Campari Posters

Considered one of the most unique designs, the Bitter Campari from 1921 embodies the spirit of the Bitter Campari with the use of a zest of the orange peel, (an ingredient in the Bitter Campari). This image has become one of the classics of poster design, Cappiello used a technique which was very advanced stylistically at the time, using black as the dominant background colour to emphasise the figure. His innovative graphic designs had a strong visual impact on the audience of that period, promoting the unique liqueur, ‘Campari Bitter’.

The history of this world-famous brand name, Campari, began in 1860 in the small Italian town of Novara, where Gaspar Campari opened a wine shop. Later, he opened a cafe in Milan. Here, Gaspar Campari produced his own distinctive ‘bitter’ liqueur, developing a recipe which was an instant success.

Cappaiello has previously spent part of his career as a stage caricaturist, often choosing to draw harlequins or clowns to represent various products. The Campari Spiritello remains today just as unique and eye catching as it did when it was first realised in 1921.