Agency: Galia Rybitskaya
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Mal Mezcal
Location: London, Mexico
Packaging Contents: Mezcal, 100% Agave spirit, alcohol
Packaging Materials: Wood crates, glass bottle,

Mal Mezcal is a luxury mezcal brand with international distribution. Using finest 100% agave, this premium alcohol is produced in small batches by a family-run artisanal distillery in the wilderness of Oaxaca.

The overall concept for the character of the brand is inspired by the domestication of jungle wildlife, as largely practiced in Mexico in the 1920’s and 1930’s. We were inspired by the lifestyle of the Mexican intelligentsia at the time and imagined that Mal Mezcal would be drunk by people who related to that lifestyle.

The idea was to position the design in contrast to everything that was on the market at the time. We stayed away from traditional Mexican-themed design references and aimed to develop an identity and packaging with a contemporary, sophisticated and modern look, for the global consumer.

The animal engravings are used on bottle labels as well as the lily flower, which nods to the fact that agave plant is part if the lily family.

The overall colour scheme is largely monochrome with a splash of an accent colour, which is used to break up black and white canons or to highlight necessary information. For wider brand communications, packaging and marketing material we used modern typefaces, occasionally fused with photographic collages. The combination creative a distinctive and unique tone of voice.

The wooden crates were custom made by the local artisanal product design studio that uses natively grown wood. The cardboard shipping boxes, also locally produced, were specially designed to hold 6 bottles, using corrugated board specifically developed for heavy-duty packaging applications.

Eccentric + Modern + Nostalgic + Luxurious


What’s Unique?

All the packaging is custom made specifically around the product. There are also engraved editions of the boxes.