Collaborations between musicians and artists have brought us some of the most memorable pop culture images of the last 50 years. Think iconic images such as the Sex Pistols’ God Save The Queen, or The Velvet Underground and Andy Warholʼs famous collaboration. And now Beck’s is hoping for similar success tomorrow when it launches a new series of limited edition labels designed with the help of local talent.
Beckʼs arty initiative had local artists collaborating with local musicians to design a series of limited edition labels for all Beckʼs 330ml bottles. Artists Rainbow Monkey, Andrew McLeod and Gavin Hurley collaborated with musicians Cut Off Your Hands, Ghost Wave and Parallel Dance Ensemble to each design a series of labels inspired by a song from each band.
In addition to these established artists, Beckʼs also ran a competition in design/media tertiary establishments around New Zealand to find a talented, up-and-coming artist whose work will be featured as part of the campaign on one of the labels. And the winner is… drum roll please… Sarah Findlay, an Aucklander who has been studying since 2005 at Elam, and more recently Media Design School.
Findlay says winning the competition is a little overwhelming. “I feel such a sense of achievement – having my final design going from paper to print will be an incredible experience. It will be fantastic to have my work go live and to see it on Beckʼs beer bottles in the marketplace.”
The judges chose Findlay’s work for the outstanding colour work and striking design. “It was a really hard decision as there were so many fantastic entries, but we kept coming back to Sarahʼs standout design,” says Beckʼs brand manager Kylie McEntee.
Sarah wins $1,000 towards her study, and of course the exciting prospect of having her artwork in the hands of tens of thousands of thirsty New Zealanders. The limited edition bottles will be available in stores and bars for three months starting 1 February 2012.
