Family-run soap maker, Highland Soap Co., wins gold at Scottish Design Awards after its first rebrand in 30 years
The Highland Soap Co. has won gold at the Scottish Design Awards for its first major rebrand in more than three decades. The family-run soap and skincare brand is based in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, nestled between the 13th Century Old Inverlochy Castle and the River Lochy.
Earlier this year, the team revealed a brand-new look: swooshes of colour and splashes of gold overlay an off-white base, inspired the skyline of Ben Nevis, which can be seen from The Highland Soap Co’s workshop near Fort William.
The new tagline is “The Highlands. In Essence.”, designed to capture the space, clarity and calm of the Highland landscape.
Highland Soap Co.’s impressive re-brand was led by Scottish design studio Freytag Anderson. Rather than leaning into familiar Scottish clichés, Freytag Anderson distilled the Highlands into a quieter, more contemporary identity, using hand-painted ink textures, refined colour pairings (e.g. Wild Raspberry is pink, Juniper & Lime is green) and clearer packaging to help customers navigate the range.
The updated packaging moves away from generic apothecary cues towards bespoke green vessels, new bottle shapes and expanded label space, allowing provenance, ingredients and product information to come through more clearly.
The result is a cohesive identity designed to support The Highland Soap Co. as it grows across retail, hospitality and international markets.
For The Highland Soap Co., the Scottish Design Awards title marks a major milestone in the evolution of a heritage Scottish brand, which has grown from a home kitchen in the 1990s into a business supplying retailers across the UK and internationally, as well as more than 1,000 hospitality businesses.
“To win gold at the Scottish Design Awards for that work is a huge moment for us. It feels like real recognition of the care that went into the project, and of the team’s ability to move the brand forward, while staying true to where we come from,” says managing director Archie MacDonald.
Now in its twenty-ninth year, the Scottish Design Awards celebrate Scotland’s most inspiring architecture, creativity and design, recognising work shaped by Scotland’s people, places and culture. “Our customers know us, they trust us, and many have grown up with the brand. So there was a real responsibility to protect that connection while giving the business room to grow,” says Archie.
Visit the Highland Soap Co. website | Follow Highland Soap Co. on Instagram
