Calavera Blanco Tequila

Calavera Blanco is one of six award-winning designs featured in the Avery Dennison “Inspired by Diversity” envelope. Designed by Smith Lumen and printed by Rotas Italia, the design takes full advantage of the bright white, hammered material surface to create an inspired look and feel.

“Calavera” means "skull" and recalls typical Day of the Dead or “Dia de los Muertos” Mexican folklore. Smith Lumen said this inspired the design:

“The bright white of this paper, made us think of the blinding light of the South that enhances the bright colors of a messy, irreverent, unforgettable party. The incessant rhythm of a celebration of life in the present recounted by an intricate game of lucid and opaque effects.”

Rotas Italia comments on the Calavera Blanco Tequila label:

“Bright, colorful and summery. The roughness of the print brings to life a skull that still emanates energy on its white background, in the color of cotton. Even the print is worn out by the feeling of crazy heat. Energy and irreverence for an immortal liqueur.”

Our M_usings
This label design exploits Fasson Martele Extra White to reinforce a trio of bright colors. Smith Lumen draw on visual language associated with Mexican culture, including the colorful palette and the hand-drawn illustration of a human skull—the traditional symbol of Dia de los Muertos.

The screen-printed layers mimic the charmingly unrefined aesthetic of wood block printing in which handcrafted textural imperfections signify authenticity, care and quality. The bold, uppercase setting of the typographic layers are reminiscent of work by Dutchman Hendrik Werkman (1882-1945) and Brit Alan Kitching. The use of layering, color and dynamic composition create a sense of energy and vibrancy.