Thursday 17 March 2011

A time to sow



It’s spring. That time of year when we never seem to have enough working space, and the areas that have been dedicated to wood-working tasks over the winter months need to be reclaimed for managing the garden. Every year, I resolve to be better prepared for this change in seasons. This year – inevitably – I’m sowing seeds on a bench amidst wood shavings and the sweet smell of softwood sawdust. Well, there’s always next year.

And so the garden shed, and not a little part of the house, is in now in full production mode. Seed packets and chitting potatoes everywhere; friends invited round on the pretext of dinner, finding themselves press-ganged into making paper seedling pots from strips of old newspaper. I’m pretty sure they don’t mind being caught up in our enthusiasm – there’s so much to look forward to. Having spent the whole winter browsing seed catalogues, now – at last! — we get to start into life those plants we've spent the dark, cold days dreaming of. Now, just a tiny seed, a bit of compost, and some water. In a few weeks time, a garden full of flowers, and fruit and vegetables...It’s plant magic, and it never fails to capture me with its wonder.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

New logo



As I’m sure I’ve said somewhere else, when starting a new business venture, it does help to have a most excellent friend who also happens to be a fantastically talented graphic designer. Today after much discussion and many hours of work on Charlotte’s part, we got to see the new logo...and we think it’s just amazing.

We’d asked her to create for us something which represented our passion for what grow is about, in a way which would both appeal to our audience, and represent the personality of the company. What we got surpassed all expectations!

She’s created a marriage of classical typography with an original tableau, constructed from a riot of different leaf forms. This rich foliage softly envelops the company name, but in such a way that the clarity of the text is never compromised. The company descriptor, using a smaller size in the same typeface, appears offset to the side, balancing the whole effect. It’s at once organic and substantial; formal, yet with a touch of whimsy.

I can’t wait for everyone to see it.