Mystical, symbolic creatures having their own personalities and chili sauce in various flavors. Gergő Gilicze created a story-telling label design rich in details for Justin Knopp, the co-founder of Typoretum, a printing studio working with traditional techniques. Let’s see the details.
Gergő Gilicze spent three months in the family-run printing studio Typoretum founded by Justin and Cecilia Knopp in a small town near London back in 2013 on Erasmus. A little later it turned out that Justin was not only fond of classic printing technologies, but is a true chili fan at the same time; he grows various types of chilies in his garden, in a little greenhouse, out of which he creates various home-made, limited series sauces.
And well, the unique chili sauces call for unique story-telling labels. The graphics imagined by Gergő are not only rich in details, but also bear a symbolic meaning, the main source of inspiration of which is the unique atmosphere infusing Justin Knopp’s world.
“Justin has a characteristic poster, based on which I imagined that the lab where the chili sauces are made is in the cellars underneath his workshop, so it must be full of obscure beings. The village where they live also contributed to the atmosphere of the label: back in the day, when I used to go to work at the press, the road led me through half-timbered houses and a cemetery” – Gergő told us.
The label portrays mystical and unearthly creatures that all have their specific roles. Including the Printer’s Devil in the form of a monkey, the central figure of the illustration, whose job is to stir the sauce continuously, The Imp, who is the caretaker of the dungeon and the chili seedlings, or The Standing Skeleton displayed on the right side of the label, who functions as the chief taster.
The design is built around personality, so in addition to the figures having their own stories, the label also features the machines and tools in Justin’s workshop, such as the setting stick, the ink ball, the oilers, and Justin’s unique prints, including his poster saying „Victory is in the kitchen”.
To make the story complete, the labels are made by Justin himself in his workshop, with a letterpress printing method, using a Gietz Presto Hand Feeder.
Go and explore Gergő’s exciting and detailed illustrations on his Instagram or Behance profile!
Photos: Richárd Kelemen
Gilicze Gergő | Instagram | Facebook | Behance
Gergő Gilicze prefers to use tiny details in his illustrations; bird’s eye scenes are always at the center of his works. He has created various maps of cities as well as pictograms and wall graphics, too. His map-like illustrations were also featured on a unique collection of the well-known Hungarian Ykra bag brand. When he is not working on his own projects, he works as a member of Halisten Studio.