INSIDE OUT: Three Rules Trappist beer x Svetlana Molodchenko

Specialising in ornamental illustration and pattern work, Svetlana Molodchenko has always held a passion for the ancient, illuminated lettering drawn by monks centuries ago. Now, her ability to replicate the stylings of medieval artwork has positioned her as the perfect illustrator to create the artwork for Three Rules of Authentic Trappist beer – made within the same monastery walls as the ornate calligraphy Svetlana is inspired by.

The project began with an email from Ruud Cuijpers, creative director at Tête de la Course, an independent agency in Eindhoven tasked with branding a very special Trappist ale. Three Rules is an exclusive, limited-edition brew made collaboratively by three traditional Trappist brands – La Trappe (Koningshoeven Abbey, Netherlands), Tynt Meadow (Mount St Bernard Abbey, Leicestershire) and Zundert (Maria Toevlucht Abbey, Netherlands).

 

The golden rules of Trappist

Three was the magic number behind the project – because of the three monasteries involved as well as the fact that any beer labelled ‘Trappist’ must adhere to three golden rules. “It must be produced within the walls of a Trappist abbey or the immediate vicinity, production is carried out by monks or under their supervision, and the proceeds must be used to meet the needs of the monastic community, or for charitable works,” explains Svetlana.

“My task was to draw a logo – a richly decorated number three; the label – a hexagon divided into illustrations for the three rules; and a triptych, with a further illustration for each rule,” she continues.

The hexagon became the basis of the visual concept, giving its form to the logo and the label, and appearing in each panel of the triptych. But this didn’t confine Svetlana, and while her artworks were formed into six-sided shapes, she explored freely and, as she drew, her ideas inspired Ruud at Tête de la Course and the monks at the monasteries to add further layers of meaning to the artworks.

“As the work progressed, it was constantly changing and new elements were added,” says Svetlana, “For example, the brief said the second rule had to depict ‘something with a monk and beer.’ I drew a monk holding a glass of beer in his hand, but this illustration was rejected because a monk shouldn’t drink beer! So, I decided to show the production process, and looked for information and reference images. Now we see a monk over a huge vat, making the beer.”

Considered and crafted

The main element of the logo evolved from an Arabic ‘3’ to the Roman numeral ‘III’, surrounded by a floral pattern in Renaissance style. Similarly, though the label began as a hexagon with a hard border, other creative routes were explored leading to a trefoil with room for an illustration in each leaf, surrounded by organic patterning that more gently fills out the hexagonal form. We see the abbey walls at Mount St Bernard, a monk tending the brew and a monk’s hands cradling the Earth, representing charity.

As work progressed, Ruud and the monasteries requested further decorative elements – little icons representing ingredients from, or characteristics of, each abbey. La Trappe is symbolised by a lamb, with cheese and a candle, surrounded by hop vines. Tynt Meadow is ornamented with oak leaves and acorns, with a dove for the Holy Spirit and a bee for biodiversity. Wild gale entwines the Zundert illustration, with the monastery’s lapwing emblem, praying hands and a cross.

These touches add to the narrative depth of the design – a considered approach that reflects the attention to detail that goes into the beer itself, paralleling the skills of the ancient craftsmen who built the monasteries.

“I wanted to achieve the feeling of the main window at a Gothic cathedral with carved masonry and complex décor – like you’re looking through this window and seeing something,” says Svetlana. “I looked at a huge number of images of Gothic cathedrals and other buildings. And of course, I was inspired by medieval manuscripts with rich decor, into which images of a wide variety of creatures were woven – birds, animals and so on.”

 

 

Creative process

Many of the elements were drawn separately in pencil, inked in fine liner, then scanned and brought together in Photoshop. With the density of the objects and details in just about every corner of the artwork, it was challenging to find the right harmony between positive and negative space. To overcome this, Svetlana applied a technique that helps her quickly correct any imbalance.

“I draw on white paper then scan it and remove the white background and replace it with a dark one. Then you can immediately see where there are mistakes in the composition, where you need to remove and where to add items,” she explains. “Then I place an object, for example a sheep, where I want it, remove the leaves and branches there, then add leaves to the stems above and below so that it looks natural.”

Initially, the brief was for the illustrations to be produced in colour, but as direct to bottle printing was being used, Svetlana suggested using a single colour which would allow for greater detail in the imagery and a more impressive outcome. Ruud chose gold ink, with some details highlighted in real gold, to complete the packaging’s luxury presentation.

“I’m very happy our client found it worthwhile to invest in enriching the design with real gold elements,” says Ruud Cuijpers at Tête de la Course. “That makes it a beautiful whole. We also get that back from the market. Many people buy it based on the design. Our customers, the abbots, describe it as a 'piece of art'. I think you can't get a better compliment, and it’s almost sold out already, even though this is the largest quantity of special edition beer they’ve ever produced.”

“My favourite thing was creating the patterns. It’s like meditation,” says Svetlana. “I’ve read the reviews on social network sites and they’re all positive. First of all, people pay attention to the design, and they say the beer is tasty, too.”

Proceeds from sales will go to the Dutch charity Trees for All, and its project to plant 14,000 trees.