Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Dunitz & Company - Logo Fonts & Parents

Almost every day when I look at my logo and the font I chose to represent my business, I think of my dad. And I smile.  What could be better than that? When I've considered updating my logo, I'm always reminded of my lingering smile. And I stop considering a change. I like thinking of my dad. I know he would be so proud of what I've accomplished with Dunitz & Company.  He'd be pleased seeing my sales and receipts. My dad after-all was a businessman. He worked in real estate and finance. Yes, he had his own business. And his company logo used this very same font, Mistral. My dad died when I was in college. He never lived to see me pursue my dreams.  But, I always have this vision of him visiting my office and assisting me with my sales (and collection) calls. (OK, he probably would not have chosen pink lettering for his website!)

I started my business on a shoestring. The worldwide web did not yet exist. And printing was still quite expensive. Letraset was commonplace. When I started Dunitz & Company in 1989, a local printer, Barbara helped me pick out the most artsy Letraset available. THAT was my first logo. She provided me my first stationery and business cards.  I actually cut out traditional fabric squares to surround this logo for folders I used for sending out my first press releases. And then when the web came along the font I had chosen was nowhere to be found. I couldn't easily adapt it to different sizes or use it for multiple purposes. That's when I adopted the Mistral font. Early 90s.

In 2011, I introduced a fused glass collection, lovingly coined Joanie M. The collection is so so different from our fair trade beadwork. I intuitively knew it needed to be anointed with a different identity. I already had been thinking of my dad on most days at work (having chosen the Mistral font for the Dunitz & Company logo.) Now it was mom's turn to be acknowledged. My mother had always been a total fashion plate. She was always on-trend and looked so hip. And she had always dreamt of owning a 'dress shop' - which in her lifetime never happened. It seemed a perfect idea to name our fused glass jewelry after her. She was the first Joanie M - and now there is Joanie M, the fair trade fused glass jewelry collection. (Her maiden name was Mitchell.)  She too is beaming up in heaven knowing clothing boutiques all over the USA and other parts of the world are selling pretty jewelry displayed on earring cards or with hang-tags embossed with her name. If you look to the right, you can see the font I chose for this collection. By 2011, there were oodles of cool fonts available - and I adore this one. It actually possesses the essence of her signature which I attempted to forge and sometimes fairly well many times!

So, there you have it. Each and every day, I am often reminded of my parents, Joan (Joanie) and Daniel (Danny) Dunitz. Their presence can be seen and felt at every turn. I'm even posting a photo of them here - larger than I typically post photos on this blog. Why? Because I love them now and forever.  I am because they were. -ND