Old Doctor Tiberius

I've always had a passion for turn-of-the-century typefaces, and thanks to the internet, I've consumed more Victorian-era design books than is probably healthy. There's a no-frills, no-nonsense approach to most of the how-to books from that period, and despite what most people assume, there were a lot of designers advocating a "form follows function" approach, long before modernists popularized the idea. If you ever get a chance, and are looking for inspiration off the beaten path, Google Books provides a springboard into the world of Victorian design. As they say, the past is an undiscovered country.

That being said, here's a quick project for "Old Doctor Tiberius' Sticky Sweet Curative" and one that gave a welcome excuse to indulge in apothecary styled label designs. These were created for a limited series of homemade, maple syrup bottles that a friend painstakingly crafted and intended to dole out as gifts to clients. Wonky, high-contrast typeface decisions and dubious claims printed on kraft paper helped to convey that handmade approach, and also put a smile onto the faces of friends and family alike.