Frantoio Porto di Mola -
Art Piece - Olive Oil
Il Frantoio (Olive Press in English) is a laboratory that produces contemporary and experimental olive oil based in Porto di Mola, southern Italy.
Their innovative approach and modern machinery combined with a deep respect for the tradition and passion for the land result in the highest quality olive oil.
Label design
Role: Illustrator
The company had created a new type of olive oil that was even more radical and innovative than the rest of the range. They wanted to call it Art Piece to convey the labour, the innovation and particular nature of this product. So, they asked me to create an art piece specifically for it. After an initial consultation where we discussed the values of the company, the love they have for the land and the work they put into each product I created three concepts.
The Concepts
Even though they didn't want to influence my work by simply providing me with a subject, it was clear from the start that this artwork would need to be about the land, the work and the beauty of the olive grove.
First, for the concepts, I created a colour palette based on the colours of the different types of olive oils and their labels.
I was surprised to discover that some of the oils are actually green and that is a sign of quality!
For the illustrations I decided to create three different visions of the land.
Abstract
The first one was more abstract and included a view of the olive press in the background with oil coming out of it, represented by the long shapes and in the colours of the actual oil they produce.
Idyllic
The second one was more idyllic.
I wanted to give a vision of a calm and tidy land with an olive tree in the front and farm fields in the background.
Romantic
The third one was romantic.
Whilst maintaining the colour palette of the previous concepts
I played around with more pinks and reds. I wanted to give a vision of a land in the late afternoon, with the sun setting and the shadows of the olive trees getting longer. I liked a vision of the beauty of the land after a hard day’s work and I imagined the farmer standing over his land watching it fall asleep after so much labour.
After a few weeks of deliberations, they decided to go with this last one and chose to keep it exactly as it was.
