“From the moment I knew I had to design the whole bottle, I tried to find a way to encapsulate the atmosphere of mystery and superstition that distinguishes absinthe,” explained Randy Mora, the designer behind A. Junod Absinthe. “I wanted people to experience the universe of A. Junod from the very first encounter with the bottle. I didn’t try to hide the infamous tales with which absinthe has always been associated with; instead, I wanted to take advantage of them by creating a surreal yet seductive world.”
Certainly, the delightfully mysterious label gives consumers a little taste of what the experience is like, even before they open the bottle. Relying on a collage-inspired design, Mora incorporated the incredible stories often told about absinthe, highlighting the often hallucinatory experiences people have while drinking it.
Because the brief was simple, he had a lot of freedom to explore different options. Once Mora decided on a digital collage, it was time to create the story. “The focus of the composition is a two-faced green fairy with a golden eye in the middle,” he told us, which is actually his favorite element of the entire design since it truly represents the two sides of the drink. Absinthe was created at the end of the 18th century by a French doctor in order to produce a beverage with healing effects. It didn’t take long for it to be manufactured and distributed as an alcoholic beverage—one well-known among a bohemian group of artists and writers who told tales of its effect on the mind and body.
