Don Julio's recent creation proves why global brands choose creative producer Ed Smith to take seemingly impossible ideas and make them a reality.

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, February 25, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- London-based creative producer Ed Smith has continued to impress us with his work, but his recent work as the lead producer of the interactive drinkable artwork installation for Don Julio Tequila is nothing short of astonishing.

Appropriately titled "The Don" in honor of Don Julio Gonzalez, the founder of luxury tequila empire Don Julio, the innovative creation functions as both art and a tequila tap, and was unveiled at M Restaurant in London on February 12.

A testament to Ed Smith's ability to take virtually any concept and bring it to life with precision, "The Don" is quickly gaining international attention for obvious reasons; but a work of this caliber and complexity does not materialize without some challenges; fortunately, Smith was there to make it happen.

"Design studio Accept and Proceed had a creative idea but didn't know if or how it was possible to produce. Through past experience of projects I had an idea of how we could make this work," explains Smith. "We had to construct 3 tanks that would each be strong enough to contain the drinks and use a layered print technique to create reveal the effect"

At a little over 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, "The Don" has a liquid capacity of 100 cocktails, weighs approximately 440 pounds when full, and boasts an image of a Mexican sugar skull in lieu of 2015 being the Year of Mexico in the UK-- but that's not all, this piece has a surprise in store. Those who stay around long enough to watch the tequila disappear from the piece will get the chance to watch the sugar skull transform into an image of Don Julio Gonzalez.

According to Smith, enormous research went into the specific acrylic used in order to maintain the highest integrity of the cocktail. Specialist fabricators were also enlisted to create an aesthetically superior frame strong enough to hold the installation, which weighs more than the average black bear.

"The important part of the piece was that when the tanks were full the portrait of Don wasn't visible," Smith adds. "The colour of the print needed to be lost and blend into the colour of the cocktail. Through setting up a prototype rig we tested numerous colour prints and coloured drinks, we discovered that the brighter dark colours worked better than lighter yellows or greens as the image of Don was much stronger on the reveal."

Ed Smith, who is the founder of the Mayk Collective, is currently working on the second drinkable artwork series for Don Julio, which is being intentionally designed as a world traveling art exhibition. According to Smith, the first stops for the upcoming series will be, "Athens, Berlin and then New York."

Brand Ambassador for Don Julio in Western Europe, Deano Moncrieffe says, "As a result of the success of our Drinkable Art launch we now plan to create a series of limited edition pieces of work and without doubt we will seek to continue our working partnership with Ed Smith and Mayk Collective."

What separates Ed Smith from most other creative producers is his experience and talent for producing projects across various mediums. From the interactive and complex instillation campaigns that continue to push the envelope to projects that engage us in the digital world, and of course, who can forget two of the oldest tools in the history of marketing-- print and packaging; Smith has proven through his massive body of work that he really does do it all, and quite successfully at that.

"Many producers only specialize in one kind of production whether it be digital, TV, print," explains Smith. " I am lucky to have strengths in all areas and to be a fully integrated producer who is comfortable working on any project."

Smith has been hired by the world's largest brands including timeless fashion icon Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada, Stella McCartney, Chloe, Comme Des Garcons, Molton Brown, UK Sport, Levi's, Royal Mail, Zacappa Rum, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Converse, W Hotel, British Airways and more, to take their high-profile projects from the raw beginning stages when they are often little more than an idea, and bring them into reality.

Last year Smith produced an interactive installation comprised of a giant 3D Zoetrope for the centerpiece of the prestigious D & AD Awards, an annual event referred to as the Oscars of the advertising world. What made the centerpiece even more unique was the fact that when the Zoetrope began spinning strobe lights began to flash bringing to life 3D and 2D characters with seamless animation.

Nike has also repeatedly tapped Smith as a lead producer for a diverse range of projects since 2008, including Nike Grid, Nike's Green Speed launch, the launch of their Bay Sixty 6 skate park, the company's 2012 Olympic campaign exhibition and others.

"For me the best project I worked on was for the launch of the new Hypervenom football boots. We were shown a sketch by the creative team… but they didn’t know if it was possible or even where to start," recalls Smith. "They wanted a special delivery box to ship the boots to the world’s top footballers including Neymar Jr. and Wayne Rooney. These boxes need to have spinning fans, electric lighting, platforms that raised up and a countdown timer in the front."

Needless to say Smith nailed the company's goal for the campaign. Thanks to his uncanny ability to take ideas spawned from the wildest of imaginations and translate them into reality, this creative genius has left an indelible mark on multiple industries; and frankly, we cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next!

Portia Leigh
Q27 Media
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