had a great time. Rajah particularly enjoyed the upsurge of good vibes and he started having a particularly interesting vision of utopia.
The moment he got back to his hotel he, albeit a bit tipsy, pulled out his drawing tools, opened a rolled up sheet of paper he had been carrying from India and began drawing the vision he had in great detail. A surreal festive landscape began forming, replete with musicians bringing sounds from around the world, humans genuinely enjoying each other's company over the rum that he had just consumed, larger than life happy relaxed creatures, air balloons, and whatnot.
He drew till late at night and did not realise when he fell asleep. He woke up the next day with a dizzying sense of bliss. He walked up to the table and saw his drawing that he had no memory of creating - it was 'utopia', indeed! With a content smile on his face he decided to head back home to India.
Before leaving he wanted to meet the man who created the rum (or the magic potion that he called it) He showed the drawing to the kind folks at the bar and requested to introduce himself to the gentleman.
The next day, Rajah and Don Facundo Bacardí Masso, the creator for the magic rum, met. Rajah gifted him the drawing and said 'My search for Utopia ends at this drawing! This magic potion will bring my vision to reality someday'.
Facundo Bacardi was mighty impressed with it and gifted Rajah a few hundred barrels of Bacardi rum for his friends and family on the other side of the world. This one is a legendary story, no one knows if it is fiction or fact.
Bacardi NH7 Weekender Festival was born in India in 2010. This Bacardi Limited Edition bottle celebrates the spirit of the Weekender festival..’
This legendary tale, blending fact and fiction, serves as the genesis of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender Festival, which debuted in India in 2010. This limited edition Bacardi bottle commemorates the essence of the Weekender festival.
In our role as creatives for the packaging, we translated Rajah's vision into a captivating illustration, adorning the outer packaging with his depiction of utopia. From whimsical hot air balloons to iconic Ferris wheels and the mythical Loch Ness monster, our illustrative approach encapsulates the joyous spirit of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, truly making it the happiest music festival.
The packaging included this story in the form of an illustrated scroll - the outer side of the packaging had details like gold foiling, spot UV + 4 colour offset print along with a bright single colour interior that complemented the Carta Blanca bottle inside.
Team Bombay Duck Designs:
Ashutosh Dhanawade, Nargis Shaikh, Zeenat Kulavoor and Sameer Kulavoor.
2018