Hilandar Wines

Some projects compel you to adjust your perspective, to reconsider your way of thinking and your worldview. The Hilandar project was an unexpected, profoundly moving journey that fundamentally changed the way we perceive and value time. A journey that we embarked on together with our friend and frequent collaborator, brand strategist Peter Economidis.

We live in a world of abundance. Sometimes it seems that we have everything. Except time. Timeless Mount Athos. A UNESCO World Heritage site. Far from the “distraction of the distractions,” the blips and beeps, likes and shares and the endless breaking news updates in the hectic world we live in.

The Hilandar Monastery is one of 20 monasteries, and the only Serbian one, on Mount Athos. It was founded in 1198 by Saint Simeon, and has remained inhabited and in operation for almost a millennium, making the rebranding of their wines one of our most unique projects.

Part of the monastery’s estate is an exceptional vineyard; the monks have been producing wine for centuries. In recent years, the wines have become available on the market; we were commissioned to create a presentation website to highlight the monastery’s history and the exceptional quality and taste of their wines.

By its very nature, a monastery is a place beyond the normal confines of time. Here, the passage of time is measured in decades, or centuries; it is a place untouched by the stresses of modern culture.

The practice of wine-making is similarly founded on patience, on a timeframe dictated by the rhythm of nature, not imposed by human endeavors. It is this very elemental, natural part of the process of making wine that preserves its unique flavors and quality characteristics.

The new Hilandar logotype is a combination of old visual elements and the monastery's name written in three languages (Greek, English and Serbian) that also includes a hourglass representing the concept of "time".

Inspired by this extraordinary environment and its place at one remove from the world, our design approach was focused on the concept of time. The hourglass shape, graphically flexible and symbolically univocal, was incorporated into the logo and became a dominant feature of the website design.

The monastery’s cultural legacy is honored through the use of slavic typography. This delicate balance of designing for an entity that is centuries-old yet active in the world today is also expressed in the choice of typeface, a modern serif font that is classically elegant yet contemporary.

Deep ruby with purple hues. Aromas like wild sour cherry, black currant, cherry and thyme. Rich, tasty in the mouth with noticeable acidity and velvety texture. Hilandar remains for 12 months in oak barrels of 225 lt. and 12 months in the bottle.

Pale salmon color, elegant nose with intense aromas of strawberry, queen Anne cherries and white fleshed fruit. Medium volume mouth with refreshing acidity and flavor characteristics of red and citrus fruit, among with notes of toffee. Long and fruity aftertaste.

Deep red color with purple nuances at the rim. Rich taste with black fruits, licorice flavours and traces of leather and cassis. Fine tannins, long and delightful aftertaste. St. Sava's Field 2011 remains for 12 months in French oak five-ton barrels, 12 months in oak barrels of 225 lt. and 12 months in the bottle.

Visit the Hilandar website here for a timeless experience.

The monastery is a world unto itself: self-sufficient and self-contained, it has the luxury to exist outside the modern tenets of time. Working with the monks required earning their trust. They are very reticent towards outsiders, very protective of the monastery, its lands and its cultural and religious treasures. To build an honest and mutual relationship, we had to abandon our preconceived notions and immerse ourselves fully into their world, into their perception of reality.

This “letting go” introduced a whole different dimension to our thinking and our design process. We were granted unprecedented access into their world. This allowed us to produce an amazing photographic portfolio and a fascinating presentation video without which the rebranding would not have been nearly as impactful.