Story

Reflecting our heritage on a label - Meet the new CSM x Mondo design

Image for decorative purposes - A beer can label with overlapping text in gothic font in red and yellow on a maroon background

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Published date 27 April 2026

Mondo Brewery has been part of the Platform Bar story since 2019, when their beers first hit our taps. Since then, we’ve poured thousands of pints together.

Each year as part of the collaboration, we run the CSM Beer Can Project. Working with students from our Graphic Communication Design programme and Mondo to create a limited edition label for our CSM lager inspired by the College.

Our winning design: Schools of Thought

Congratulations to this year's winner, Maxwell Roberts, who we spoke to about the winning design.

Tell us a bit about your design

The label serves as a representation of CSM’s tradition of fusing the old and the new together. On top of this, it functions as a diagram that depicts the structure of CSM, beginning with its three Schools of Thought, which then lead into its eight programmes. I adopted the structure of medieval manuscripts to create a hierarchy that allows users to navigate an information-heavy design. I fused this with Arts and Crafts movement-inspired typography that references the university’s origins and the appearance of rave posters as a reflection of student culture.

Creating custom typography allowed me to merge the old and new together by combining three Gothic scripts with Arts and Crafts stylings as well as imagining modern characters such as the ampersand in this style.

How did you take inspiration from the College?

During the briefing and review sessions for this project, we were encouraged to explore what we believe to be ’So CSM’. I landed on this being the mix of old and new. This is reflected through the architecture of 1 Granary Square, the college’s origin in the Arts and Crafts movement and the work its students produce. Being a student in Central Saint Martins surrounds you with a rich design culture that I wanted to honour in my design.

I looked for inspiration in CSM’s Museum and Study collection, from which I drew a connection between the current popularity of blackletter and its design history in both the medieval and gothic revival periods. As my beer can would be viewed by members of the public as well as by students and staff, I used insights I gained whilst giving tours of the college to reflect visitors’ perspectives of CSM. One way this manifested is in how the letters intertwine and overlap to depict the cross-course collaboration CSM platforms.

A bold, highly stylised beer can label dominated by ornate Gothic lettering in red, yellow and light blue on a deep red background. Large decorative text spells “Culture, Systems and Materials”, with layered phrases around it including “product, ceramic & industrial design”, “graphic communication design”, “jewellery, fashion, textiles & material”, and “performance, curation & spatial practices”. On the right, a bright yellow panel titled “Schools of thought” explains that the design represents three schools and nine programmes at Central Saint Martins. Below are beer details such as ingredients (water, barley, wheat, hops, yeast), “ABV 4.1%”, “330ml”, and notes like vegan-friendly and brewed by Mondo Brewing Co. Logos for Mondo and University of the Arts London appear near the text. The overall design is dense, decorative and visually layered with flourishes and calligraphic elements. — **Image: design by Maxwell Roberts**

How do you feel about having your design selected?

I am so proud! This label is my favourite thing I’ve designed, in both the technical skills I applied as well as in its execution of the brief. Beyond my practice, this design is a product of prototype sessions and feedback from tutors, Mondo Brewery, and the Platform Bar. This crucially shaped its outcome and also let me see all the other designs which were incredible.

As I’ve researched design history on my Bachelor’s, I’ve enjoyed inhabiting the grey area between modernist and historic design. Through this, I’ve developed a strong belief that ornament and beauty in design aids communication and are therefore both relevant in modern design. My beer label puts this research into practice, and it getting selected feels like proof of this hypothesis and my ability to design with historical references whilst avoiding pastiche.

This label is a culmination of my research, technical ability and refined practice and I look forward to future designs that continue this exploration. As a designer, this is a massive opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to hold one in my hand!

A special mention - our runners up

Two photographs of brightly designed beer cans. On the left, three small aluminium cans sit on a dark surface—one upright and open, one lying on its side, and one partially visible. The labels feature a dense collage of colourful, layered typography in different scripts and styles, alongside a white panel with smaller text and logos. On the right, two hands hold similar cans in front of a blurred entrance labelled “Platform Theatre & Bar”. The cans display the same vibrant, multi-coloured typographic design, with one showing a white information panel and the other wrapped in the collage pattern. — **Image: Design by Anjali Sanu**

Anjali Sanu, whose design focused on Central Saint Martins as a community that is built on conversations. 'The CSM Murmer' captures the spirit of our College community, talking, talking, talking, in every space within the building.

A bold, colourful illustration with the headline “HANDS ON!” in large black-outlined letters. Multiple stylised hands in bright shades of blue, pink, yellow and green reach into the centre, each holding creative tools such as a paintbrush, pencil, camera, keyboard, magnifying glass and a digital device. The composition forms a dynamic, circular cluster around a central splash of abstract shapes and lines. On the right, a hand holds a white rectangular sign featuring the “ual: central saint martins x mondo” logos. — **Image: Design by Cicely Moody**

Cicely Moody, whose illustrated label focuses on hands and the way students use them for their craft; holding paintbrushes, throwing clay and forming letterpress plates.

Where to find our new design

The new cans will be on sale shortly at the Platform Bar and will be served throughout CSM Shows 2026.