Fresh Local Product

The name practically explains itself. Fresh Local Product was inspired while clothes shopping in a mall retrofitted with farmers’ market stands in the center area. At the time the only disconnect between the clothing vendors and the makeshift produce vendors it seems was that “organic - rough around the edges - I made this with my own hands - personal touch”.

Being a designer I knew I could fill that void. The cherry on top? Teaming up with some friends and family, we picked up a screenprinting machine and prepared to get our hands dirty.

When I actually started designing the first line I really wanted to establish a brand that ALL people regardless of interest, ethnicity, or social attitude could relate to. I didn’t want the designs to be overly “Islandish” as there were already many brands with that vibe, but “timeless” and “clean” without a touch of relevance wouldn’t fly either. Being born and raised on Maui, a place full of diversity, "Fresh" & "Local" came to mind because fresh and local is ALWAYS in demand and is THE golden standard no matter who you are, where you go or what the "Product" is. At the same time the words Fresh, Local and Product each have so many definitions that they purposely were left up for interpretation so that we would be able to communicate many different ideas with the same basic foundation.

Instagram was in its infancy then, no algorithms holding back business posts from being shown to their follower network. All it took was a few shots of our new Product and we hit the ground running. The first two years flew by, designing by day, printing at all hours, marketing at every moment in between. Thousands of pieces were moved in that time period. Events, Fairs, and Festivals were nonstop. Photo and video shoots were a normal way to spend a weekend. I loved seeing people learning about the brand and start following it, and repeat customers coming back for every new release.

Although we had a great run, eventually life catches up with you. I’m not one to go into personal details online, but priorities have shifted and circumstances changed. Gone are the days of in-house printing and cleaning off the plastisol from my fingers just in time to load up the car and drive off to set up for another event. We still design though. And I’m happy to say many of our customers are still there supporting us and everything we stood for from the beginning.

Constant FRESH designs by LOCAL people passionate about solid PRODUCT. Period. 

COVID19 / 2020 changes the game

Aloha from Hawaii.

Here in Maui County we are going in to week 3 of our “Stay at Home” order. At the moment, there are 44 confirmed cases on Maui, 387 for the State of Hawaii. 5 deaths. 1 of those on Maui.

Our heart goes out to those affected, not just those sick, but also the many small businesses on our little island home.

Several weeks ago, while talking story with some colleagues we discussed the financial impact this pandemic would have on our community, but never could we imagine exactly where we would be at this point in April. Social media would have you believe we are all enjoying ourselves - copiously drinking at all hours, binge- watching Netflix/Hulu, eating to our hearts’ content - but in reality, many of us are yearning to actually accomplish something. Not only has the quarantine deprived us of the ability to fulfill our innate desire to socialize, but also the very human inclination to create, produce, and exert oneself. True, many previously shelved home projects and hobbies are now being realized, but to truly validate “worthwhile achievements” more is needed than Facebook and Instagram likes. Civilization is built on TANGIBLE productivity, commodities that can be touched, held, felt, and enjoyed in person, with other people - not with a 6 foot bubble around us - something virtually impossible with the current rules in place.

“Essential” is the new “black”… errr… “blank”… et term. “Blanket Term”. Eating food is essential, it doesn’t have to taste good, the body doesn’t care if you love it, it just needs to be nutritious. A roof over your head is essential. Why doesn’t every city and town just consist of a bunch of soviet-style bunkers/tenements? Windows are a luxury, right? Clothing (in most cases) is essential. Underwear could suffice. Social interaction. Essential. But are Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom gatherings really gonna cut it for this very simple necessity?

NO. Humans push the boundaries of “essential” because humans innovate. Humans delight in personalization. We live for it. It’s what most would consider “living”. Delicious food. A warm home. Tasteful attire. A handshake and hug. Sharing these moments with other people outside of our own household. There are no replacements.

This is NOT a call to action to end the stay-at-home order, nor a call for anarchy, or to pacify conspiracy-theorists’ claims that this is all an elaborate plan to strip us of our civil liberty. It is simply a conscious exclamation that our entire system is founded on the very existence of everything we now prohibit.

It can be said with certainty that things will never be the same even after the bans are lifted and the orders removed, but one thing is for sure. We will never again take for granted the simple things like a hug, a gathering of friends, a relaxing lounge at the beach, and the luxury of anything currently regarded “non-essential”.

Updates 2017

As you may have noticed we've updated our look and are focusing our attention on a more streamlined and attractive site. We hope to better showcase what we can really offer you in terms of design and printing over the next few weeks.

Many people ask us if we do websites and the answer is always a mixed response of "yes... but..."

The answer is this: We are graphic designers that specialize in design for print. This means anything tangible like advertisement design in magazines, posters, invitations, stickers, logos, etc.

Notice how "specialize" is stressed there. We can create a basic website for you and even teach you how to maintain it. If you are looking for extra special programming or your own app etc. we are not the place to get that done, but we can forward you to some pretty awesome developers.

Stay tuned. We're always working on improvements. #whatissleep

Revamps v.2

Small businesses with sole proprietors that stay in business for longer than 12 months are a rare breed. While entrepreneurs may leap hop from idea to idea for years, owners who are REALLY dedicated to their cherished ventures are to be commended. 

Yes, I may be patting myself on the back right now, but I must say there is a crapload of work involved in operating your own business from design to advertising to then ACTUALLY selling & moving your product - not to mention all the behind the scenes work like maintaining a good budget with steady cashflow and planning future growth.

Oh yeah. Planning. Ben Franklin would be proud that we finally realized the wisdom in the age-old adage "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

We may be a little behind in the planning game but I believe things are finally starting to click into position.

