I am always a little shocked at this sort of thing… Heavy-hitters Squaredeye web studios makes a rockin’ whale logo, going so far as to name him (Levi my buddy!) and make a paper-craft model of him, only to have their cuddly mascot purloined by two other designers. My feelings on the overuse of animal logos aside, I thought Levi was refreshing in a glossy, web world and a unique instance of a design company outsourcing its own identity to another (read more on Squaredye’s website). Then here we have his fatherless children trying to pass for original.

As designers we should take pride in creating original work. I know everything in this wide world has been done before, but come on! Either get there first or by sly as heck about it! A wise man once said a good artist copies, a great artist steals. So if you’re going to take something make it yours!

Because we have so much love for our peeps, and because we can’t help but buy into holidays (thanks to the premature shelve stocking habits of supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide), we decided to get into the loving spirit by screen printing some custom Valentines. It actually was a great exercise in non-client related work. Don’t get me wrong, Hatchet loves clients. But its nice to be able to express our creativity and love…just because. You should try it sometime. So on the Saturday before Valentines day we had the bright idea to design and screen print some ‘tines…

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Hatchet Design Recently took a short business trip to visit our old alma mater for the student-run, graphic design symposium: Ligature! This was the nineteenth year that the graphic design college has held the event and every year numerous professional designers come judge the student work and share some insight, their work, and more than likely a few drinks. Check out the student work on the ligature website. It is all so good! Bright futures ahead for our fellow gator-designers (designers that are UF gators not some kind of mutant half-gator, half-designer).

This year Debbie Millman, design big-wig of AIGA presidenthood and Sterling Brands designer, shared some of her latest research on the origins and permutations of the branding process throughout human history (whew!).  Following her came Emily Anderson out of Minneapolis. She has worked at such noteworthy magazines as American Craft and Dwell. She is doing some cool experimentation based on the craft painted plates of her grandmother’s. I thought this was a particularly interesting aspect of her presentation. It is really awesome to me to carry on the traditions of our families and modify them to our time and taste. Its a unique balance of old and new. Finally we saw Nikolay Saveliev. He has worked at Landor and Wolff Olins since graduating from RISD. Not too shabby! His work was totally rad and a great example of doing personal work in the vein of what you would like to do professionally definitely happens!

We had a great experience talking/listening/drinking with these designers and are excited to see where our studio brothers and sisters go after graduating. Just stay out of Orlando… That’s our town! Just kidding… not really.

I have been hesitant about buying makeup since, well, I went a bit overboard in the glitter department in middle school. I don’t really wear it that often, but I’m interested in investing in some nice new stuff. The problem lies in searching for products that are eco-friendly AND good for my health. How do you google that without sifting through message boards galore? Well, I just found this website called Good Guide, they rate everything from food and personal care products to cleaning products and toys. They rate products on three scales from 1-10: Health, Environment, and Society (ethics, safety, etc). They allow for user reviews and you can purchase many of the products from links off the site. They also go a bit further and clear up some common myths about ingredients and production and help make being conscious about what we buy a bit easier.  So c’mon consumer America, jump on board! Find out where your money goes.

Great piece by Mikey Burton a rather prolific designer out of Ohio. This about sums up Hatchet’s position since its inception. Seems to be working however as we have been blessedly busy since the start of the new year. Keep your eyes peeled for some new work, including a slew of new websites. Big Love, Lumberpeople.

I have a mall right down the street from me that keeps me entertained on the weekends. No, its not Millennia Mall or the Outlet Mall. Its Halley’s Antiques Mall. The fact that this mall is my favorite supports my ongoing reputation as a total grandma. I guess I matured early; broke my hip by age 14 and started knitting around that time, too. Hence my nickname in high school, Mamaw (or Mams, for short).

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Head on over and catch up with your favorite neo-folk, bluegrass-soul act at his brand new website! Michael Claytor got his blog did at hatchet and is ready to turn it loose on the world. You can read about his tours, Wednesdays at Flacos in Gainesville, and musical conquests. Comment at me with any site feedback.

So…every Saturday, DJ White Lightning graces us with his ultimate bluegrass playlists on his weekly radio show, Pickin’, Grinnin’, & Sinnin’. Its on WPRK (or 91.5 fm) and we like to think of ourselves as truly devoted listeners. We’re usually driving in Lumberjack’s pickup truck to get some coffee when we’re listening to it, where I like to sit in the middle seat (and my mother calls us white trash) which makes it feel all the more authentic. Tune in if you’re in or around Winter Park or around the world at wprkdj.org. This week we called in a request, one of our favorites, Mountain Dew. He played Grandpa Jones’ rendition from the 50’s, so we looked up Grandpa Jones online and found this portrait of him. Whats not to love?

I think I’ve found potential new best friends. Isn’t this what the holidays are all about? Wishing you all the best, Hatchet loves you!

Work from the artist Mark Weaver, one of my new design inspirations. He has an amazing knack for color and typography, and his exploration of space and time make for really interesting commentary on our cultural past and how it relates to the future. Definitely worth a look, take a peek here.