Stripped back branding for a Shropshire vineyard

Commonwood Vineyard is sited approximately two miles out of the small market town of Wem in Shropshire. First planted in 2002, the vines are well established and have been farmed organically from the start.

&Something designed the new identity to fit in with the organic farming methods and minimal manipulation, we stepped back from technology and created it by hand.

People's Choice 2022

Annual 2022 Branding

Featured on Creativepool

The wordmark

Linocut characters based on the Platelet typeface, chosen for its rounded corners to give a softer form and an extra detail to a monospaced setting.

The Emblem

The vineyard reached 20 years old in 2022. For 19 of those years, Commonwood has used a watercolour dragonfly as the emblem, abundant in their rural setting; they asked for the dragonfly to be still referenced in the new branding.

Our findings: If we focus on the dragonfly's wings, it looks like a dissection. If we stick with a complete illustration, it's a Victorian anatomical study…

So…

Instead, we simplified the dragonfly to fit in with the inked texture of the wordmark, illustrating a representation using just these three lines to create a potent symbol for the brand.

That and a new tagline bring a sense of place and establish their unique and uncompromising personality.

©2017–2023 Tony Clarkson/&Something Studio
&Something Studio is a design and digital studio based in but is in absolutely no way limited to Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury has trains and roads which lead in and out.