MAH — Spirit of the Forest
MAH is launching the first mahua flower spirit in Europe: an ancestral drink from the tribal forests of India, long banned. It needed a visual identity and a label able to tell this origin from the very first batch.
A hybrid creature, half tiger, half elephant, guardian of the forest, surrounded by mahua foliage. The illustration is printed in two blues, like an old engraving.
The logotype pairs a classic serif capital with Devanagari script: “पहली धार”, the first pour. Two cultures on one label, as in the bottle.
The system grew with the brand, from the first batch to the 5-litre demijohn, the boxes and the 50 ml size. In 2024, I redesigned the label for the new batch. The same year, MAH won a silver medal at the London Spirits Competition.
The MAH ÉléTigre illustration, 2020.
First batch, 2020.
Mock-up of the 50 cl bottles, front and back, 2021.
2024 redesign — Route 1: a die-cut label that follows the creature’s silhouette.
2024 redesign — Route 2: a triangular label with a striped reverse, like a tiger’s coat.
2024 redesign — Route 3: the striped pattern applied to the cartons.
2024 redesign — Route 4: print sheet for the cartons.
Photography: © MAH