Ini Archibong is no stranger to setting the design agenda. Known for his craftsmanship in furniture-making, lighting, and glass – and with a portfolio of creative collaborations including a recent appearance at Craft x Tech in Japan, whereby he created a musical instrument intertwined in a sculptural shell; a frequent featuring at the global gallery Freidman Benda; and his considered Pavilion of the African Diaspora at London Design Biennale in 2021 – it is no wonder he made the Wallpaper* USA 400 of creative names to know. With a seemingly natural mastery for a variety of mediums, when he was asked by music legends Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg to design the packaging for their latest canned drink, Gin & Juice, Archibong jumped into the world of 2D design, merging his spiritual design trademark with the coolness of 1990s California.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Snoop's 1993 debut album, Doggystyle, produced by Dr Dre, the canned drink gin its namesake from Snoop's beloved, Grammy-nominated song ‘Gin & Juice’, and comes in a variety of summertime flavours: Citrus, Melon, Passionfruit, and Apricot. Archibong noticed, when browsing the shelves for a canned tipple, that drinks packaging can often be filled with large graphics, and bold colours. The California-born designer wanted to take this potentially saturated concept and spin it on its head.
‘With Dre there’s a lot of technical intuitiveness, whereas Snoop is the spirit and energy of the brand. Snoop is Snoop’
Ini Archibong
