Nothing to do with Citizens Here and Abroad, Citizen Wines is a new winery in Northern California. Their first release, the Alexander Valley Zinfandel, is awesome.

This simple system hinges on bold illustration paired with clean typography without too much shouty. The name remains quiet but consistently applied with rigid rules that define its scale and relationship to surrounding elements. Which you won't see until there's a few more vintages on the shelf, but in my head, it looks rad.

Probably the biggest defining factor in the design was the desire to stay away from the dishonest ye-five-year-olde look that most wineries opt for, but without going making it look more like a pair of sneakers than a bottle of wine. The result, I hope, is simple and elegant, sophisticated but unpretentious, and puts the wine exactly at its price point.

Big ups to Thirstype Chester for drawing a true small-caps version of Galaxie Polaris for us. It's gorgeous.