Pixie: A Meeting of Earth, Time, and Visual Enchantment

Pixie is more than a wine. It is an ethereal expression of all that nature holds as invisible, enchanted, and deeply vital. Its name evokes a small magical creature—a forest fairy, associated with the spiritual world of nature, the ancestral wisdom of plants, and the creative force of the universe. It is also the affectionate name given to the muse who inspired this unique wine project, born under the principles of biodynamic agriculture at Quinta da Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in Évora, Alentejo.

This wine arises from an intimate connection with cosmic rhythms. The vineyard is cared for in harmony with lunar cycles, using practices that respect and enhance the vitality of the soil and the energy of ecosystems. Biodynamics is more than an agricultural method—it is a philosophy that sees the earth as a living organism, a system in constant dialogue with the sky and the stars.

It was this concept—the interplay between the visible and the invisible, the organic and the spiritual—that gave rise to the design of the label. The visual identity takes shape in a minimalist, delicately dreamlike composition. At its center rests a small fairy upon a surreal fruit: a symbol of fertility, of dream, and of raw matter transformed—a visual metaphor for biodynamics itself, where subtle, natural forces meet to generate something greater.

Every graphic element was designed to evoke the lightness of the ethereal world while also conveying the depth of natural cycles. The soft color palette, discreet typography, and symbolic illustration create an atmosphere of contemplation and mystery. This label does more than communicate the wine—it invites a sensory ritual: opening the bottle becomes a poetic gesture, a silent toast to the invisible energies dancing between the fertile earth and the starry sky.

Pixie is, in this way, an ode to enchantment. A project that unites wine and design in a coherent and emotional narrative—an invitation to intuition, delicacy, and imagination. Through this visual creation, the brand offers a pause, a celebration of that which can only be felt when we truly learn to see.

The Desalpes wine fair takes place in Lausanne, Switzerland. It’s an annual occasion to celebrate exceptional beverages and people, and to experience an immersive journey into the world of natural wines.

For its 5th edition, the choice to use Citizen Grotesk (Altiplano) breaks away from convention. This grotesk typeface is not intended to be “neutral”—Altiplano, in fact, challenges the very idea of neutrality. Citizen Grotesk was designed to combine efficiency with distinctiveness, featuring numerous twists with a technological flavour.

The current event logo is set in Nirvana; its rounded design lends itself to the calligram of a grape cluster. Meanwhile, the logo from previous years, “Vins Vins,” was specifically designed by Raphaël Verona of Altiplano, based on the uppercase letters of his Monaako.

Andy Jenkinson a.k.a. Ceephax is an “Electrical Musician” from Essex, Engand, and the younger brother of Squarepusher. This single cover from 2012 comes in a retro-futuristic design featuring Moore Computer for “Mediterranean Acid” and Eurostile Bold Extended for “Capsule In Space” – electro music is typically associated with a futuristic vision of music, and typefaces like these are often employed to underline this vision. “Ceephax Acid Crew” at the top is set in ClubMF, a freebie made by Rick Mueller in 1993. All lines of text have been enhanced with contours and filled with color gradients.

[More info on Discogs]

Le vin en un coup d'œil ("Wine in one glance") is a book published by the French publishing house First éditions, specialized in lifestyle and personal development. This book is a guide to wine and how to recognize it. It covers the vocabulary proper to enology and answers the question of what makes a grape variety special in regard to the regions where it was cultivated. In short, a beginner’s guide for anyone who feels lost whenever they have to chose between a wine and another.

The book was designed by Atelier AAAAA, who approached the publication with a didactic style, in order to make the information legible and comprehensible. In doing so, the book can be considered a kind of encyclopedia. Each spread deals with another aspect of wine, so each of them has an individual design, depending on whether it needed to show a map, pictograms, or diagrams. This diversity in the layout makes each page recognizable and helps the reader to remember the information once associated to a visual memory. It also gives rhythm to a book that can be read straight from beginning to end, or by picking different chapters that one wants to develop more.

The homogeneity of the book relies on the use of Stratos from Production Type for titles and other display purposes, and Grotesque 6 from A is for for text. Stratos, used in Extrabold for spread titles, gives a punch to the layout; it is then used to categorize each part, and does a good job in setting limits (especially here with a wide letter spacing). Grotesque 6 counterbalances the rather abrupt aspect of Stratos, which is inspired by Victorian-era wood type (reinforced in some details like the capital N that looks like a radical assemblage of three blocks). The roundness of Grotesque 6 and its floral details – the curls we find on the lowercase r and y, for example – make it a pleasurable typeface that echoes the entanglements of grapes while keeping its readability.

Welch’s is a co-op owned by farming families across the country who bring their best to every harvest. From their farms to your table, they go the extra mile to deliver a difference you can taste.

The Welch’s website uses Gelica and TT Norms throughout.

Sunshine Rose Grape?, alias: Xia Yin Muscat, Dazzling Rose?. Origin: Japanese fruit tree test ground An Yunjin grape, a variety bred in 1986 by the Persimmon Research Department.

Box for Shine-Muscat Grape, designed by Quinsay Design. The typeface is ZIGZAG Not-Rounded designed by Benoît Bodhuin. The label adds Apple Color Emoji. Chinese text is set in yet unidentified type.

Brussels-based graphic design studio Alliage has designed the joyful identity of this delicious grape juice. François Lachal’s jus de raisin muscat is made at La Castelette, in the south of France.

Alliage is using an older version of the typeface Arachne for the branding. It’s paired with a yet unidentified monospaced neogrotesk [edit: It’s ABC Monument Grotesk Mono, see comments].