DESIGN: xoxobflo

The purchase of my Kelsey letterpress meant an opportunity to create a new brand with which to differentiate my design work from the printing. I’ll admit intentionally starting to brainstorm names that could have a more palatable accessibility with the social media generation we find ourselves in. I tried abbreviations, acronyms, and “internet speak” alternatives until I came up with a way to turn “Hugs & Kisses Buffalo” into effectively brief xoxobflo.

Since the press ensures everything printed by me is Buffalo-made (and things that aren’t still by default come from a Buffalo resident) it seemed an appropriate name to both signify this fact and keep a homegrown tie as well. To mimic the do-it-yourself mentality of the press I wanted to form the logo as something that looked as though it could have been carved as a stamp. That’s where the heavy calligraphic contours come from as well as the imperfect lettering at top.

The arrow was spawned as a result of my first two designs for postcards dealing with Buffalo sites through time—serving as a compass point like on a map. It fit perfectly inside the Buffalo silhouette as a stand-in for an eye as well, bringing everything together as a cohesive visual representation of the press and etsy shop housing its wares.

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