Ridgeview is a pioneer of English wine’s rise on the world stage and the launch of its new hospitality venue Rows & Vine marks a shift from producer to lifestyle brand. The Sussex wine estate enlisted creative consultancy Smith+Village to re-energise its look and feel for this exciting new era in its 27-year history. The result is a refreshing change in the visual and verbal language of English sparkling wine that signals something new both for Ridgeview and the sector.

Smith+Village worked with existing identity elements to release them from convention and become more impactful. In terms of colour, the palette involved heavy use of black, with white, copper foil and colour accents. “Black is no longer a shortcut to luxury” says Debrah Smith, Creative Director of Smith+Village, “In order for black to find its power in a contemporary context, we released the palette to include warm, inviting colours and vibrant orange, bringing vibrancy and elegance.” A range of secondary tonals are used with the brand colours to create tone, variation and seasonal pops across all touchpoints.

An exploration of logo, place and product resulted in new patterns unique to Ridgeview – some based on logo forms and some on bubbles and effervescence. These help convey the estate’s philosophy ‘Life is for celebrating’ and are used to great effect in Rows and Vine’s interiors. The typography was developed using diagonals and lines to create a distinctive visual language. Fun verbal cues like ‘find the flutes’ draw consumers into the celebratory space.

Smith+Village’s work for Ridgeview helps shape the brand’s creative direction in the digital world, as seen on the relaunched Ridgeview website. With colour confidence and a joyful, considered look and feel, it is released from the clichés of the wine world. Inspired by Instagram set-ups, stylised table and lifestyle shots are great for sharing and seasonal promos.

Jemma Montuschi, Head of Sales & Marketing at Ridgeview says, “Using their design wizardry, Smith+Village have wonderfully curated a new brand aesthetic for Ridgeview, which allows us to reflect our brand personality without feeling constrained.”

“We’ve loved working with Ridgeview to help them connect with customers on a more emotional level,” says Catherine Bewick, Account Director of Smith+Village. “The new, brave branding revels in the enjoyment of the wine drinking experience, while still anchoring the brand in a strong sense of place. It feels joyful, contemporary and luxurious with the ability to be influential, magnetic and effervescent.”

The new Ridgeview brand world has been created by releasing its existing elements and giving it a wider set of assets with which to express itself. Instead of being limited by a set of traditional visual rules, Ridgeview now has a palette of assets with which to express its joy, effervescence and point of difference from other English sparkling wines.