Silver Packaging Design · 2024
Hen Olive Oil Dispenser
- A' Design Award 2024 Silver Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Idea Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 43,085
- Verification code 7DF4EC24A1 · Verify this award
About Hen Olive Oil Dispenser
The gourmet olive oil dispenser, a compact and iconic addition to the Soso family. Meticulously crafted for durability and reusability, it boasts a unique integrated opening and closing mechanism. Made from ceramic and sourced from local artisans in Andalusia and the Spanish Levant, it exudes the essence of Spanish cultural heritage with its tactile finish and aesthetic elegance. The innovative stopper ensures hermetic sealing and effortless pouring with a simple twist, eliminating the hassle of removal.
Idea Design's Hen Olive Oil Dispenser emerges from a rich tradition of zoomorphic vessel design that spans centuries of ceramic craft while speaking distinctly to contemporary sensibilities regarding the aesthetic elevation of culinary objects. The design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how form can communicate product identity and brand personality simultaneously, transforming a utilitarian kitchen implement into a sculptural presence worthy of permanent display. The hen form operates through strategic abstraction, retaining sufficient anatomical reference to trigger immediate recognition while simplifying details to achieve timeless elegance rather than literal illustration. Technical accomplishment manifests in the seamless integration of functional requirements with expressive form, as the curved neck serves dual purpose as comfortable handle and pouring element, while the generous body provides adequate volume and stable center of gravity. The black stopper introduces material dialogue between rigid ceramic and flexible rubber or silicone, this contrast serving practical function in creating an effective seal while delivering visual punctuation that completes the avian characterization through crest reference. Chromatic restraint proves essential to the design's success, the white ceramic suggesting purity appropriate to quality olive oil while avoiding competition with the golden-green contents visible during use. Typography integration demonstrates respectful hierarchy, with essential information rendered in appropriately scaled sans-serif letterforms that conform to the curved surface without disrupting sculptural reading. The vessel participates in broader movements within contemporary food culture that celebrate artisanal production, regional authenticity, and the ritualization of daily meals through beautiful tools. Perhaps most significantly, the design transforms the act of dispensing olive oil from mundane kitchen task to moment of aesthetic pleasure, the object rewarding contemplation even when at rest. Viewers might consider how functional objects in their own kitchens could similarly bridge utility and beauty.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The gourmet olive oil dispenser presents a compact and iconic product concept that seamlessly complements other offerings from Soso. It's conceived as a durable, reusable container with a distinctive integrated opening and closing mechanism. Crafted from ceramic and sourced from local producers in Andalusia and the Spanish Levant, it embodies Spanish roots through its tactile feel and aesthetic purity. The innovative stopper enables hermetic sealing and effortless pouring with a simple twist, eliminating the need for removal.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The dimensions are approx. 125 L x 150 H x 85 W, with a capacity of 365 ml of oil (for each of the days of the year).
- Tags
- Olive oil, bottle, hen, iconic, sustainable
- Production Technology
- Targeting consumers who prioritise product aesthetics and sustainability, the design appeals to those who appreciate the value of locally sourced goods such as Andalusian oil, and the renaissance of ceramics as a reusable material. Additionally, the incorporation of recycled plastics further underscores its eco-friendly credentials, resonating with conscientious buyers seeking both style and sustainability in their purchases.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was to conceive an iconic concept that seamlessly integrated with the brand's existing product line. Additionally, there was a strong emphasis on embracing sustainability and adapting to the evolving landscape of refillable packaging models.
A significant aspect of the development process centred around engineering a completely novel cap, necessitating rigorous technical feasibility assessments for a non-standard product. - Project Duration
- the project started in mid-2021 and was completed in early 2022.
The design was carried out in Murcia, collaborating with the ceramic producer in Cordoba and with the stopper producer located in Alicante. - Operation Flow
- The hen-shaped design offers an ergonomically comfortable grip, while the cap serves multiple functions including sealing, pouring, and refilling, with an integrated return and anti-drip system seamlessly integrated into the overall design. The tactile feel and aesthetic simplicity evoke our cultural heritage. The innovative stopper enables hermetic sealing and pouring with a twist, maintaining the overall aesthetic integrity. When fully twisted off, it can be removed for easy refilling, featuring a double anti-drip and oil return system for added functionality.
- Research
- The primary challenge lay in crafting an oil bottle with significant visual impact that seamlessly complemented the brand's existing product, the egg salt shaker, both in terms of aesthetics and conceptual coherence. Moreover, the aim was to enhance sustainability and functionality beyond a mere single-use bottle.
Employing a Design Thinking methodology, the team prioritised user, producer, and business model considerations, gathering extensive insights to define the product's foundations and business model. Through numerous brainstorming sessions, a compelling and original storytelling emerged, resolving the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first.
Subsequently, the team tackled the task of distilling the chicken icon into simple and elegant lines, aiming to evoke an emotional connection reminiscent of childhood toys. Clay modelling and 3D rendering refined the aesthetics.
Simultaneously, the multifunctional cap design took shape, intended to seamlessly integrate with the ceramic body, preserve contents, prevent spillage, and facilitate easy refilling without compromising the hen motif.
Extensive CNC prototyping and digital printing experiments were conducted to achieve the desired geometry and material combination. The main body utilised polycarbonate, the crest polypropylene, while a natural cork ring formed the seal between the stopper and the bottle.
Navigating the challenges of finding suitable plastic, cork, and ceramic injection suppliers proved daunting, particularly due to the non-standard bottle neck design. After extensive dialogue with over 30 ceramic suppliers, one was found willing to undertake the experimental design and bring it to fruition.
Following manufacturing tests, fine-tuning of production processes ensued, with control batches produced to ensure product integrity and performance standards were met. - Inspiration
- The packaging design was inspired by the aim to craft an oil bottle that harmonised with the iconic bland salt shaker of the brand, resembling an egg. A playful twist on the age-old question "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" sparked the inception of the concept, injecting it with a lively and vibrant essence synonymous with SoSo's product range. Going beyond mere aesthetics, the team sought to embrace sustainability by introducing a user-friendly dispensing cap that can be detached for easy refills.