First Look: Gin & Juice by Ini Archibong, Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg

Ini Archibong is no stranger to setting the design agenda. He is 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, where he created a musical instrument entwined within a sculptural seashell; a frequent presentation at global gallery Freidman Benda; and his thoughtful African Diaspora Pavilion at the 2021 London Design Festival – it's no wonder he made the Wallpaper* USA 400 of the most prominent creative names. With a seemingly natural mastery of a variety of mediums, Archibong plunged into the world of 2D design when asked by music legends Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to design the packaging for their latest canned drink, Gin & Juice, fusing his spiritual design trademark with the cool of 1990s California.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Snoop's 1993 debut album From behindMade by Dr. Dre, the canned drink is gin, which takes its name from Snoop's popular, Grammy-nominated song “Gin & Juice” and comes in a variety of summery flavors: citrus, melon, passion fruit and apricot. Archibong noticed while browsing the shelves for a canned drink that beverage packaging is often filled with big graphics and bold colors. The California-born designer wanted to take this potentially oversaturated concept and turn it on its head.

“With Dre there is a lot of technical intuition, while Snoop embodies the spirit and energy of the brand. Snoop is Snoop.”
Ini Archibong

Boiling the design down to four colors representing each flavor, Archibong worked with close school friend and illustrator Wayne Johnson to hand-draw a classic Lo-Rider that takes center stage against the white background, alongside the iconic “Parental Advisory, Explicit Content” iconography typical of the era of the song’s release.

Gin & Juice has just launched in the UK and is also available in select other European countries and the US. We couldn't let this elite partnership of creativity pass without speaking to Archibong about the design process and what it was like working with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Ini Archibong on collaborating with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg for Gin & Juice

(Image credit: Courtesy of Ini Archibong)

Wallpaper*: First of all: How did the collaboration come about?

Ini Archibong: So the story is quite simple. I have a good friend and mentor named Mark Byers who has been in the music industry for many years and was formerly the General Manager of Motown Records. We started a casual conversation about my upcoming visit to LA and how I could find new ways to get back to my roots. Then he introduced me to: [Dr] Dre and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine.

It actually started with a short introduction and I had to understand the instructions very quickly. Dre is very particular and demands perfection. For me, meeting Dre and Snoop is like meeting my childhood superheroes, so the pressure was on. I grew up in LA in the 1990s and grew up listening to their music, so I really had to show them something that matched what they put into Gin & Juice. When I showed them the can, they all said, “This is it.”

Ini Archibong Gin and Juice can

(Image credit: Courtesy of Ini Archibong)

W*: We're thinking more about the furniture, lighting and glass sectors. What was it like working on the packaging?

IA: It's a completely different industry and mindset. I work primarily three-dimensionally, but I have a lot of experience with brands and implementing brand identities. I was able to gather ideas pretty quickly and worked on this project like I would any other design: I started with the sketch, talked to my collaborators, got the parts, and then put them together. When I designed the can, though, I wasn't sure if I'd done anything really bad because it didn't look like the other ready-to-drink cans on the market. If you look at the fridge in the liquor store, you see a lot of graphics and information-rich products, so when I presented a white can with a car and the child protection symbol on it, I wasn't sure if people would understand why I was going in such an opposite direction.

W*: Snoop Dogg's joy at the Olympic Games in Paris It was almost more fun to watch him than the sport itself. Was it fun to work with him?

IA: It's fun. I've had the privilege of being in the studio with Dre and Snoop. However, working with Snoop and working with Dre are two very different things. With Dre, there's a lot of technical intuition, whereas Snoop embodies the spirit and energy of the brand. Snoop is Snoop. It's crazy to sit and share a space with the greatest, most meticulous craftsmen and one of the biggest superstars in the world. I had to make sure the packaging looked like it deserved to be in their hands. That's a pretty amazing thing.

W*: What’s next for you?

IA: We will definitely produce more of this new brand of drinks. I spend time in Venice twice a month making new pieces, experimenting and playing with new materials. Hopefully I will be able to present some works in bronze and wood soon.

W*: What was your biggest learning from the project?

IA: The most important thing I learned is that I should always follow my intuition. I don't have to design for other designers. If it touches people emotionally, then it will also meet the criteria for good design from a technical point of view. The days of overthinking are long gone.

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