Deconstructing Product Design

Absolut Vodka Bottle

Carlsson and Broman, 1977

1. Derided as resembling a plasma bottle by early critics, the Absolut Vodka bottle achieved commercial success and design recognition soon after its introduction to America in 1979. Its subdued design is an actualization of Gunnar Broman’s “when all others are screaming, you must whisper” philosophy — a reference to the loud, if not garish, bottles of competing brands of the time. The Absolut bottle has long since achieved iconic status, no doubt aided by its role as centerpiece in one of the longest-running advertising campaigns of all time: 25 years and 1,500 advertisements all built around the bottle.
2. Its form was inspired by an antique Swedish medicine bottle, a nod to vodka’s historical ...