The biggest challenge of this brand design was to communicate the invaluable uniqueness of the Florio Cantine, the expert process of making Marsala (both Vergine and Tanned), the magical intervention of time, the unique geographic location of the cellars and the contribution of antique oak casks. All of this to be communicated within one label. A long and complex narrative journey through a refined yet informative visual language. We designed the overall style from fonts and graphic elements to the overall layout to recall old school newspapers, informative yet compact. Furthermore, we chose to apply a subtle debossing effect on all the text to achieve a letterpress inspired detail. This gives the connoisseur an extra touch of history, correlating finely with the many years these Marsala mature within their oak cask homes. They spend the years being moved slowly closer or farther from the sea within the cellars that permeate the salt, humidity and sandstone of the Mediterranean Sea, residing only 90 meters from their doorstep. The unique summation of all the details, precise process, and location, is explained directly through the label design with a unique identification number for each individual marsala, maps, infographics, and storytelling, to help educate the market on the value within every sip.
The Marsala have been sectioned into three groups, Classic, Premium or Exclusive, based on the years spent maturing and the complexity behind each one. The levels are differentiated by the paper chosen. Classic, comprised of the youngest Marsala, use a fresh white paper whereas the older Premium Marsala are adorned with a cream colored cotton.
Florio’s Exclusive Marsala are bottled in dark Matt glass with an entirely screen printed label design, that offers only the necessary information. Whe designed a collectors pack to accompany each individual bottle. The packaging provides the information of slow movement through the cellars and the Marsala Project’s concept signed by the Master Marsala Maker. This packaging is accompanied by a small booklet that we designed, using the graphic elements of the overall brand, to provide all of the information pertaining to the history of Florio’s Marsala making.