For this project, I was tasked with creating a concept for a non-alcoholic spirit: choosing the audience, name, bottle style, and label design. I wanted the inspiration to come from somewhere meaningful, so I chose Port Appin in Argyll, a place close to my heart where my late uncle Bill McArthur lived and where I have so many fond memories. Surrounded by Munros and rugged Highland scenery, it felt natural to target outdoorsy people who love hill walking and evenings spent by the fire.

Through my research, I explored the growing world of non-alcoholic spirits and the range of flavours on offer. I imagined something smoky, oaky, spicy, and warming. A drink to sip slowly after a long day in the hills. In my mind, my uncle owned a distillery bearing his name, so I created McArthur’s Smoak (a play on smoke and oak) complete with his portrait as part of the logo. I traced an old photo of him, experimenting with pen-and-ink styles ranging from bold minimal lines to more detailed sketches with shadow, and eventually settled on a balance of the two. I then vectorised the illustration in Adobe Illustrator, paired it with custom typography, and set the word Smoak with the letters drifting upward like smoke from a fire.