Astep Brand Guidelines: The Sarfatti Legacy, Gino Sarfatti Re-Editions & Light

Astep continues the Sarfattis.

Astep is a lesson in carrying a family legacy forward. It was founded by Alessandro Sarfatti — and it is, remarkably, the third act in a three-generation lighting dynasty. His grandfather, Gino Sarfatti (1912–1985), founded Arteluce in 1939 and is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s greatest lighting designers (he designed some 600 lamps and won the Compasso d’Oro twice). His father, Riccardo Sarfatti, co-founded Luceplan in 1978. Astep — based in Copenhagen (not Milan), and a certified B Corp — is Alessandro’s own chapter. (Two honest notes: no official brand hex is published, and the wordmark typeface is undocumented.)

Astep’s defining role is as the custodian of Gino Sarfatti’s archive. It produces faithful re-editions of his designs — the Model 2065 (1950/2016), the Model 548 and others — reviving lamps that helped define modern lighting. (An important, precise distinction: the Arteluce brand name today belongs to Flos, which bought it in 1974; Astep is a separate, newer company that revives Gino Sarfatti’s work from the family and archive side. Some Sarfatti designs thus exist across both lineages.)

Alongside the archive, Astep commissions the contemporary, working with designers including Francesco Faccin, Luca Nichetto, Samuel Wilkinson, David Thulstrup and Alfredo Häberli, and re-editioning other Italian masters (Vittoriano Viganò, Osvaldo Borsani). (An honest note: despite common claims, Astep does not work with Mattias Ståhlbom/TAF or Michael Anastassiades — don’t attribute those.) It remains a private, founder-led company. A dynasty of light.

Astep lives in a warm orange-and-brass palette. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

Astep’s identity leans on warm, mid-century, Italian tones — the confident orange of Gino Sarfatti’s era, brass, deep charcoal and cream. The palette reads as heritage-modern: the colours of 1950s–60s Italian lighting, warm and assured, honouring an archive while feeling current. It’s a considered world that signals craft, legacy and modernity at once. It’s a warm palette that signals heritage, craft and Italian design. The honest caveat: Astep publishes no official brand hex, so the orange, brass and charcoal here are an original, unofficial interpretation of the Sarfatti legacy, not first-party values.

The lesson is a warm, heritage palette signals legacy and craft. Astep’s orange-and-brass world reads as assured and timeless. For designers, it’s a reminder that a palette can honour a lineage — the warm confidence of a golden era of design — while still feeling modern. The takeaways: draw colour from a real heritage; use warm, confident tones for legacy; and treat specific hexes as unofficial when there’s no published spec.

The wordmark is a clean modern sans — assured and contemporary.

Astep’s identity carries a clean, assured, contemporary spirit — an “astep” wordmark whose even, modern letterforms read as confident and design-literate. A modern sans captures the mood: it’s current and unfussy, matching a brand that carries a legendary archive into the present. Set against a warm orange-and-brass palette, the type feels contemporary yet respectful — exactly the heritage-forward, dynasty-continuing personality Astep cultivates. It’s clean and modern rather than nostalgic or decorative, mirroring re-editions made to live in today’s interiors. Because the exact wordmark face isn’t publicly documented, the honest description is “a modern sans spirit,” not a named font. The type behaves like the brand: clean, assured and contemporary.

Astep keeps a legacy alive.

Astep is a lesson in turning a family legacy into a living brand. Many companies invent from scratch; Astep’s rare differentiator is inheritance, made active — Alessandro Sarfatti is the grandson of Gino Sarfatti and the son of Riccardo Sarfatti, and Astep exists to keep Gino’s archive not merely remembered but produced, correctly and beautifully, for today. That gives the brand an authenticity no revivalist competitor can claim: the lamps are being reissued by the designer’s own family. And by pairing the archive with strong contemporary commissions and a B Corp commitment, Astep avoids becoming a museum — it’s a modern company with an extraordinary pedigree. The lesson is that stewardship of a genuine legacy, done with rigour and paired with new work, can be a powerful and distinctive foundation for a brand. Anyone can be inspired by the greats; Astep is the greats’ family, still making the work. Inherit the legacy, and make it live. Continue the line.

For designers and brand-builders, Astep offers a clear takeaway: authentic lineage, kept active, can define a brand. The lessons: honour a real legacy with faithful production (the Gino Sarfatti re-editions); balance archive with new commissions so you don’t ossify; and keep the facts precise — Astep is led by Alessandro Sarfatti, grandson of Arteluce’s Gino Sarfatti and son of Luceplan’s Riccardo Sarfatti, is based in Copenhagen, and the Arteluce name itself now belongs to Flos. It’s also a reminder to keep it honest: some claimed collaborations are unfounded, and no official brand hex or typeface is published, so the palette and type here are an interpretation. Astep keeps a legacy alive — proof that custodianship can be the difference.

Keep Astep’s identity on hand — save it to a board in the Made Good inspiration library.