The Absinthe Ritual

An infographic explaining the traditional process of preparing absinthe

Through bespoke illustrated elements and a vintage color palette, I aimed to evoke the mystique and allure of absinthe culture in this magazine spread. The design features intricate line work and a vibrant, green color scheme reminiscent of the spirit itself.

Final absinthe infographic

This is the final, published version of the infographic, which was featured in District Fray magazine in 2021. (Amanda Weisbrod)


Click here to view the published project.

⭐ 2022 Society for News Design Student Design Contest (Honorable Mention, Alternative Story Format Category)

My assignment was to visually describe the process of preparing absinthe. I decided to include a True or False quiz featuring common misconceptions about the spirit because dispelling these myths was central to the story I wrote in conjunction with this graphic. This spread was created for District Fray Magazine in Washington, D.C. as an addition to a feature story I wrote about absinthe.

As soon as this idea came to mind, I knew exactly how I wanted it to look. I called up my photographer friend, and we set up a makeshift studio in my living room complete with lighting and black seamless paper. My partner set up the fountain and got it running while I directed the shoot. I did a little bit of Photoshop work to clean up the photo, then took off with the graphic portion of the design.

I was inspired by my husband’s love for absinthe. He first introduced me to the spirit, and even bought his own absinthe fountain so we could enjoy it at home. The fountain, glasses and absinthe spoon featured here are all his. The dotted and curly stylized arrows were inspired by Cosmopolitan Magazine, and the fairy illustration was inspired by vintage absinthe posters.

Setting up the photoshoot to get the picture just right was the biggest challenge I faced because I had only directed one other shoot before, but even this wasn't too straining. I had a lot of fun with this project and felt it came together pretty easily because I knew what I wanted to do from the start.

Programs used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

Process

First sketch for the Absinthe project. (Amanda Weisbrod)

My first sketch for The Absinthe Ritual project. (Amanda Weisbrod)

Second sketch for the Absinthe project. (Amanda Weisbrod)

This was my final sketch before heading to InDesign for the digital phase. (Amanda Weisbrod)


Click here to view the published project.