Campari Soda, a label-less (and timeless) design icon

It is automatic—obvious even—to associate Campari with design and the city of Milan: it has been intrinsically and authentically linked to this iconic duo for more than a century now. Over this period, new everyday symbols have developed around Campari Soda: just think of that iconic little bottle, the brainchild of Fortunato Depero, and of how the ritual of aperitivo as a delightful social occasion has flourished and consolidated around it. But the aperitivo is, perhaps, even more closely linked to design. Not for nothing has Campari Soda been a hub of creativity in which communication and design ideas move at the speed of light, gradually rooting a tradition imbued with red and offering it up to the most savage experiments. Quite rightly described as ‘futurist’, since they are sometimes unprecedented and more often unexpected, these ventures have seen the small bottle reinvented as a clock, a coat stand and even a lamp.

Tradition and vocation demand—and even more so at international events such as Milan Design Week 2024—Campari Soda’s presence as a key industry player: an industry that mixes the jovial quotidian ritual of the aperitif with the almost century-long history of Italian design, especially in this city, which during Design Week offers up a stage to Campari Soda. You will find it dotted around Milan in bars, showrooms and galleries, all marking a specific trail to different iconic places and spaces dedicated to the red aperitif as part of the Aperitivo Designed by Campari Soda, where it goes without saying what your drink order will be. Let us not forget that the drink you hold in your hands and that will shortly touch your lips is quite literally one of this century’s great design icons. It was 1932, to be exact, when Depero transformed the bottle (as it was known until then) into the instant classic in the shape of an inverted goblet. That same year saw the official launch of Campari Soda and the song by Crivel that made history by paying tribute to the one and only Campari Hour.

The truly distinguishing feature as much today as back then—and which to all intents and purposes has translated into a century of singularity—is the absence of any label, a decision made to show off that iconic colour and embossed design. Then came the numbering of the bottles, or the ‘little soldiers’ as they are fondly known, another design element that inadvertently became iconic. Created as a means of recognising the mould, the numbers were used by groups of Campari Soda fans to decide who had to pay for the round.

From 15 to 20 April, you will find the first of our establishments, the Edicola Campari Soda, in Piazzale di Porta Genova, animated by a palimpsest of artists every day. Just a stone's throw away at Base, you can continue your aperitivo with the welcome support of a musical selection curated by Le Cannibale, entirely dedicated to Campari Soda.

And if you think that’s all, you’d be quite mistaken. There is a lot of history, the city is big, and nobody ever turns down a Campari Soda. Here on zero.eu, we will continue undaunted in our mission to keep you up to speed with all the other events and happenings that Campari Soda has in mind for Milan this Design Week.