Campari Soda Bottle by Fortunato Depero and Matteo Ragni | Vintage Italian Re-design

80 Years of Campari Soda and Design

As a young Futurist artist, Fortunato Depero was bursting with creativity when, in 1915 he announced his intention to reinvent the entire universe.  While he might not have met his goal, in his lifetime Fortunato did manage to redesign  one everyday object and turn it into an icon of Italian design.  I’m talking of course about the little Campari Soda bottle that is shaped like a cone.

The iconic Campari Soda bottle by Fortunato Depero

Campari Soda and its unique bottle landed on the Italian market in 1932.  According to Italy’s important newsmagazine La Domenica del Corriere [The Sunday Courrier] the new object was a “genuine novelty and wonder of the season.”  Depero’s invention had many highly innovative features.  It was the first single-dose product, it was ready for consumption and it contained the  perfect pre-dinner drink mix of Campari and soda.  Because the cone bottle looked like an inverted drinking glass, you could say that this Futurist really did turn conventional ideas of design upside-down.

Campari Soda ad "For your thirst"

What is amazing about Fortunato Depero’s redesigned Campari Soda bottle is not just that it has become a cult object, but that it has inspired and continues to inspire generations of Italian designers.  While most people would agree that the best thing to do with a Campari Soda is drink it, it is the empty bottle that continues to obsess creative people.

Campari Light Pendant by Ingo Maurer

In true Depero fashion, the 80th anniversary of Campari Soda is being celebrated with another re-design, this time by the Milanese architect and designer Matteo Ragni.

Ragni has preserved the iconic shape of the bottle and celebrates the product’s timeless modernity as he dresses it in a Futurist design tribute.  His geometric pattern recalls the formal elements of Futurist design. Triangles and circles repeat around the bottle to create a striking grip that also bears the Campari Soda logo and the symbol of its “80″ years.

Campari Soda | Matteo Ragni

Icon bottle by Matteo Ragni

Everyone addicted to Campari Soda can rest assured that there will be many other “aperitivi” accompanied by this ageless symbol of Italian style.  So Happy “80th hour” everyone!

Campari Soda 80th anniversary bottle by Matteo Ragni