Svitlo

A bottle of Svitlo Ukrainian vodka lying on a reflective surface.

It is vodka, and it is from Ukraine.
—

Brand and packaging for Svitlo

Svitlo vodka is low in fuss, and high in vibe. Made from grains harvested in some of the richest soils in Europe, it is bottled and distilled in central Ukraine. The name translates to ‘lLight’, and, through the sales of the product, Svitlo aims to reinvest in Ukraine’s creative community through their initiative DODOMU.

Person dressed in a colorful costume with a large, fluffy head resembling a bear, standing outdoors on grass with houses in the background.
A clear vodka bottle labeled 'Svito' with blue and yellow text, situated against a bright yellow background.

Functional, bold, graphic and simple was the brief, and we sought to create a mark that felt lived-in and familiar. Our custom bold italic typemark harks to the kind of typography you might find stencilled on a crate, with constructivist / utilitarian cues. 

The Svitlo logo in yellow, on a blue background.

Primary Logo

An elderly woman wearing sunglasses and a floral headscarf sits at a table with a bottle of vodka labeled 'Svitlo' and a martini glass with a lemon garnish. The background shows a rustic outdoor setting with a brick wall and wooden roof.
Blue background with yellow text saying 'VODKA OF UKRAINE' and the Svitlo logo at the top.

Futura supports as our brand typeface, continuing the utilitarian approach — selected for a clean pairing for both English and Ukrainian language.

Blue and Yellow are the obvious pairings, definitively establishing that this is Ukrainian vodka. Being lower contrast colours allows us to play with type and graphics at scale in the wider applications, the blue providing a striking finish to the logo on the label.

A bottle of Svitlo vodka with a blue background and yellow starburst design. The label indicates it is vodka of Ukraine, more filtered, with 40% alcohol content, 1-liter size, and a wooden cap.
A close-up of a bottle of Svitlo vodka label, set against a blue background.
A shelf inside a refrigerator featuring a Svitlo vodka bottle, a disco ball, a banana, eggs, a glass of orange liquid, and a green avocado.

The label itself is very rudimentary, with functional messaging, no fluffy narrative about the procurement, just the honest truth. This approach to information was echoed in the design, with anything necessary stripped out, leaving the product to prove itself. A gloss finish to the logo and other key elements helps to lift, just a little.

A beverage label featuring blue, yellow, and black text, with a red pregnancy warning and barcode, indicating it is a Ukrainian-distilled drink with a capacity of approximately 32 ounces.
An image of a martini glass filled with clear liquid, garnished with a lemon peel, against a bright blue background with a large yellow starburst design.
An elderly woman wearing sunglasses and a floral headscarf sits at a table with a bottle of vodka labeled 'Svitlo' and a martini glass with a lemon garnish. The background shows a rustic outdoor setting with a brick wall and wooden roof.
Bright yellow typographic poster for Svitlo vodka.

Likely Suspects:
Josh O’Neill

Collaborators:
Art direction by Thomas Gledhill
Creative content by UGA, Kiss Allah, voveeeeeeque & Victoria Hlebova

Visit Svitlo’s website