Amarico: A Toast to La Dolce Vita

Unveiling Radoslav Dostal's Award-Winning Design

The Amarico design was inspired by the product's complex aromas and piquancy, which simultaneously infuse and inform the fundamentals of its very essence. The design team, led by Radoslav Dostal, embarked on a deep dive into the philosophy of the Sweet Life concept, reimagining it in an uber-modern approach to the aperitif.

The design channels the inherent aesthetic properties of the product through the careful use of botanical motifs which instinctively channel its fragrant, complex, and natural ingredients. These are encapsulated in the elegant illustrations and contemporary handmade fonts which augment and harmonise the aperitif's essence and ambience.

The team's choice of materials was influenced by the product's sensory essence. After contemplating its lightness in taste and aromatic natural ingredients, they decided on the similarly ethereal medium of digital crayons. Individual herbs were assembled into a mirror composition inspired by decorative art. Meanwhile, many texts led to them creating one label to embrace the bottle, with gilded outlines of individual herbs, joining logos and highlighted parts of the text.

Research involved exploring the roots of the product's brand, its symbiosis with the La Dolce Vita concept, and immersion into the ancient Italian infusion methods. This entailed storyboarding with the product owners, to gain insights about the recipe, and the types of emotions it engenders. It also involved analysing current trends, insights and impacts around aperitif consumption in society, in particular the popularity of other Italian beverages such as Aperol.

The creative challenge was around how to marry the multiple elements and characteristics into one prestigious, evocative and authentic brand. Regarding external factors, the product is of course alcohol-based so required careful positioning, which they achieved by balancing with the use of natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. As development evolved, they used these differing elements to bring together the social spirit of fun, the deep sense of wellbeing, and the rich tapestry of history.

The Amarico design project was a year-long journey that started in December 2019 between Prague and the north of Italy, where Amarico is produced, and finished in December 2020, followed by its global launch. The design was awarded Silver in A' Packaging Design Award in 2021, a testament to the team's outstanding expertise and innovation.