Gold Packaging Design · 2022
The Treasure of Zbojniks Label
- A' Design Award 2022 Gold Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: St. Nicolaus (client company); Zbojnicka (brand)
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 47,746
- Verification code FD02EBFAA1 · Verify this award
About The Treasure of Zbojniks Label
The Treasure of Zbojniks is a label design for Zbojnicka fruit distillates. Zbojnicka in Slovak means belonging to a Zbojnik. Zbojniks were robbers who took part in insurgencies against serfdom, and people believed that they hid treasures in the Slovak mountains. The label presents the distillates as the treasure of Zbojniks. Velky Rozsutec mountain is shown at the top, and Slovak ornaments from different regions frame the design. Engraving-styled illustrations are printed in two colors on matte cream paper with a soft texture. The product name is applied with gold embossing.
Sasha Sharavarau's The Treasure of Zbojniks Label emerges from a rich tradition of Central European spirits branding where elaborate ornamentation serves not merely decorative purposes but communicates deep cultural narratives of place, heritage, and artisanal mastery. The design demonstrates remarkable facility in synthesizing nineteenth-century illustrative conventions with contemporary typographic sensibilities, creating visual language that simultaneously honors traditional distillation practices dating to 1867 while presenting with unmistakably modern clarity and sophistication. The central mountain vignette, rendered with the patient precision of steel engraving, establishes geographic identity through topographic specificity, the peaked ranges suggesting the highland regions where plum orchards flourish and distillation traditions have been refined across generations. The fruit illustrations below achieve botanical accuracy while maintaining decorative integration, their crosshatched volumes and curving foliage creating rhythm that leads the eye through the composition's layered narrative. Particularly accomplished is the typographic treatment where the brand name achieves dimensional presence through careful shadow work and gold-toned rendering, appearing to project forward from the picture plane while remaining harmoniously integrated with the illustrative field. The medallion seal at the bottle's neck introduces heraldic gravitas through its crossed axes and circular format, suggesting guild traditions and quality certifications that predate modern regulatory frameworks. The chromatic restraint to indigo and gold against cream demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how limited palettes can achieve greater impact than chromatic profusion, the complementary relationship creating visual vibration that rewards extended contemplation. One might observe how this work participates in broader movements toward heritage authentication in contemporary spirits marketing while transcending mere nostalgic pastiche through genuine technical accomplishment. What enduring qualities of craft and place does such careful visual articulation preserve for future generations?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Zbojnicka, in Slovak, means belonging to a Zbojnik. Zbojniks were robbers, who participated in insurgencies against serfdom, in a way, they were the Slovak Robin Hoods of the Middle Ages. People believed that they have hidden numerous treasures in the Slovak mountains. Zbojnicka distillates are the true treasure of Zbojniks - this was the main idea in design creation. Each element of the label has its significance and tells unique stories from Slovak folklore.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The dimensions of the bottle are 22cm x 10 cm x 6 cm (length x width x volume). The label size is 12 cm x 8 cm.
- Tags
- packaging, label design, print, Slovak folk culture, illustration, engraving, fruit distillates
- Production Technology
- The label is printed on a glass bottle. Matte creme paper with a soft texture was chosen in order to evoke the feel of a natural and home-made product. The engraving-stylized illustrations create an impression of being transported into the past. The combination of Slovak ornaments from different regions enhances the image of a truly local, traditional product. The label is created in two colors, with only the name of the product, “Zbojnicka”, differing in terms of its colour and the printing technique. For it, gold embossing is used, which further associates the product with the treasures of Zbojniks.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was to create a unique and pronounced character and mood for the brand, to make the product distinguishable from its competitors, to attract attention to the product and facilitate a dialogue between the brand and the consumers, and at the same time to preserve and convey Slovak culture and traditions.
- Project Duration
- The project was launched on 1.4.2020 on the Slovak off-trade market (hypermarkets, supermarkets, wines & spirits shops, etc.).
- Operation Flow
- The work is displayed on the off-trade market (hypermarkets, supermarkets, wines & spirits shops, etc.). Due to its unique design and the story behind it, it manages to establish a dialogue between the the brand and the consumers, and at the same time, preserve and convey Slovak culture and traditions.
- Inspiration
- People believed that Zbojniks have hidden their treasures on Velky Rozsutec mountain (this mountain is depicted at the top of the label). Traditionally, it is assumed that Zbojniks were hiding the gold stolen from the feudal lords in the mountains. But what else could be valuable for the mighty robbers? A good drink, of course, which is often valued more than any gold. The folk stories of Zbojniks - Slovak robbers - thus became the main source of inspiration for the label design.
- Image Credits
- Images #1-5
Art Director: Sasha Sharavarau (Amoth Studio)
Designer: Sasha Sharavarau (Amoth Studio)
Illustrator: Tania Sharavarava
Artworker: Robert Specian
Photography: Jose Sabino (Sabino Studio)