Today we are excited to introduce to you Hattingdon’s new logo — inspired by and modeled on — her classic hat silhouette. Isn’t it fab?
Hattingdon creator Vivian Grant, who has created logos for all kinds of groups and businesses over the years, was so frustrated because she could not come up with anything she remotely liked.
“No matter what I tried, I just couldn’t ‘see it’,” she says, “so I gave up and let it go. Then suddenly, after all these years, there it was, in my mind’s eye. I rushed to the computer and created it in about 20 minutes!”
Take a look! We think she has done a really, really nice job. Simple and chic. It looks fabulous on product too, but more on that later. Here it is in an array of colours.
Want to see how she looks in it? Here she is modeling her new logo hat in gorgeous red.
So . . . . what do you think? We are hoping you are loving it as much as we are.
Thank you for stopping by, and see you again here soon.
Hattingdon creator Vivian writes: I love Verdi’s Operas. One of my all-time favourites is ‘Aida’.
I created a scenario in my head that Hattingdon had been given a part in the chorus of ‘Aida’, and therefore would need a costume. Being a hatmaker (a cartoon one, of course) I imagined a headdress for her in two colour schemes.
Gold
Aida Gold
Turquoise
Aida Teal
How fun are they? I am leaning toward the teal, but also love the gold. What you think? Which one should she wear?
The Ankh
The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used in Egyptian art and writing to represent the word for “life” and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself.
Snake
Although not in this design, we found this fascinating too.
In Egyptian mythology, the snake symbol represented royalty and divinity. It symbolized the pharaoh’s role as lawmaker and maintainer of order, protecting the Egyptian people from the forces of chaos. The snake was also a symbol of protection, both for pharaohs and for everyday people.
The Opera
Set in Ancient Egypt, Aida is a timeless story of love and betrayal set against the backdrop of war. The story is a roller coaster of emotions told through Giuseppe Verdi’s powerful music.
Aida is an Ethiopian princess who is the captured slave to Amneris, daughter of Pharaoh. Both women are in love with the victorious Egyptian general Radames, but he loves only Aida.
The father of Aida, Amonasro, invades Egypt to rescue her, but is defeated and captured. Relentlessly jealous of the lovers, Amneris decides she will kill Aida and disgrace Radames. He is subsequently condemned as a traitor and buried alive in a dungeon tomb.
Aida joins her lover in his death chamber to die with him while Egyptian priests celebrate the country’s victory in the temple above them. A desperate, remorseful Amneris attempts to save Radames but her pleas for mercy are too late.
Thank you for spending time with us! Warm regards, Vivian.
Originally Posted Aug. 29, 2022. Updated Dec. 18, 2022.
UPDATE! Seems like December is “logo” month. We reported earlier this year how very happy we were to find a nice, simple, easily identifiable logo for Hattingdon, as we had toiled off and on for years trying to come up something.
We finally came up with this one. Pure and simple. A single letter ‘H”, in Hattingdon’s signature brown and font. But we have a new one, but we are also keeping this one. They work well together. You will what we mean in a few moments. So keep going!
Hattingdon’s New Logo, 09/22.
Take a look at this. Remember when we experimented with using the classic hat silhouette as our logo. It was nice but we were still “not there”. I believe we have addressed it at long last, in a wonderful way. What do you think?
We hope you love it as much as we do. It only took us about 10 years or so. Hahahaha!
We will be using both but predominantly the single letter H in Hattingdon Brown. It has really taken off with everybody. Thank you for your input and help. — HH
Hello, and happy Monday. It is time for a classic hat, and this one . . . . is a new one. Vivian named the hat Daisy, and you are about to see why.
Daisy Hattingdon Blue.
Daisy Hattingdon Green.
Daisy Hattingdon Peach.
Daisy Hattingdon Black.
We were not too sure about the black, but it turned out lovely. The blue and green are so fresh and fun. But the peach! We are all in love with it here. How about you? Which one do you love most?
In “Well Dressed. Well Said. Well Read.”, its author Heather writes the following about Red Shoe Day:
“Red Shoe Day is actually a day of remembrance where those who suffer and/or pass away from invisible illnesses are recognized.”
“The day was created in remembrance of Theda Myint, who died of Lyme disease, but it has since been expanded to include all illnesses that don’t exhibit obvious physical symptoms.”
“For me, that includes mental illness. As a lifelong sufferer of depression, I can attest only too well to the stigma and struggle of battling an invisible illness. So on this day I will proudly wear my red shoes in solidarity with the countless others who struggle as well.”
Hattingdon
We were determined to support Red Shoe Day. But how could we besides wearing red shoes — which we, and our staff and families and friends, are doing.
Hattingdon is of course a hat wearing cartoon horse. So the challenge was to create a Hattingdon, in some way shape or form, wearing a red shoe to help draw attention to this issue. Vivian chose a red stiletto — not knowing how in the world she was going to make a hat out of it.
“My dear colleagues (ahem) reckoned thateven Icould not make a hat for Hattingdon from a red stiletto,” says Vivian. The challenge was accepted. And met. “They will be singing from that Beatles song — I shoulda known better with a girl like you. That I would love everything that you do. And I do. Hey hey hey. And I do.”
Vivian named the design . . . . Theda. Here is the hat.
Theda.
Is this, or is this not, crazy and wonderful? Now that should grab some attention! Which is what we want — to draw attention and raise awareness for Red Shoe Day / International Red Shoe Day. We have agreed that you can download the image and share it on social media using the hashtags listed below — in support of this important cause. Thank you!
Links and tags
Red Shoe Day and International Red Shoe Day, July 25th, since 2013.
You have heard of the beehive hairdo. How about a beehive hat? Hattingdon wears just that in a rich golden yellow, accompanied by two curiously darling little bees. The hat design name is — perhaps just a touch predictably — Honey.
Honey Hattingdon.
Isn’t the updated shape bee-utiful? We really love it.
In addition to the updated hat silhouette (now seen above), Vivian also added two tiny eyes to her bees. She was a bit startled to learn on the British Beekeepers Association website that bees “have six legs, two wings and five eyes: two large compound eyes and three smaller ocelli eyes in the centre of its head”. In light of this surprising revelation, she is still sticking with two eyes!
Just a bit more
The National Wildlife Federation tells us that, “There are over 20,000 bee species worldwide, including the honey bee, which originated in Eurasia and has been imported around the globe as a domesticated species. Wild bees species live on every continent except Antarctica. In North America there are approximately 4,000 native bee species occupying ecosystems from forests to deserts to grasslands.
Bees feed exclusively on sugary nectar and protein-rich pollen from flowering plants, unlike the carnivorous wasps from which they evolved.” [italics added]
Hattingdon 