The Label Lab is an edition of experimental projects convened by Fedrigoni, the ultimate global benchmark in premium self-adhesive substrates. In this challenge, they selected seven of the top design studios in Argentina to develop a label, exploring and pushing the technical characteristics of their papers to the limit before executing them in print. We were handed a completely free and blank brief—a radical invitation to unleash our creativity to the fullest and synchronize it with the new technologies being implemented in the industry.
At Vantablack Studio, born in Mendoza at the epicenter of the wine industry, we took our place in this laboratory to hack the traditional visual codes of wine and spirits. We exist to rip brands out of their comfort zones. For us, a label is never just a simple wrapper; it is the first seductive contact between the product and whoever desires it.
The Duality of the Concept: Our Gothic-Luxury in Absolute White
The rationale behind this piece is born from a provocative duality. While at the studio we define ourselves by the depth of darkness under our motto “In darkness we trust,” the Fedrigoni challenge handed us the Waterproof Extra White, a material of absolute whiteness.
Far from trying to cover the paper, we decided to dialogue with its extreme purity, bringing it into our territory through a deeply disruptive gothic-luxury aesthetic. The central illustration—a crowned skull stalked by mystical figures—represents mortality and our signature irreverent luxury. We used the “Extra White” quality as a strategic compositional element: we left the white of the paper exposed to mark the maximum light levels of the artwork. By contrasting these empty spaces with a complex web of shadows, we achieved different optical levels that give the label a real sense of three-dimensionality.
Material Experience: Pushing the Substrate to the Extreme
We approached the substrate not just as a canvas, but as a structural challenge. To understand the technical limits of its acrylic adhesive, we subjected it to rigorous empirical tests of prolonged water immersion.
Less is more (stable): Although our methodology initially led us to evaluate its performance in Label-on-Label (LOL) multi-layer systems, honest experimentation revealed that layering papers in large formats accumulates tension and causes warping at the edges. To guarantee the flawless presentation demanded by the luxury sector, we decided to forgo the LOL system and bet on the proven stability of a single layer.
Geometric dialogue: These tests also allowed us to confirm that orienting the grain direction vertically is crucial to mitigate marks and structural tensions, allowing the paper to dialogue harmoniously with the geometry of the bottle.
A Tactile and Visual Choreography
To materialize this vision and push graphic tools to their absolute limit without compromising the substrate against immersion, we forged a key alliance with Label Solutions, absolute leaders in the printing industry in our region. Together, we built a tactile and visual choreography designed to challenge the senses:
White on white: Over the purity of the paper, we applied white, matte, and glossy volumetric screen prints that sculpt our illustration, forcing the light to reveal depths and shadows without muddying the white background.
Flashes of high luxury: We elevated the artwork by crowning our lettering with Pewter-colored Metal Doming, making it clash against precise flashes of gold and red hot stamping that inject the unmistakable code of high luxury.
The secret narrative: We sealed the story with invisible ink, a latent layer integrated into the substrate that awaits the stimulus of UV light to manifest itself spectrally in the shadows.
Finally, we crowned the design with a special, organic die-cut that radically breaks the traditional geometry of the bottle to intertwine with the rest of the finishes. In this project, we explore the exact tension where paper stops being a medium and becomes a language. What we project from Vantablack Studio isn’t seeking today’s consensus; it’s setting the pulse for what’s next, turning every bottle into a tangible manifesto and a sculptural work of art impossible to ignore.
Designer : Vantablack Studio
Location : Mendoza, Argentina
Project : Fedrigoni – The Label Lab
Client : Fedrigoni