Sasha Denisova’s handcrafted identity for Moonswoon reflects the jewellery label’s poetic beauty

The charm of Moonswoon – a new wave jewellery brand with its origins in the Ural Mountains of Russia – rests on a sense of simplicity and magic, felt through each of their jewels. When the label recently looked to rebrand its identity in collaboration with Belgrade-based art director Sasha Denisova, it wanted its refreshed image to reflect both the technical expertise that drives its jewellery-making, and the conceptual notes which capture the spirit of the brand.

In this shedding of its skin, some elements were retained and revived, and others, designed from scratch. The forget-me-not hexafoil symbol – a recurring motif both in Moonswoon’s jewels and its identity – was a well-established part of the label’s visual DNA and was loved by its customers. Denisova edited the symbol and added “a touch of magic, by incorporating a star inside the shape,” she notes. “Symbolically, the hexafoil represents good luck, while the forget-me-not symbolises remembrance and love.” These were important elements to retain, as “these metaphors resonate with Moonswoon’s core value – jewellery with profound meaning, pieces you cherish to commemorate special moments,” she adds.

The renewed visual language was washed in cool, muted tones, named after natural materials, like Onyx, Pearl, Lazurite, Quartz, and Alabaster. The colours and their names root the brand to its place of origin, the Ural Mountains, a region known as the birthplace of precious gems, many of which feature in Moonswoon’s pieces. However, what binds all of these elements together is the custom typeface, which includes both Latin and Cyrillic character sets, letting the brand speak to its local audience with a sense of familiarity, without compromising its global reach. “Moonswoon, the custom typeface, draws inspiration from the rational and sleek designs of Helvetica and Pragmatica,” Denisova tells us. “However, what sets it apart are its rounded corners on the inside, which introduce warmth and softness to the typeface.” This subtle idea of craftsmanship – of something made with love and consideration – mirrors Moonswoon’s own dedication to the handmade, a quality that seeps through each of its jewels.

Sasha Denisova

Moonswoon