2020

Monachus

A Dash of Istria

Scope

Design Strategy
Visual Identity
Art Direction
Type Design
Illustration
Packaging Design

The tiny Monachus distillery sits at the tip of Croatia’s Istria peninsula, where the land dips into the shimmering Adriatic sea. The gin takes its botanicals from the hillsides here, and borrows its name from Monachus Monachus, the endangered Mediterranean monk seal that used to live on these shores.

2020

Monachus

A Dash of Istria

Scope

Design Strategy
Visual Identity
Art Direction
Type Design
Illustration
Packaging Design

The distillery’s connection to the nature of Istria runs throughout the design, from the seal stamped on each bottle, to the pine cones strewn on the hills behind the distillery. A set of five custom labels shaped by the natural history of Istria: salt and stone, wind and wave and pine cone.

Awards

Art Directors Club, Merit
D&AD Awards, Shortlist
The One Show, Shortlist
Hong Kong Design Awards, Merit

Insight

You often find that small, independent distilleries have a unique connection to the landscape around them. A sip of Monachus should transport you – however briefly – to the salt-flecked, pine-scented coastline of Istria.

Concept

Every aspect of Monachus gin is defined by its sense of place. Inspired by the natural history of Istria and the Adriatic sea, we drew on the elements that make this place unique: not just the monk seal, but the salt, sea, wind, stone, and pine. And to reflect the craft and care of a small-batch gin, we put hand-crafted elements at the heart of the branding.

Solution

The logomark is a seal tumbling in the waves, stamped by hand onto each bottle. The labels take one of five shapes: the Bora wind, the waves, the salt in sea and air, a pebble from the shore, and a pine cone from the hills. And the packaging is plastic-free, to match the distillery’s ethos.

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