Sidel designs asymmetric Viking-inspired rPET bottle for fjord-sourced premium water brand
12 Feb 2021 --- Sidel is unveiling its Nuuk bottle made from clear 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) for fjord-sourced premium water brand.
Nuuk takes its name from Greenland’s capital and its famed fjords and the design draws “inspiration from the purity of ice and its formations.”
The 500 ml bottle has an asymmetric shape for differentiated shelf appeal, putting traditional water bottle designs “in the shade,” says Sidel.
The packaging is designed to appear as a natural phenomenon, with the bottle rising from the ice.
“The specific ice shape on the lower part of the bottle constitutes a great asset and reinforces its structure. It gives the impression the bottle is surging up from the ice,” explains Laurent Lepoitevin, packaging design engineer at Sidel.
The deep bottle base resembles a rock glacier in line with its origins and is produced by Sidel’s patented Base Over Stroke System (BOSS).
BOSS is a mechanical forming that occurs during the blowing process and optimizes the material distribution in the final bottle base profile. The consistent blowing process uses a minimum amount of material, says Sidel. 
Sidel is aiming to help Nuuk turn its water bottle portfolio into a line of collectors items.
Preparing for regulations
The bottle is compatible with tethered cap solutions to meet environmental requirements and forthcoming regulations, says Sidel. With its ice shape and blue color, the cap is designed to enhance the brand’s premium look and perception.
The entire bottle shape is formed with a continuous transparent label.
Sidel’s designers say they aimed to emphasize the water’s purity by including minimal typography, thus emphasizing the bottle’s appearance.
“In addition to the water quality and integrity symbolized by the fjords, the use of 100 percent rPET goes hand in hand with Sidel’s sustainability commitment to achieve closed-loop food-grade and recyclable plastic packaging,” adds Laurent.
Geometric Viking art
The transparent Pressure-Sensitive Label (PSL) decoration is inspired by “authentic Viking art,” specifically the Borre style.
Sidel explains in the 10th century, the Nuuk area was inhabited by Vikings who left their cultural imprint, including visual art.
Laurent adds the Borre style embraces a range of geometric interlacing, knot patterns and zoomorphic motifs.
Sketches from Sidel's designing process.
Five versions of the label show different graphic designs based on this geometric interlacing.
The brand logo is a snowflake combined with an ancient Norse symbol, Vegvisir, a symbol of protection and guidance believed to be used as a compass by Vikings.
The other labels represent important Viking culture symbols, including the Drakkar ship, two head-to-tail fishes, an arctic fox and a polar bear. Sidel hopes consumers will see the packaging as collector’s items.
The company uses the product to emphasize its ability to adjust to and bring out the essence of any brand in any region and stick to environmental regulations in the process.
Sidel expanding east
Recently, Sidel announced its partnership with a major PepsiCo subsidiary in India, where its Aseptic Combi Predic machinery is enabling the production of both fruit juices and dairy beverages through the same line as demand in the region for “better for you” products rises.
Edited
By Louis Gore-Langton
