Stamps on Paper

EVERYTHING IS ANYTHING

Branding has always been somewhat of a dirty word to us. Although it can help strengthen the overall message of a company or business, it seems that most of the time branding is used as a tool to alter your perception and ultimately put forth an image that can be disingenuous. In fact, the whole idea of a “brand” has never been something that we identified with, but that’s for another day.

We design and create things that are representative of our personalities, morals and ideals. Basically, we want everything we create to feel authentic, whatever that may even mean these days. We don’t have PR people or marketers - all we have is us. The two of us. 

FANCY FONTS & LOFTY SLOGANS

We wanted to design packaging (and ultimately branding) that honestly represented our overall mission, but perhaps more importantly was respectful of the product itself. Every word and concept expressed on either our website, blog or packaging is honest - which is probably what most people would say. 

We are not “graphic designers.” However, we felt it important to take on the task and have two points to make about such an endeavor:

• We believe that to be a “designer” one should not be limited by medium. Design is a way of seeing and interpreting things, therefore it can not be tied to any medium.
• Who better to articulate our story than us.

The notion that a branding or marketing team should craft your story is a bit silly to us, that is of course if there is even a story to tell. In our opinion, (and this mostly applies to a creative business) a person should work to discover his or her “brand” or message, the same way they would discover their own creative abilities. This idea of self-discovery somehow doesn’t apply to branding, or is given a pass for some reason. At a time when most things (and ideas) are carbon copies of other things, being unique should have more value. Influence is fine, but cloning is something very different.

BEAT YOU TO IT

You might say, “well not everyone is graphically inclined.” To which we would say, then don’t try to be - or if it is a priority, take the time to learn like you would any other skill. Be yourself, and do what you are capable of.

That’s authentic and that is beautiful. 

*Or you can just hire a marketer, slap a fancy (maybe even old-fashioned) logo on your products and call it a day. It’s only your name on your product, after all.

**There are a few exceptions to this idea of self-branding. We’re focusing on “things that are made”, as opposed to places or experiences. 

Untitled Project - Location

HUNT & GATHER

Both Leah and I are from Connecticut, it is where we met and also a place that begun the process of shaping us into the people we are today. But at some point in our late teen years, as is often the case, we wanted to be anywhere else but there. It’s a natural thing of course, to desire new experiences and freedom. 

And that is what we found while attending school in Boston. Although we definitely were exposed to many new ideas and experiences, our core values and beliefs have stayed the same.

In fact, they were multiplied and clarified.

BACK AROUND

“Long story, short” - as a good friend of mine regularly says - we are creating a place.  In fact, this new place will be close to our hometown, in New Haven to be exact.

New Haven is where Leah spent her childhood and it is where I spent a good portion of my formative years. For whatever reason, it has always been a special place to us. It’s a city that feels just right, not too big and not too small. The air is clean and the food is good. 

It almost has everything. We don’t want to say that the city is “missing” something, but there are a few things that we feel could be added to it, things that will hopefully make it an even better place. 

WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES

Our decision to take our first big project (hopefully of many) to New Haven relied heavily on a few key components, the first of which is perhaps the most important. From the very founding of LAYERXLAYER our goal has been to be part of a community, both in a creative capacity and also in the most general sense. Fortunately, we already have an inspiring group of friends, collaborators, fellow makers and customers that have been extremely supportive and the main reason we feel confident in our ability to achieve ambitious goals. It’s a great start and will only get stronger as we add to our network by becoming part of a different community in our new home.  

The other main reason is that we honestly want to be in a place where we can have a greater impact. New Haven feels like that kind of place, not only because of the relative size of the city but also the open-mindedness of its people. There are so many interesting things happening and the local and state government seems extremely supportive, which can be a rare thing. It really does feel like something is happening.  

*This is really only a preview, but for now we’ve posted a few images from random parts of New Haven - it is an old city, with tons of character and history. So much more to come, including the actual details of what we want to create and ways you can help us with this project. 

-Patrick

Of Wood & Ink

FOUNDATION FIRST

While there are plenty of great fabrics available to us, we have always wanted to create our own or at least ‘modify’ existing ones. This is something that we will be doing much more of as the year rolls on.

Starting with a really high quality duck canvas serving as our ‘canvas’, we are continuing the stamping experiments with two new patterns. One is a polka dot that has more spacing and smaller dots than our previous dot stamp. The other is our version of a very simplistic Fair Isle / Floral pattern, which we first used to to create a small number of special edition pieces for some friends of ours. 

OF NOTE

The wrap-around piece is Waxed Duck Canvas that is slightly transparent, allowing the printed pattern to show through.

Available now and in LIMITED NUMBERS. 

+SHOP+

Meet Stitch & Hammer

One of the best parts of doing what we do, is discovering other makers & designers that share our ethos as it relates to all things made and/or crafted.

In Amy’s own words: “In a world where so much is mass-produced and nearly as much tossed aside, Stitch & Hammer uses remnants and other sustainably sourced materials, crafting goods that are made to last.” 

Three words to best describe the essence of Stitch & Hammer Goods in my opinion: texture, color and scale. I actually wrote a lengthy essay filled with design analysis and praise about the goods we received from Amy, but it seemed more appropriate and keeping with the character of her creations to more appropriately summarize - key word is appropriate, not to be confused with simplified. Because that is the best way to describe the design of these pieces - appropriate.

A quote that most are familiar with goes something like “Simplicity (in design) is more difficult to achieve than complexity.” But in my opinion, “Minimal should not be confused with lack of design.” 

S&H finds that balance, in a beautifully understated way.

STITCH & HAMMER GOODS.