Business of Design: Kittinhawk
Blog on a brand you admire (not just the product or service). Explain what elements of the brand “speak” to you and what they say.
When I think of brands, I think first of something ubiquitous. But ubiquitous or not, brands are meant to represent a story and inspire a connection. A brand that does this for me is Kittinhawk. Kittinhawk is a one-woman jewelry and clothing designer that began in San Francisco in 2007. Now located in Los Angeles, Kittinhawk is still relatively small and young, but gaining momentum and beginning to make her presence known in the fashion world.
There are several things that I connect to in her brand:
First off, it was the admiration of the product that put me in touch with the brand. The product combined with her story had such a profound impact on me that it inspired me to pursue my own path in jewelry design. That said, the imagery used in her brand language is hip, edgy, and kitchy - a reflection of it's handmade, slow fashion quality. It's interesting to consider her visual brand language because, as a (graphic) designer, there are things about it that I am adverse to - like the heavy use of Copperplate, and the roughly photoshopped graphics. But I suppose that's what makes her brand so strong to me though is the fact that I am able and willing to look past that and see her story in it, then visually connect with only what appeals to me. Beyond her brand's aesthetic, her system for naming, the collections of inspiration she posts on her blog, and her photo-shoots are all appealing to my tastes (as representations of alternative lifestyle as they are edgy, slightly macabre and evocative) and I connect with those elements on a personal level.
When I see her logo, images from one of her photo-shoots, her lines, website, I think of a strong woman who started from humble beginnings, and with an endless cache of inspiration and boundless motivation, manifested her passion into something tangible. She maintains humility in her work and still makes all of it by hand (now with a small amount of help as she is growing). I would even go so far as to say that in 2011, when Free People included some of her pieces in their collection, I was thrilled and proud. To me, Kittinhawk represents the success of the hip, driven artist, and the positive, outward manifestation of alternative lifestyle that I seek to embody in myself.
Here are several links to Kittinhawk:
http://www.kittinhawk.com
http://kittinhawk.myshopify.com
https://www.facebook.com/KITTINHAWK
