The positive climate of recovery growing around Vinitaly includes the desire to meet everyone involved in the initiatives hosted by the event once again. We are drawing nearer to the 24th Vinitaly Design Int'l Packaging Competition - the prestigious international competition that places the visual impact of bottles at the heart of product communication be it wine, olive oil, beer or spirits - scheduled 24 March 2022.
In this context, we spoke with one of the competition's historic figures, a pioneer of stylistic storytelling through packaging: Mario di Paolo. Mario is the founder and creative director of Spazio di Paolo based in Spoltore, in the province of Pescara. His revolutionary approach goes far beyond the concept of traditional communication agencies: it is a place for research into the essence of the product through artistic interplay combined with detailed market analysis which is never separated from technical knowledge of the product as such. Detailed and passionate work, where the objective of the "story" does not only envisage visionary aesthetic rendering but also the sublimation of the essence of wine so that it becomes unique and recognizable in such a highly competitive market as Italy. From the three-dimensional and multi-layered effect of labels that communicate directly with consumers, to the use of material pigments to create labels that speak distinctive languages, we are talking about a pioneer of creativity in the wine sector.
The prerogative of his creative process is the same as for contemporary art: freedom of expression and the total lack of constraints in communication, where the only concept that is not allowed is "it can't be done".
Artistic career and meeting Vinitaly
Born into an artistic family, Mario grew up in an atmosphere of absolute creativity and interplay, at a time when digital media did not exist, where eyes and dexterity were the only tools available to develop projects. As a child, he breathed the atmosphere of the art studio, thinking with his hands, learning the sophistication of visual projects through tactile sensations, with the idea of being able to set up works of mental architecture.
He approached the wine sector by observing vineyards when he was 16, trying to understand agronomy techniques by talking with cellar technicians and winemakers, snapping thousands of images to capture what he saw. His first, decisive memory concerning his entry into the world of wine involves Gianni Masciarelli, a wine cellar in Abruzzo. Thereafter, he pursued intense and solitary work to create a still life set-up in the film studio, searching for perfect light, between optical bench, black cloth and Polaroid film. “I wanted the most out of what I was doing to create lighting perfection." While he was still 16, he discovered Vinitaly where, together with his father, he was commissioned to set up the stands of a number of wine cellars exhibiting at the event.
The creative process behind the development of a label arises from a spark, an inexplicable intuition gleaned from the secrets confessed by clients in the analysis stage. One of his most interesting projects came about at Vinitaly following a meeting with Alberto Chiarlo and Jana Kokrhanek, during a tasting of Michele Chiarlo's Barolo. Between one tasting sip and the next, Chiarlo mentioned that what appeared to be archaeological evidence of a prehistoric animal bone, which later turned out to be the bone of a whale, had recently been found in his vineyard. This was the starting point for Barolo Balena, a wine at the heart of a storytelling embodying important values linked to a historically vocational territory, a land of riches and nature in continuous transformation, the story on the label that helps us understand the essence of a product at first glance. The visual stimuli of this particular label emerge from the material pigments, an ancient art recalling the pulverized stone used to paint frescos, a truly semiotic operation.
The purpose of the Vinitaly Design Int'l Packaging Competition
Vinitaly Design Int'l Packaging Competition does not focus on ambitions for winning prestigious awards but above all is a chance for comparison and experimentation involving the finest original proposals. The best advice Mario can give to label creators starting along this fascinating journey is to use a blank piece of paper. “Take a blank sheet and start designing without copying, linking your own artistic language to the DNA of the company whose project you are working on. In this way, the competition becomes a wonderful experience where the best projects come together without being dominated by the competitive spirit."
A competition that is good for designers and good for winemakers.
A massive contribution to the new communication strategies supporting wine sales, creating beauty and economic sustainability achieved through increased product sales volumes.
An exciting process of empathy where technique is at the service of something never seen before, the creation of abstract worlds that take shape through matter.
Registrations for the
Vinitaly Design International Packaging Competition close on Tuesday 1 March. For more information, visit the
Vinitaly.com website or
enrol now at competition
Power up your image! Communication starts with packaging!