Making a New Logo

After four years with our original, circular map logo, we figured it was time for an upgrade! A lot goes into a logo design- so let’s go through the process!

We reached out to Josh Diaz of Oldboy Studio to help us take our logo to the next level. We came across him on instagram (the modern-day replacement for rubbing shoulders in a smoking room) and appreciated his work! He has a strong portfolio, and flexibility with style. We knew we wanted a medieval woodcut feel to our look and were confident he could provide what we needed.

The conversation with Josh started pretty open ended: a list of proposed imagery ranging from vintage wizards, to star shaped lanterns, and more traditional depictions of candles. As usual our love for details took over and we started to steer towards the image of a wizard in their castle crafting candles out of a cauldron.

As the process continued we started to identify intricacies that would better tell the story of our brand. Originally the wizard depicted had a long white beard. Despite our appreciation for the classical wizard, we wanted ours to better represent our status as a Black-owned company so we switched to a curly, black beard.

The stacked books towards the bottom of the logo represent a foundation of lore and knowledge for our brand. The fox standing on those books is a representation of our commitment to approaching work from a playful and curious standpoint. It’s also a nod to the owner's dog, Henry, who also happens to be the black hound of the Black Hound Tavern. (We’re nothing if not obsessed with our pets).

The stone cellar background alludes to the world of fantasy tabletop games while simultaneously calling back to the business’ early days when candles were poured in the owner’s dimly lit side room. Lastly, the three small stars that fall into the central cauldron represent the sparks of inspiration that we include in the design process of each of our candles. We hope that this inspiration carries on to the stories that you tell!

So, what do you think about our logo? If you’re in love with it, you can grab it on a T-shirt, or mug! Thanks again to Oldboy Studio for helping us create such a magical image!