The French sparkling water brand Perrier is already easily recognisable thanks to the shape of its green bottle, but the design has just become even more iconic. To mark its 160th anniversary, it brought in one of France's best-known industrial designers to rebrand the bottle.
The overall shape of the bottle remains the same, ensuring that's it's still immediately recognisable as Perrier. But Philippe Starck's took inspiration from Fresnel lenses to add thin horizontal streaks to the glass, playing with how it defracts light while adding texture to the bottle. This isn't one of those weird brand collaborations that makes no sense. The combination is inspired.
Starck, perhaps most famous for his iconic Juicy Salif juicer for Alessi, described Perrier as a "globally recognised symbol and a monument of French heritage." He said: "Keeping the essence of an icon unaltered, it’s possible to distort and play with the shape to apply current parameters to a timeless form. This is what I did with the addition of this highly technical horizontal grooving, which creates a natural rigidity."
“But it’s not just about technique," he added "It’s also about exploring the Unknown. In my project, the Unknown is encapsulated in the notion that each bubble is a magnifying glass and that by using the structure to shape a Fresnel lens, I could create an optical surprise, bringing intrigue and a spark of fantasy.”
Philippe Starck designing the new PERRIER + STARCK bottle design (Image credit: Perrier)
It's not the first time that Perrier has sought new creative input for its packaging. Several artists, including Takashi Murakami and the street artists JonOne, Kobra and Sasu, have designed labels for the brand in the past. But this is the first time a creative has been invited to redesign the bottle itself.
Takashi Murakami's Perrier bottles were released in 2020 (Image credit: Perrier)
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
