For a company aiming to capture the environment that Sage is cultivating, I wanted to embody the essence of the Wallowa Valley. Since founding Hand + Fire in 2014, Sage has used three characters—h+f—to define the brand. Her choice functioned as an acronym of sorts, omitting the “and” in favor of a “+.” This decision stemmed from her desire to create a name that could be easily impressed into her signature brown clay.

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Honoring her typographic choices and consistent use of lowercase letters, I sought to reflect the studio’s move to Wallowa. The frame represents her long-standing presence on Instagram, which played a key role in accelerating her business. The shoulder of the “h” connects seamlessly to the crossbar of the “f,” forming both the shape of the valley and a subtle “+,” symbolizing the union of craft and place.