Wetherspoon x Durex: TOP IT
Dragon Rouge: Mashup, Liven Up Brief
A latex, reusable and flexible drink cover designed to prevent drink spiking.
The Challenge
This brief challenged us to create an innovative collaboration between two brands. Most importantly, this mash-up needed to have a strong purpose, solving a current issue or bringing attention to the brands involved.
TOP IT is a reusable, flexible latex lid designed to prevent drink spiking, created in a collaboration between Wetherspoon and Durex. The stretchy material, produced using Durex’s latex technology, allows the lid to work on glasses of any size, and the discrete hole on the top is designed for straws to be pushed through. The protection lids would come in individual, recyclable packets providing information on how to stay safe and reuse the product.
The project achieved First Place in the Dragon Rouge Firestarters competition.
The Journey
Defining a Cause
In January 2022, the Alcohol Education Trust (AET) stated that 15% of women and 7% of men have been spiked in the U.K. A separate survey by the the Alcohol Education Trust (AET) of 23,000 students from 19 universities showed that 11% of them had been spiked at least once.
Limitations to Existing Solutions
StopTopps are drink-protectors that have been designed to prevent drink spiking. However, by examining the product I found certain limitations:
- The product is single-use; it can’t be transferred between glasses
- The user relies on every establishment offering this product in order to protect every drink that they purchase. This could be a problem as people often go to several pubs/clubs on a night out and order multiple drinks, therefore would need multiple lids.
- The product does not fit over large gin/cocktail glasses.
The Concept
I identified key elements to consider when designing my solution. I aimed to create a product that is resuable and sustainable, as well as being easy and quick to clean. The material needed to be flexible or stretchy to ensure that it would fit over glasses/cans of varying sizes. It also needed to be easily visible in the dark lighting of pubs/clubs to deter people from attempting to spike drinks.
Design Decisions
The aim was to create a bold, eye-catching visual identity. In recognition of the fact that anyone can be spiked, I wanted to keep it gender-neutral and primarily aimed towards students, who are particularly vulnerable. I put together a bright colour palette, with purple and yellow as the primary colours. The typeface is modern and rounded, reflecting the circular logo inspired by the product.
The Outcomes
