A native of Thessaloniki, Greece, Chris Zafeiriadis studied graphic design at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and is currently working as a graphic designer and illustrator at Bob Studio, also in Athens. He enjoys collaborating with other designers, illustrators, printers, and artists.
How involved have you been in your family’s winemaking tradition?
chris zafeiriadis: My father has made wine every year since 1996. We have a small vineyard, and he is really passionate about it. He enjoys working year-round, taking care of it, plowing, pruning, etc.
The rest of the family and I help my father with the harvest and the grape pressing, which is done traditionally by pressing the grapes with our feet. After that, he finishes the winemaking process alone. We help him with the bottling after the wine has aged in wooden barrels for about a year.
How was the wine packaged before you created this?
In the early years, my father used to write just the harvest date on the bottle. As I grew older, I started making my first attempts at labeling it. Every year, I create a different package design. It is an opportunity for me to try different directions and design something with no limitations.
What has the response of the recipients been like?
Everybody in my family was very excited about the design. The fact that it was not a bottle with a classic label but had paper wrapped around the whole thing really made the difference. And of course when they saw all the winemaking procedures illustrated on it, they really fell in love.
Can you talk about the style of lettering that you chose?
I love illustrating. I did the lettering by hand, trying to match my illustrations. On most occasions, I start with the illustration and then I find the typography that best suits it.
product: Filirea Gi
client: Pashalis Zafeiriadis
designer/hand letterer/illustrator: Chris Zafeiriadis
medium: Silk screen and digital
country: Greece
The ultimate love-in: a family vineyard tended to by Dad, with contributions of grape pressing by Zafeiriadis family feet and package design by son Chris.
Zafeiriadis silk-screens each bottle by hand, and recipients delight in seeing the illustrated winemaking process on the paper wrapper.
