What if the whisky-making process became the artwork?

Full Barile identity, campaign and film: https://contra.com/p/bMNAvgWk-barile-brand-identity-and-launch-campaign

Barrel staves become monumental sculptures. Their curves carry through the collector’s packaging and a 15-second film. Explore four moments from the project here, then discover the complete visual identity and campaign in the case study.

Self-initiated concept for a fictional Brazilian single malt. Creative direction, brand identity and AI-assisted visual development by Mauricio Pontual.

#BrandIdentity #ArtDirection #PackagingDesign #BrandCampaign #AIVideo

The way the barrel curves carry all the way through to the packaging is such a tight through line. Since this was self-initiated, did the sculptural direction come first and the 15 second film get built around it, or were they developed side by side?

What does the exact moment you fell for this craft actually look like?

I turn 30 on the 25th this month, which puts me a decade out from the university where all of this actually started. 🤯

This collages keep alive that era exactly as I remember it: the all nighters that blurred into the next morning's class, the first typeface I picked apart just to understand why it worked, my first real typographic composition, the friends who shared this with me and the illustrations I was too nervous to show anyone at the time.

None of it was good yet. But every decision I make now traces back to those lovely moments which I now treasure 🥹

What's the first project that made you realize this was it for you?

For me it was an early identity project where I ended up hand drawing every icon because nothing off the shelf fit the brand. The set was rough, but watching someone navigate the work using marks I had invented was the first time design felt less like decoration and more like a...