Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers is solely owned and operated by one of Scotland’s most prominent whisky families, Jamie and Brian Morrison. Their legacy reaches back to the 19th century when they started out as grocers but have since grown into whisky brokers, blenders, bottlers and of course, distillers. With over five generations involved in the whisky business, they are one of the oldest whisky families.

The company rebranded in late 2020 and Stckmn was approached by the team to design a corporate brochure that would tell their story, communicate their core values, and act as an introduction to their new portfolio of whiskies.

A company steeped in history and legacy it was clear that the design style should convey and celebrate this. Stckmn's idea was for the brochure to reflect an antique book or family album, snippets of information surrounded by a scattering of imagery to visually paint the picture for the reader. Borrowing inspiration from transfer books and documents found at the distillery, key visual elements such as gold foiling and dust covers became core parts of the printed piece.

The brochure, produced by J.Thomson Colour Printers, features a Colorplan Forest 270gsm cover with a Pebble emboss providing a textured feeling reminiscent of running your hand over dried barley. A whisky gold coloured foil debossed motif was imprinted on the front and centre, with matching gold staples.

Opening the cover reveals a semi-transparent Transclear dust sheet proudly displaying the heritage story, the protective sheet guarding not only the pages within but giving a glimpse as to what’s to come. With a prominent amount of imagery used, the inner sheets needed a paper that allowed for a deep rich ink to be applied but still to retain a visible, natural like, uncoated texture, Mohawk Superfine in the shade White Eggshell 148gsm was perfectly suited for achieving this.

The brochure was designed by Stckmn (pronounced stickman), a one-man design studio founded by Chris Wilson. Talking about this project, Chris says, "Part of the challenge when taking design work from screen to print is to ensure the essence of the work and content are enhanced through the tactile qualities of the finished printed piece. With my paper consultant, Paul Scharf, on hand to advise, it was a collaborative and integral part of the production process. It's a joy to browse the range, exploring the possibilities of how to elevate the design work. It's not just choosing a paper, it's an experience shared first between designer and client and finally the reader."