New logo!
Recently, my amazingly talented wife Hannah made a new logo for my website, and it has helped me to revitalize my online presence. This website used to be called wwww.grumpykenny.com (like my Instagram account), but gradually I decided I wasn’t fond of the “brand” because I’m not trying to be anything other than myself. It was fun and funny while it lasted, as somewhat of an inside joke, but my site and logo needed to look cleaner and truer to who I am.
I thought this change was post-worthy because it is a nice update to how I present my work. My old website design was higher contrast, very dark and red, and utilized the awesome pizza bolt logo Hannah also designed several years ago. As much as I love pizza and that design (I even have it tattooed on my leg), it doesn’t quite represent my creative side or the full, true me, to be honest. It’s not that I’ve changed, but I do believe my relationship with nature and photography has evolved. My new overall website scheme is lighter and more earthy, instead of stark.
This new logo design incorporates a few things that are more “me”, such as the aperture blades, crickets and crossed antennae. The Thatcher family crest features three grasshoppers, and I loved the sculptures Hannah and I found of the little insects in Chapultapec, Mexico City last November. This MexicoLore article does a great job explaining the significance of grasshoppers in Aztec culture.
The grasshoppers’ crossing antenna signify my mother’s side of the family, Matsumoto, whose crest is like a hashtag turned on its side. Draw an “X” in the air using two fingers, and that’s what it looks like. I can’t seem to find an example online. I might be wrong but I believe it could broadly symbolize hard work, or agriculture, and might actually be an abstract design of celery which was farmed by some of the first Matsumotos who arrived in California several generations ago.
So, this combination of important elements of my life - photography and my families - does a great job of summarizing what I’m passionate about and where I come from. It’s clean and simple, and leaves the door open for where I decide to take my creativity in the future.
I should also plug Hannah’s design service, The H Creative", because she has years of experience doing branding work, online marketing and graphic design to help companies realize their visions. Give her a shout if you need a new look!
www.thehcreative.com
@thehcreative on Instagram
