Independent design agency Sunhouse has designed a special edition range of Magnum ice creams for the Italian market inspired by ‘The Divine Comedy’ by Dante Alighieri.

Widely considered the most important poem of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language, The Divine Comedy relates Dante’s travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, allegorically representing the soul’s journey towards salvation. To commemorate the 700th anniversary of the visionary poet’s death, Magnum developed three sensorially intense flavours that embody each stage of this epic journey.

Magnum briefed their creative partners at Sunhouse to bring this sophisticated concept to life to honour the mastery of Dante’s timeless tale, and elevate the brand’s own story about the ‘liberation of pleasure.’

“Such incredible work had been done in developing products that lived and breathed each of the different realms, so we wanted to ensure that the designs helped fulfil each of those experiences,” comments Sally Knapton, Partner at Sunhouse. “To achieve this, we created visual worlds that captured the visceral tonality and sensorial nature of the story with a fearless style that was true to Magnum.”

The afterlife worlds of Dante’s Divine Comedy are actualised with highly evocative design that expresses this classic story with a contemporary twist. A pitch black landscape with fiery red cracks brings the temptation of Inferno to life, whilst abstract layers in earthy neutral tones embody the multi-sensorial dimension of Purgatorio. The divine light of Paradiso is finally reached with the iridescent splendour of heavenly indulgence. In addition to packaging, Sunhouse supported the limited edition campaign by designing master visuals for the POS experience.

“Magnum X Dante is a celebration of the highest expression of Italian literature with the highest expression of pleasure in the world of ice cream,” comments Ben Curtis, Global Brand Director at Magnum. “Sunhouse really pushed visual equities of the brand to channel the richness and depth of this epic story, crafting brave creative work that immediately immerses consumers in Dante’s world. It’s divinely inspired, aesthetically powerful and absolutely aligned with Magnum’s ‘True to pleasure’ ethos.”