Typographical
Ornaments

Typographical ornaments—known today as “dingbats”—originally stemmed from the public’s thirst for travel and décor. In past centuries, artists and then printmakers copied the patterns found on tiles and decorative architectural motifs encountered on travels around the world, and embellished printed materials with them. Over time, these decorative ornaments acted as proto emojis, augmenting written text with imagery and symbolism.

Our Creative Director, Jon Krauss, studied art history at Humboldt University Berlin, and brings his lifelong interest in typography to life in motifs and ornaments that interact and move in our website designs. Click and hold any of the ornaments on this page to experience their interactive behavior.

Interaction design can be a subtle, effective way to convert customers. More than merely decorative, interactive elements are “Easter eggs” that reward exploration and engagement, gamifying actions like scrolling, hovering, clicking, and holding.

Stumbling across one of these small pleasures in a website design can engender positive feelings for a brand. Like the sight of a shooting star, or a dog wagging its tail, an interactive element can elicit instinctive feelings of pleasure, “sparking joy” in the website user.

Custom-coded interactive decorative elements are today’s digital equivalent of bespoke craftsmanship, making a website feel high-quality and custom-designed. For the site visitor, this impression of high quality carries over to the perception of the brand’s products. Explore our website to view more interactive ornaments inspired by historic typography.

Ornate black and white engraving depicting symmetrical floral motifs, with trumpet-like flowers and curling leaves emerging from a central vase.

Ornament, 1532

Heinrich Aldegrever

National Gallery of Art

Typographical Ornaments

Typographical ornaments—known today as “dingbats”—originally stemmed from the public’s thirst for travel and décor. Over time, these decorative ornaments acted as proto emojis, augmenting written text with imagery and symbolism.

E-commerce for Winery Websites

When we connect with clients for website design and development projects, they nearly always ask us for advice about e-commerce. We’re happy to help. In this article, we share some of the insights we’ve gleaned over the years from our work.

Why It’s So Difficult
to Name a Wine Brand

Many first-time wine producers believe that they can land on a viable brand name in a single brainstorming session. However, it’s important to adhere to labeling regulations, avoid trademark infringement, and ultimately inspire engagement and drive sales.

Building an Age-Worthy Website

Can a website age like fine wine? In a word, yes. In the same way that a fine winemaker ensures longevity in the bottle by achieving equilibrium, our design work is driven by the principles of balance, proportion, and unity.

Katherine Cole
on Wine Communication

Katherine Cole discusses her career as a wine journalist and author, and now, brand communicator.

The Essential Ingredient of
Wine Business Success: Brand

We all know that wine label: Effortlessly cool, with a miles-long wait list. The wine is good, sure. But is it really that good? What does that producer have that you don’t? We’re here to tell you what: It’s brand.

Editorial Style Sheet
for Wine Writing

Here at Vin, we take copywriting seriously. We interview winery stakeholders and team members for information, quotes, nuance, and context. And we convey our clients’ words with elegance and finesse. But that’s not all. Connoisseurs notice the little things, so we’re extra-attentive to proper grammar, usage, and punctuation.

An Interview with
Creative Director Jon Krauss

Vin Founder and Creative Director Jon Krauss shares about Vin, his story, European studies, typography, brand design, and websites.

Neruda's Ode to Wine

In which Pablo Neruda reminds us that winemaking is an art requiring emotional investment and a strong stylistic point of view.

Typographical Ornaments

Typographical Ornaments

E-commerce for Winery Websites

Why It’s So Difficult to Name a Wine Brand

Building an Age-Worthy Website

Katherine Coleon Wine Communication

The Essential Ingredient ofWine Business Success: Brand

Editorial Style Sheetfor Wine Writing

An Interview withCreative Director Jon Krauss

Neruda's Ode to Wine

Typographical
Ornaments

Why It’s So Difficult
to Name a Wine Brand

Katherine Cole
on Wine Communication

The Essential Ingredient of
Wine Business Success: Brand

Editorial Style Sheet
for Wine Writing

An Interview with
Creative Director Jon Krauss