I'm at the point where I needed to design my corporate identity yesterday, instead of just talking about it. I'm
getting shirts silkscreened and want it printed at the center back neck instead
of a scratchy sewn in label. I also need sewn-in woven labels for my
jackets. And, order all of the paper accoutrements: business cards, hang tags,
signs for my upcoming tradeshow booth, etc. I adore stationery. I enlisted
my husband and, more importantly, his degree in graphic design to help out. I
want something Modern, although I'm not fully sure what I mean by that. A few
years ago, it seemed like that font all over
Redchurch Street was the next wave
of fashion graphic design, but we are now in
the sticks and aren't really sure
what the future looks like. (Husband informs me that the "Redchurch Font" is
often, but not always
Futura.) We did some sketches over
coffee and snow cones.
I want something clean, but also imperfect. My clothing designs are inspired by
quilting techniques, so it should be something graphic but not uncozy, yet not
entirely comfortable. My husband keeps making sketches with dotted lines to
hint at stitching; they look too Etsy-y. I keep thinking about that Millet
painting,
The Gleaners; I've always loved it's oppressive horizon line. But, I
also want something with a bit of skate and surf culture to it. These
directions make my graphic designer roll his eyes, so it was time to go home.
I try some mock-ups on Illustrator; obviously, I'm a graphic
design genius. The expert kindly agrees that there is something in there that
can be teased out. He plays around with them, and there is one design that is
simple and striking, just a block and text. Too simple? Too German architect
with white shirts and round glasses? I try making it more quilt-y, but it
quickly devolves into looking like nautical flags.
Until now most of my professional life has
been doing heritage menswear design that was, in part, "inspired by
yachting", so that is the last connotation. The only boats I've been on
are paddleboats and an unpleasant, tacky overnight ferry between Hoek van Holland and
Essex. He suggests painting the block.
The last time I tried painting within the lines
–for my silkscreen– it looked disappointingly homemade. My sister, a fashion illustrator,
suggests painting an area and cutting it out in Photoshop.
This works. I can be like Lanvin and change
the color of the block every season! It will be so chic. It has the mark of the
maker, and my glorious, oppressive horizon while also looking like a giant wave.
Or at least how I imagine a giant wave looks.
My next steps are daunting and less fun. I need to hunt down a Pantone
book to make sure the colors print as I need them to. I have no idea how the
painted area will translate into a woven label. And, then I would return to square one.
