Kontabas
The brief
In 2018, brothers Roman and Andriy Pelekh gave the drink a new life when they accidentally found a real treasure of Ukrainian culture. While buying a small house in a Transcarpathian village, they came across a cellar with 90+ liters of kontabas from 1993. So the brothers decided to revive it in its original form and taste, of course, according to the ancient recipe.
We had to create a logo and label design for a beverage almost completely lost in history. In fact, we had to convey its unique Ukrainian character through the label - the faithful belonging to lost Ukrainian traditions.
A fanatical study of the problem
We were most interested in the writing and characteristics of the Ukrainian handwriting of that period. So, we created many sketches using handwritten calligraphy from that era until we came up with the perfect wordmark.
A logotype with history
For the typographic logo, We used a modernized form of Ukrainian calligraphy of the XVI century with cursive elements. This helped to give the logo a traditional and, at the same time, contemporary mood, deprive it of the rigor of religious manuscripts, and preserve the national character. The gray and gold colors gave the logo a classic, elite look. And most importantly, he conveyed the spirit of the Ukrainian people.
The biggest win for us was that the first batch of the limited series Kontabas from 1993 sold out in a month. The product, previously little known, quickly found its admirers. This is the true power of design. The true power of a great idea.
