Hugo Villa
Creative Director, Design Director
In their own words
Started from an elegant typographic base and altered the direction of some strokes, especially in the ‘e’ and the final ‘a.’ Thus, the idea of alternating appears within the wordmark itself: the letters change direction at certain moments, but the logo maintains its balance.
Humanist gestures add warmth and help build a system that expresses Alterna’s duality between rigour and sensitivity.
The logo is based on the idea of a stone carved or sharpened by hand, often with deliberate imperfections.
We drew inspiration from the subtle traces left behind after a gathering – the wine stains on a table or the marks on a napkin.
The process of creating the wordmark was all about embracing the raw, imperfect beauty of accidental marks.
The melted wax cap serves as a tactile, premium detail that ties directly into the overall theme of organic imperfection.
Articles & interviews3
- FAENA builds Alterna identity around a living journal
Mexico City-based FAENA Studio created the identity for Alterna, a contemporary fine-dining restaurant in Colonia Condesa. The system treats the restaurant as a living journal, using an altered typographic wordmark, a contemporary monogram, GT Pantheon Micro, muted tones and orange accents across menus, printed matter and environmental applications. Editorial photography and film by Comedor.Studios, combined with handwritten notes and mixed media, document the restaurant's seasonal evolution.
- FAENA Studio Reimagines Mexico City Steakhouse with Ancient Flair
FAENA Studio designed a brand identity for Mexico City steakhouse Cueva, inspired by humanity’s primal relationship with fire and stone. The identity combines raw, hand-carved letterforms with refined typography and tactile materials to evoke a modern cave-like atmosphere. Through techniques like lumen printing and an earthy color palette, the studio created a warm, elegant visual system that connects sophistication with ancestral roots.
- FAENA Studio Crafts Gota Wordmark with Ink Experiments