A sculpted octopus adds sensory appeal to the Hard to Port concept bottle.

The 1.75-liter polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle concept for the Hard to Port brand jumps out of a sea of liquor bottles with a sculpted octopus draped over the shoulder and side of the bottle. In addition to being raised above the surface of the bottle, the octopus is rendered with engraved and etched details. A finger hole molded into the neck of the bottle also is decorated with intricate, textural embellishments. The combination of raised, engraved and etched effects was used to create strong visual and tactile appeal at shelf.

Labeling also is innovative, featuring burnt-edge labels die cut to accommodate the high-relief tentacles of the octopus. A cork closure tops the package, which was designed for spirits brands.

To achieve the breakthrough tactile effects, which would not be possible with conventional 3D-modeling software, ScorCreative structural design studio used a combination of proprietary software and modified applications from the automotive, gaming, motion picture and animation industries. ScorCreative is co-located at Amcor Rigid Plastics in Ann Arbor, MI. For this work, ScorCreative earned a bronze award for this sculptural beverage packaging concept in the 2014 Pentawards worldwide packaging design awards competition.

Going forward, the design team will use the Hard to Port package to develop a commercial bottle that can be blow molded with the same level of detail as the concept package.