Heartshot Vodka
Close-up of a hand-drawn sticker on the Heartshot Vodka bottle, graphic design, illustration, photography
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Heartshot Vodka is a unique tactile artwork that was the centerpiece of my portfolio exhibit at Millikin University’s Design Showcase 2025. Created specifically for the event, it's a highly detailed, one-of-a-kind item plastered with personalized propaganda stickers and weathered through real wear and tear. The design features many references to my previous work that encapsulate my brand identity and represent my cynical views on the alcohol industry.
I designed an array of original stickers for this project, each using a photo from my portfolio as a starting point. From there, I added text overlays, color adjustments, and/or illustrations to form a chaotic collage of aggressive, eye-catching branding. A full list of the works I referenced includes 21st, GORE, Kill Your Darlings, Self-Portrait Series I, and VICES (I also used screenshots from my freshman-year short film BLOOD, though that project is no longer available to the public, since I was dissatisfied with its writing quality). After printing these stickers, I haphazardly slapped them onto the bottle, filling every available space around its core with propaganda. I put the bottle through a rigorous weathering process to achieve the look I wanted. I slammed it against concrete, dragged it through gravel, slashed it with various sharp objects, and tore away parts of it with my fingers. The final product has an authentic look of disastrous aging that reinforces the message behind this piece.
The entire concept of Heartshot Vodka is a furiously satirical take on controlled substances and consumerism. This bottle hates you. Every sticker features violent or disturbing imagery with text urging you to give your life to this product. Every inch of print is designed to extract a concession from you. The bottle is thoroughly damaged, and the liquid inside is a disgustingly thick blood-red concoction. It’s clear that this product is designed to destroy you, and it’s incredibly excited for you to let it do so.
Addiction has been a common topic in my work for years. I’ve watched it turn people I love into the most shallow and deprived versions of themselves. I don’t have any ire towards addicts or casual users, but I’ve always had a strong opposition to the industries that profit from addiction. Some of the photos featured on the bottle are perfect representations of this stance. “21st” is a particularly apt inclusion in this work, as it depicts depressive alcoholism turning its subject into an unrecognizable monster. “VICES” depicts addiction through the lens of gambling, desperately clinging to a chance at a better life that persistently drags you into a worse one. All these unique stories of dread and loss from over the years seem almost destined to join together into this single physical omen of tragedy, making a powerful statement from the collective output of my most poignant works.
As mentioned earlier, I exhibited this piece at Design Showcase 2025, where I presented the absolute best of my work to potential clients, colleagues, and fans. I’d never brought my art to life like this before, and making something so powerful and expressive that people could touch and interact with was a deeply meaningful experience for me.
This remains one of my favorite works I’ve ever done, and with such sentimental importance around this object, I took the utmost care in photographing it to share with you all. I wanted a clean, high-definition product shoot that showcased all the unique details of my design, but I had limited resources to allocate toward this goal. These photos were produced on a near-zero budget, using two sheets of poster board as a backdrop and a third as a makeshift reflector. My key light was a handheld LED unit, and the rest of the space was filled using lamps from around my room. Despite the major shortcomings of my setup, I was able to take some remarkably sharp photos that look completely professional after some touch-ups in Photoshop. I’d love to invest some money and assemble a more robust photo studio with professional equipment one day, but I’m very proud and impressed with the quality I achieved using only household items and pre-owned camera gear.
From start to finish, Heartshot Vodka was an exercise in attention to detail and love for my craft, and I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out.
