Wordmark and Monogram - 2025

Some time in early 2024, I began to see the growing need to create my own personal wordmark. On a random night that March, what would eventually end up becoming the wordmark you see before you would pop into my head. A few minutes after turning in for the night, I had the idea of combining the "D" from the end of my first name and the middle of my surname. They were both the fourth letter of their respective name, it was too perfect not to use. I groggily scribbled a rough version of what I had in mind and went back to bed.

That ever so sophisticated original sketch can be seen on the 8th slide. (Turns out I had kept the page in my phone's notes app.) From there I replicated the idea in Illustrator (a little cleaner this time) and began experimenting. I began finding other points of connection like extending the top bar of the "D" all the way across my first name. I also soon realized that my first and last name add up to a total of 12 letters. Three rows of four. Sweet. When bringing the "acre" down into a third row, the stars seemed to align. Both "R"s were in the third column, I could repeat what I did with the "D" with the bowl of the "R."

After a few more tweaks to give the wordmark more of an "interconnected" and "modular" vibe, the major construction of the design was complete. I added the personal flair of my favorite complementary color combo, blue and orange, as well as a dark drop shadow to give the wordmark more of a presence.

As for the the monogram, I tried to mimic the abstracted off-kilter sentiment of the full wordmark by offsetting the height of each initial. To mimic the "interconnectedness," I had them both share a stem in the middle.

What to take away from all this? Don't underestimate those random ideas you have at 3 A.M., in the shower, or waiting for the bus. Write/sketch those ideas. You never know, they might end up turning out pretty cool.

Wordmark constructed using "Stolzl Bold" designed by Mariya Lish. From Inhouse Type Foundry.