Wine labels do more than inform consumers of the type of wine and the vineyard it’s from. They tell the story of the wine, and create memories and a sense of tradition. Joe Molloy’s Typography I course students not only designed labels for several vineyards, they had their designs displayed at Loyola Marymount University’s 28th Annual Wine Classic on Sunday, Feb. 8.

“This is very exciting because it is the first time that the course collaborated with the Wine Classic. Hopefully, we can develop a relationship with one of the vineyards and work with them on future endeavors,” said Molloy, typographer, print designer and instructor in the College of Communication and Fine Arts.

The design project was divided into three parts which allowed students to experiment with color, tone, texture, pattern, symmetry, space, weight and line. Each student chose a specific winery participating in the Wine Classic and researched it. The ultimate goal was to create a new design for the bottle and present it to representatives of the vineyards at the Wine Classic. Senior Davya Keolanui, a marketing major with a minor in studio arts, chose Rombauer Vineyards from the Carneros area north of San Francisco.

“I wanted to work with Rombauer because it had a simple label and I liked the typography. I thought I could do a lot with the design,” Keolanui said.

Each part of the project received feedback from Molloy and the other students in the course. Students were allowed to choose whatever design they preferred most from any phase of the project.

“In the end, I didn’t go with the most-safe label. I think it was strong in typography and design rather than marketability of the wine,” Keolanui said. “Overall, it was fun to be creative and it gave me insight to what typeface is saying in addition to what the words mean.”  

The Wine Classic is a fundraising event for student scholarships. Forty-six wineries participated in the wine-tasting event, featuring more than 150 wines.