ANIMA SPIRITS
Branding, Packaging, Student Project
A distillery that captures the essence of botanicals. Karl Blossfeldt Gin is one of their limited edition spirits.
Anima Spirits is derived from the Latin word “anima”, which means “spirit”. This plays on the idea of “spirit” in reference to the essence of something as well as “spirit” meaning the alcohol. The strong connection to plants and botanicals is inspired by Karl Blossfeldt, who, among many other things, is well known for his close up photographs of plants.
The depth of detail in his intricate images is what inspired the name and aesthetic of the product line “seven deadly gins”. It serves as a metaphor for the brand’s dedication to its delicate distillery process that transforms poisonous plants into botanicals that can be used to create unique flavors within its gins.
Challenge
As a fan of gin, I was intrigued by how varying botanicals can alter the flavor by such a great degree. The challenge I set for myself was to capture the invisible—the importance of botanicals to the essence of gin.
Process
Interested in visualizing what it means to “capture the botanical”, I researched possible ways of simulating the look and feel of a flower in a vase. I came across German photographer Karl Blossfeldt’s striking and ghostly photographs, which skillfully captured the essence of plants in the same way I wanted to capture the essence of gin.
Solution
By combining the concept of a vase with Karl Blossfeldt’s imagery, the centerpiece of my final design direction was a vase-like bottle that prominently featured Blossfeldt’s photographs. The idea is that this bottle would be a beautiful object that can be proudly displayed in the consumer’s home long after the gin has been enjoyed.
As a fan of gin, I was intrigued by how varying botanicals can alter the flavor by such a great degree. The challenge I set for myself was to capture the invisible—the importance of botanicals to the essence of gin.
Process
Interested in visualizing what it means to “capture the botanical”, I researched possible ways of simulating the look and feel of a flower in a vase. I came across German photographer Karl Blossfeldt’s striking and ghostly photographs, which skillfully captured the essence of plants in the same way I wanted to capture the essence of gin.
Solution
By combining the concept of a vase with Karl Blossfeldt’s imagery, the centerpiece of my final design direction was a vase-like bottle that prominently featured Blossfeldt’s photographs. The idea is that this bottle would be a beautiful object that can be proudly displayed in the consumer’s home long after the gin has been enjoyed.
