Design student creates Kopparberg’s first ever limited-edition bottles

Kopparberg’s hugely popular flavoured ciders will get their first ever limited-edition makeover this summer, using designs created by Ben McKay, a second-year Ravensbourne BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design student.

Ben’s street art-inspired designs will be featured on Kopparberg’s three most popular flavoured ciders, ‘Strawberry and Lime’, ‘Mixed Fruit’, and ‘Pear’. Drawing on his experiences using spray paint, they feature a bold neon interpretation of the titular fruit flavours.

The eye-catching limited-edition bottles will hit supermarket shelves and be available in pubs, bars and restaurants UK-wide from Thursday 7 April 2022.

The competition ties into Kopparberg’s latest campaign, ‘To Firsts That Last’, which celebrates ‘first times’ that make a lasting impact. In line with the theme, Ben’s winning designs mark the first time that the brand has changed its packaging since its inception.

This is an incredible start to Ben’s career – millions of bottles of Kopparberg are sold each year in the UK. In addition to having his designs used by the famous brand, Ben also wins a six-month internship at the award-winning design agency ‘Neverland’ and will have his final year of tuition funded by Kopparberg.

Best known for its range of iconic flavoured ciders, Kopparberg was founded in Sweden in the 1880s, in a town called Kopparberg. The brand swiftly became a UK favourite after it launched on our shores in the early 2000s.

Collaborations with industry are integral to Ravensbourne, and this competition is the result of our close collaboration with the drinks' brand. The competition was exclusively open to our students, available to those from across all our creative courses, including BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, and BA (Hons) Illustration for Communication.

Speaking about his win, Ben said: “When responding to the brief, I turned to street art and pattern styles I was familiar with for inspiration. Using stencil art, spray can style and riso print, I aimed to create a free-flowing artistic style with a contemporary look, which reflects how I view the world of Kopparberg.

“I’m incredibly excited to have been chosen for this opportunity and can’t wait to see my own designs on Kopparberg’s core range – it’s something that will stay with me forever.”

Derek Yates, Ravensbourne's Advertising and Brand Design course leader, said: “This project is a great example of how we like to work at Ravensbourne. We see professional organisations and our alumni as valuable partners in enhancing what students learn on their degree.

"This project started with a connection formed by one of our alumni, Joe Spriggs, and through him we were able to work with ‘Here Be Dragons’ to create an amazing opportunity for our second year students. I’m so happy for Ben, his commitment to the course is amazing and this is a very fitting reward for all of his hard work.”

Rob Salvesen, head of marketing at Kopparberg said, “At Kopparberg, we’re all about celebrating firsts that last. Offering Ben the chance to redesign our core range bottles, a first for the brand since it launched, does just that.

“We are very proud to be able to give independent talent a platform to show off their creativity and help set up what we hope will be a long and successful career for Ben through our internship and bursary. We are also looking forward to doing the same for our second-year winner – check out our social channels for more information on how to enter.”

Off the back of the competition’s success, the brand is planning to hold it again, this time open to a wider range of contestants. The submission phase for next year’s design is expected to run from April to August this year.

See our BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design course page for more information and other success stories.