Saglietti studio in Torino has created the identity and label design for Sete25, a new bitter developed by Grigno Spirits. Traditionally, many bitters are dyed red to achieve their distinctive hue, but Sete25 contains no artificial colouring – the only red colour present is on the label of the bottle. An illustration rendered in a contrasting black depicts a demon from Japanese mythology – ‘pure spirit for thirsty souls’.
Studio founder Alessandro Saglietti says that the producers at Grigno ‘wanted to exalt the herbs in the bitter and enhance its natural colour, which is this intense yellow. From this comes the idea of bringing red – the characteristic colour of bitter – as the primary colour of the label.’
The vivid character illustration originated from a tongue-in-cheek comparison with the brand’s founders, says Saglietti, and represents ‘a demon reminiscent of the “Shōjō” – which translates as ‘monkey’ or ‘great drinker’ – in Japanese culture.’
The thick lines of the design ‘give a strong and full bodied tone just like the bitter itself,’ adds Saglietti. ‘The typography is the only element that we carried with us from the previous label; it follows the visual design with a very thick sans serif font, to further highlight the intense taste of the product.’
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Photography: Federica Borgato and Umberto Costamagna.