P Wilkinson Containers and William Say have won the MPMA’s coveted Best in Metal Award for a set of limited-edition sample paint tins created for Liberty of London in collaboration with Farrow & Ball. 

The Best in Metal accolade also follows the packs’ award win at the UK Packaging Awards in the Metal Pack of the Year – Promotional, Decorative & General Line category. 

Each of the sample pots, which were available to buy from farrow-ball.com, Farrow & Ball showrooms, selected stockists and Liberty of London, feature one of Liberty’s iconic heritage interior prints. 

British paint specialists Farrow & Ball has been a client of P Wilkinson Containers and William Say for over 25 years.

Stuart Wilkinson, sales and marketing director, P Wilkinson Containers and William Say,commented: “We produced the first printed tins for retail and have produced every sample pot that has ever been made in the history of the company.

“In 2021, the same year the brand celebrated 75 years, they commissioned a range of limited-edition tin designs to celebrate the partnership with iconic London department store Liberty of London.”

P Wilkinson Containers and William Say’s London factory produced the unique set of metal miniature lever lid tins, 57mm in diameter, at its Bermondsey factory using solar energy.  

The company used state-of-the-art technology to create the intricate coloured designs on the tin with detailed precision and accurate colour matching. The tins were digitally printed using Fujifilm Acuity B1 by Tinmasters at its plant in Swansea.

Robert Fell, director and chief executive, MPMA, said: “This collaboration demonstrated the very pinnacle of printing innovation and truly showcased exquisite shelf appeal.

“Only digital printing would have made it possible for WIlliam Say to replicate the precise colours of the Liberty interior fabric prints. Traditional offset printing would not have been able to pin-point the exact colour match.”

The winning Farrow & Ball tins showcase a total of six interior fabric patterns, and those six patterns are randomised across the 15 paint colours available. The paint colour within each tin is identified on a label.

The Best in Metal trophy was presented by MPMA chairman, Aidan Ruddock, to Peter Wilkinson, Garth Wilkinson and Mark Bayne of P Wilkinson Containers and William Say, at the MPMA’s annual dinner on 11 November.