A lot of people don’t know that I was raised in a Japanese church in Santa Barbara, and the influence of our friends and community plays a huge part in the designs I create. The principles of subtlety, impermanence, and simplicity are a big part of my design aesthetic in large part because of this upbringing. Many of our family friends were nisei and sansei, or second and third generation, born of Japanese immigrants. This meant rice balls and seaweed right alongside the styrofoam coffee cups at coffee hour on the patio, overhearing the elders speak in Japanese. There is a measured restraint in the culture, and it is apparent in my work. Less is more, always. (Probably why my favorite color is white?)
So, I gave a lot of thought to the logo that I added to the name of the business, and felt that the Japanese hanko would be the perfect inspiration. ( a hanko is the little stamp that many Japanese artists use to sign their paintings in place of a signature) It’s in my hand, an upper case S and a lower case D, wrapped with a rectangle. I must have painted it over a 100 times in 2013, shown here. I’ve sat with it for a long time, tried it out over the last year on stationery, our packaging, a stamp, and now, a wax seal, making sure it felt right to introduce to you. I think it’s time.
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