Between December 2020 and January 2021, I created a series of wildlife illustrations for Tullamore D.E.W. Honey, an Irish whiskey with a honey-inspired twist, developed for the Central European market, including Poland, Germany and Czechia, as part of its packaging development, and Purple Creative later incorporated them into the final label design. It was a particularly enjoyable project because it brought together two areas of my practice that I’m interested in exploring: natural history illustration and commercial design.
For a product with strong Irish associations, wildlife provided a natural visual language. The illustrations were developed to work within the constraints of a commercial label, where artwork needs to complement typography, branding and the physical shape of the packaging while remaining distinctive enough to make an impression at a relatively small scale.
This kind of applied illustration is quite different from creating an artwork intended to stand alone. The illustration becomes one element within a larger visual identity, and its role is to support the overall design while contributing atmosphere, character and storytelling.
I particularly enjoy this intersection between illustration and design. My background in graphic design, art direction, and creative direction informs how I approach commissioned wildlife artwork, allowing me to think not only about the drawing itself but also about how it will function within a wider visual system.
The studio photographs shown here were published by Irish Whiskey Magazine and Stir the Jam. Unfortunately, photographer credits were not provided with the images.
This project is part of my wider interest in applied wildlife illustration, including packaging, publishing, branding, educational resources and other forms of visual communication where illustration has a practical purpose.
For more examples of my design and applied creative work, visit Natural World Design.
