You’ve got to have Faith: AMATEUR(DOT)ROCKS’ tiny bottle brimming with ‘faith’ will get you thinking — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design

“Faith is a sarcastic depiction of our fucked-up world, where we pursue answers through either deep spirituality or instant consumerism,” says the Berlin-based, Argentinian creative duo AMATEUR(DOT)ROCKS who have just bottled up some ‘faith.’ If you land on the website for the product, you’ll come across a receipt that reads, “Just when it seems there’s no god left to pray to, no economic system to support us, no media to trust, no relationships to make us feel connected, Faith arrives. A non-scientific formula for these challenging times that enables you to find answers and boosts your levels of resilience and conviction. With a simple routine, we guarantee remarkable belief results.”

Introduced as a saving grace for those of us losing faith in the world, the conceptual product is designed with a clear-cut, distinctively simple visual identity, allowing its audience to focus on the idea behind the project whilst commenting on the graphic cues of capitalism. “The physical product is inspired by the skincare industry,” Co-founder Jose Bessega explains, where “a seemingly ordinary tiny bottle is elevated to a high-end, must-have item,” perpetuating the consumerist mindset of continual purchasing. “For the graphic system, we took inspiration from mass consumerism, immediacy, and accessibility,” he adds, “visually translating this into a purchase ticket/receipt look and feel,” harnessing its default, ‘non-designed’ nature across Faith’s art direction and OOH applications.

Typographically, AMATEUR(DOT)ROCKS let the production speak for itself, using a second-hand thermal printer for the receipts and standard receipt software to create the design – scanning in the final results. “After extensive research, we discovered an open-source plugin for thermal printers,” Pallucchini recalls, “that allowed us to design our own tickets using code,” enabling the pair to adjust the font height, weight and size. “We tested extensively until we found the right settings for headlines and body text,” he adds, using the printer for every single application of the brand, including the permanently ‘out of stock’ website.

“Therein lies the irony and beauty of this project,” Bessega contextualises, “the intangible and eternal promises that both spirituality and consumerism try to sell us throughout our lives,” without the possibility of reaching them. The ‘out of stock’ product is a witty comment on the fact that faith, often, can feel like it’s too hard to have. And if you thought the bottle looked empty? “Faith is intangible and ethereal,” he explains, “the fact that it cannot be seen, smelt, measured, tasted, or touched doesn’t mean the bottle is empty,” speaking to the nay-sayers. “We believe that some will stay at the surface level of the project,” the duo continue, focussing only on the playful, if somewhat pessimistic, persona of the brand. “Others will experience an internal shift, they will feel the need to engage in self-reflection,” they suggest, “questioning, and forming their own point of view – both reactions are equally valid.” Concluding, they add, “maybe one day it will be back in stock.”