We’re delighted to share with you a different kind of project, one that’s both committed and supportive! The Asensò studio has just given a helping hand to an association that works to save wildlife, the association Goupil Connexion.
The heatwave at the end of June 2019 was particularly dreadful for swifts, small black birds endemic to the Midi region. Swifts that had just hatched, and hundreds of birds that had fallen from roofs, were rescued by the inhabitants of our small villages in the Hérault region, and then by volunteers from this association. In all, almost 600 young swifts were rescued and finally released before embarking on their long migration south. In order to finance the food and travel involved in repatriating the birds from all over the region, Olivier Barbel of La Cave des Artistes decided to produce a special Syrah and Grenache cuvée entitled “Martinet”. Bottled at Domaine de la Colombette in Béziers, 240 bottles will cover the costs of label printing and bottling, and 360 bottles will be resold by the Goupil Connexion association during public releases. All profits will of course be donated to the association.
Through the creation of the “Martinet” label, we wish to support wildlife and swifts in particular. The swift is an emblematic bird of our region, capable of remaining in flight for very long periods. A study by the Swiss Ornithological Institute recorded a specimen that remained in the air for over 6 months without landing. Black swift can fly more than 99% of the time outside breeding periods, which can represent a continuous flight of 10 months.
Typography that makes sense
To design the label for the “Martinet” vintage, we wanted to use a typography that would give meaning to our creation. As part of its policy of acquiring and supporting creative work in the field of graphic design, the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap), a public institution of the French Ministry of Culture, in partnership with Groupe Imprimerie Nationale, launched a commission for the creation of a typographic typeface. Following a call for entries, Alice Savoie was selected by a jury of experts.
Alice Savoie created the Faune typeface, offering a contemporary approach based on the plurality of the animal world and the diversity of its morphologies. She drew on two masterful reference works, both printed and preserved by the French Imprimerie Nationale: Buffon’sHistoire naturelle and La Description de l’Égypte, commissioned by Emperor Napoleon 1st. Three classes of animals – reptiles, birds and mammals – enabled him to lay the foundations of a heterogeneous typographic grammar whose weights, curves and volumes stimulate the imagination. The fine, sinuous viper inspired the design of a very fine version, the stocky ram dictated the shapes of the bold, while the Black Ibis bird gave birth to the very special design of the italic, used here on the name of the cuvée.
We’d like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone involved in this operation: Olivier Barbel from Cave des Artistes, the Inessens print shop, Domaine de la Colombette, the CNAP and, in particular, Alice Savoie for her very appropriate typography.
To support wildlife, treat yourself to a bottle of “Martinet”, available from the Cave des Artistes or the Goupil Connexion association.