Well, to put it bluntly... We hated the name For the Love of Vintage (FTLOV). It just wasn't "us" anymore. It was worn out, clunky and just fucking awkward. We outgrew it forever ago and it's just stuck around because of pure convenience/laziness. It's given a constant ick feeling for ages and our guts were telling us for years to make the change. But to what? And how? And when? And and and... there are so many things involved.

The idea of rebranding has been ongoing, but because of the weight of it all, it never really caught traction. But it was stuck in the back of our minds like glue for god knows how long. So mid to late last year the pugs and I had a team meeting. Over shapes and schmackos we decided to just do it. Because fuck it. It's worth the sweat. And so, the brainstorming started...

We were inspired to take the plunge after our good friend Erin had her tattoo shop overhauled. We're talking about a new location, new branding, and a rad AF fresh look. Come on. Just look at it.

LOOK AT IT!

Shut up, right? It's incredible.

So... We HAD to know who she used for a graphic designer because holy shit. What a talent!

Since day dot everything has been quite humble. At least orchestrated 90% of this business is made in-house. Anything outsourced is because we don't have the resources to do it ourselves. We take a lot of pride in that. But. If we were really serious about a full business makeover, things had to change a little. First things first, we couldn't be the ones designing the branding.

Here's a hot tip... outsource that shit. In general when possible, but especially for branding. Why? Because you have to stare at it forever, print it on everything, and associate it with who you are and what you do. If you don't love it? It's a shitshow. Getting someone else to design your branding not only takes you out of the physical process but the mental game too. We're always the first to criticise our own work and tear it to shreds. Sometimes this can be helpful to strive for improvement. But not always. Hiring someone with fresh eyes and arguably more talent to tackle this job was the best thing we ever invested in.

Now, we couldn't send off any branding email enquiries before we had a name. But if you know how the pugs and I work, once we get an idea sizzling it doesn't take long for things to fall into motion. We needed something short, and sharp but also represented the products we were known for. Something that really resonated with the sweet, nostalgic little corner of the world we've created. On the 5th of September, 2021 we spitballed some ideas to some friends via FB messenger (shout-out to Gemma the Celebrant and Stevie Winter Creates and our 'ADHD (not so) anonymous' group chat!). Looking back, there weren't many.

  1. Sweet Tooth Studios.

  2. This Little Sweet Tooth.

  3. Short and Sweet.

  4. Heartbeat Treats.

  5. Candy Heart Club.

...then, BOOM:

  1. Candy & Kitsch.

We mulled over other combinations and synonyms to avoid seeming too hasty (none of which were properly documented or memorable)... but when you know, you know. In fact, on the 16th of September (12:45pm to be exact), we announced the decision to our friends in the same FB chat thread. We were so sure about it that we decided to register the business name, website domain and reserved the IG handle in pretty much one swift movement. Kinda like a dog with a bone, eh?

That's it. We were doing this.

The next step was to finally contact Kat from Good Lucky - Erin's graphic designer. Aaand we did exactly that at 5:04pm the very same day.

Until next time...

June 01, 2022

The Pug Press

Gone are the days of chasing the mailman down the street... Join our mailing list for your puggy fix!