Wine Mythology label
Domini Veneti contest
BRIEF- Producing wine is a complex experience. It means carrying on an ancient tradition, which goes far beyond entrepreneurial spirit, and embracing centuries-old practices as well as innovation, charm and discovery. So, when the “Cantina Valpolicella Negrar” winery – a leading and historic Italian wine-producing company – decided to associate its products with a well-known figure, it is not by chance that Ulysses was chosen. He is the traveller par excellence and embodies a strong bond with the land, the spirit of enterprise, intelligence and far-sightedness – values which have distinguished this winery for decades. Drawing inspiration from Ulysses, the “Cantina Valpolicella Negrar” winery is launching the “Wine Mythology Label” project. Planning to dedicate a limited edition of its finest wine – Amarone – to Homer’s hero.
The “Wine Mythology Label” is more than just a packaging. It is a complex experience and embodies the secret soul of this wine, which designers will have to reveal and translate into a visual message – able to evoke the brief feelings, the nuances and the emotions of the product. A label is first and foremost an act of courtship, a way of depicting the versatile identity of the wine and of the company producing it; great creativity and imagination are the key to its success. The “Wine Mythology Label” project gives creative minds the opportunity to forge the image of one of the most prestigious and successful products worldwide: Amarone. The label they create will be used for an exclusive collection for the most passionate wine lovers and connoisseurs.
CONCEPT- We decided to select a well-known story of this myhtological episode, when Ulysses blinded Polyphemus, one of the most famous and narrated events, from ancient history to these days storytelling. This episode evokes hard work, creativity, intelligence and proactivity from Odysseus. Great dedication and determination to overcome situations by pushing his own limits and becoming the hero of all time. These are the values that we want to communicate and convey to the winery, its territory and Amarone wine through this label. The drawing belongs to a particular trait of the Proto-Attic neck amphora found at Eleusis, dated about 650 BC. We focused directly on the main characters of the scene, creating a visually attractive iconic image, based on the original etruscan art by leaving the ‘naive’ look but at the same time its powerful meaning that embodies history, research, science, tradition and innovation. The abstract gold details hovering around are reinterpreted from small illustrations that etruscan drew to decorate the main scene as a pictorical space and give the idea of a surreal exploration and artistic landscape. As a special and limited edition we propose a practical and elegant label solution, screen printing the bottles itself, creating a desirable stamped piece for wine lovers and collectors. Printing on bottles not only enhances the look and feel of the wine bottle but produces substantially less waste than pressure sensitive labels, lowering costs and allowing flexibility to change the label details as needed. Besides, it provides bold colours and crisp tactile feeling.
CODE - Competitions for Designers