Bristol-based creative agency Design Activity has won a prestigious international award for its work with supermarket chain Lidl.
The agency, based at Wick, collected the silver Pentaward for its design of the packaging for Lidl’s Hatherwood Craft ales range. 
The Pentawards are exclusively devoted to packaging design in all its forms. Winners are selected by an international jury of 12 highly reputable designers and packaging design an directors from major companies in the industry.
Winners are chosen on creative quality and marketing relevance.
Design Activity has more than 20 years’ experience in branding, packaging design and shopper marketing, working for a wide range of blue-chip fast-moving consumer good clients including Cadbury, Kenco, Dairy Crest, Marks & Spencer and Nivea.
Lidl tasked Design Activity with the redesign and extension of its Hatherwood craft beer range.
Each bottle has a distinctive illustration which incorporates its own typographic style that aims to elevate the beer’s character and create a unique personality. The master brewer’s signature and the numbering system also help convey the specific nature and idiosyncrasies of each drink. The uncoated stock helps support the crafted artisan feel synonymous with microbrewery craft beers.
The range consists of six craft style ales, each with a unique flavour and design to match. Following on from the original Golden Goose and Ruby Rooster variants, another four flavours were added – all with an animal theme. The radical redesign elevated Hatherwood from a traditional ale into a speciality craft beer brand in its own right.
Lidl packaging & design manager Shelley Green said: “We recognised the need for a radical design approach for Hatherwood Craft Beer and so briefed the project accordingly. “The chosen design has a very distinctive style and identity which we feel is a great representation for what a crafted ale range should look like.
“We have achieved strong sales growth since launch and we’re delighted that the quality of the design has been recognised by a Pentaward.
“It’s amazing for a local branding and packaging agency to be recognised for their creativity in transforming packaging design. We look forward to seeing more designs produced from Design Activity.”
Created in January 2007, the Pentawards are recognised as the most prestigious worldwide competition exclusively devoted to packaging design in all its forms.
They are open to all those who are associated with the creation or marketing of packaging from every country in the world. Their primary mission is to increase the stature of packaging design and those who create it.