Keep your eyes open for our next phase. Mahalo for your patience. :) 

Revamps

It's been a busy year-and-a-half since our last post... and man has it been busy.

First things first. What's this "our" and "we" business?

Sometime last year, my good friend Ryan approached me in efforts to establish his own clothing brand. I've helped dozens of customers design products, line sheets, advertising and other odd/end jobs, but with Ryan I felt a bit more help was in order.

Unlike most of my customers, Ryan was not a businessman or an entrepeneur. He was simply an artist. An artist working full-time in another completely unrelated industry, and he was my friend.

Ambitious as it may have been we set off to create this "brand" and somewhere along the way I told him MY dream of creating a one-stop-shop where ANYBODY who wanted to create a clothing brand or small business could walk in, and we could help them. Heck, if they knew how to use the equipment we could let them rent our equipment. Everything you need to get the job done. From A - Z. 

Well, what a dream. The real work of nurturing our own brands, trying to find reliable vendors, keeping track of inventory, opening up distribution channels, networking, collaborating, and trying to keep up with day to day life and life and life kept us busy and unfocused on that somewhat insignificant conversation.

Sometime in that year, though, our good friend Jordan who owns another very successful brand named "50th State of Mind" inceptioned us into crowdfunding with a Kickstarter.

Long story short, the Kickstarter was unsuccessful - but the doors were open - the word was out. We WANTED to do our own thing, and we wanted to be able to help anyone else who felt the same way. Unexpectedely, people offered help in various ways and today we're happy to say that "we" are open for business. We've still got dreams and aspirations to grow, but we'll take it as it comes. Day by day. 

The Fresh Foundation.

Picasso you're a genius... or was it just Steve Jobs?

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery..." they say.

Who "they" is, exactly, is beyond me. Imitation has always been kind of weak in my book. Imitation is intent or attempt to copy, which at first thought could seem flattering - until someone tries to pass it off as their own work - then it becomes plagiarism.

To be fair, it can be said that we all copy or build upon each others thoughts even if we're unaware of the influence. In a place like Hawaii, we are all a product of our environment, and what we do - how we express and portray our lifestyle to the rest of the world is usually limited to words like "Aloha", "Local", "Da Kine" or some other visual element like palm trees, floral prints, and pineapples. But that's where we can draw the line and ask ourselves as artists, (if you care to ask yourself), "How original can I get with this?" or "How can I really make this mine?"

The handful of ideas that I've chosen put down in ink and actually put on my own product are mostly works that I thought up years ago. Although I never got around to publishing them until recently, I can say with all honesty that BEFORE putting them out there, I searched high and low - for ways that I could take what I've done and make it stand out ABOVE the crowd. Occasionally I scratch an entire board and start all over because what I've created was way too driven by something I had seen from someone else, or the final product was no longer clean and simple like the rest of my designs.

That's design motivated by original thinking in my book, but hey, that's just me.

"good artists copy, but great artists steal"

There is a saying that I never quite got until recently. Supposedly Picasso (or maybe it was just Steve Jobs) said that "good artists copy, but great artists steal".

Put simply

  • {Independent Thought : Original} Awesome!
  • {Imitation : Copy} Boring!
  • {Making something your own : Steal} PWNED!

If you're gonna copy, run away with it. There's more where that came from anyway.

Disclaimer: This post is not intended to point fingers at any individual, group, or entity. It's a simple analysis of human nature and an expression of my feelings about originality and creativity. Admittedly the words in my own company name "Fresh" "Local" and "Product" could never be owned or considered unique in themselves. The combination of these words, though, (i.e. Fresh Local Product), is the foundation of my line and it is my hope it is respected as such. All rights reserved.

 

Start EVERY day fresh.

January 2nd. Not as much novelty as January 1st right? Wrong. At least that's my opinion.

This is not a shameless exploit of my company's name in a blog post title.

We shouldn't have to wait a WHOLE YEAR to look back at the last 365 days and reflect on what we've done, good or bad, and briefly mull over how we can do things better for the next 52 weeks. I believe every day is an opportunity to start fresh, be positive, and contemplate what we can do to improve our current circumstances. Sound heavy? Imagine if everyone soul-searched like the day AFTER they partied like it was 1999/Y2K - EVERY DAY.

Meditate daily. Start every day fresh people.

(also published on www.freshlocalproduct.com)

Real Talk

Lets get real. Artists, Photographers and Graphic Designers on Maui are basically a dime a dozen. Thankfully by trade I only fall into one of those categories. Although I wouldn't consider myself the best, I do believe I have 3 strengths that are solid reasons to hire me for your next job. 

1) Quick and Efficient - If you ever sit side by side with me on a project you will notice my workflow is extremely smooth and fast, my range of creativity is broad and my communication concise. Ditto that and add turbo for any Photoshop work.

2) I K.I.S.S. - Whether its Posters, Ads, Invitations, Business Cards, even Logos, I aim for simplicity. Leave me to my own design world and observe my natural inclination to push the envelope and then quickly return to what I thought looked perfect 5 minutes and 20 revisions earlier. I believe everything in the world should Keep It Simple (Stupid), but some of my clients beg to differ. Alas, I always do my best to please my customer, which brings me to my last point...

3) Customer Satisfaction - If you ain't happy, I ain't happy. I will always do my best to meet and exceed my client's expectations. To be fair I make sure YOU know what I will give you for HOW MUCH before I proceed with a job. I do need to make a living after all...

Whether my hyperactive candor impresses you or shocks you give me a call - we can talk like normal people and go from there. Comments/Questions? See that empty box down ↓ there?

"start today"

Those words have been etched into every single one of my notebooks, calendars, scratch pads and corner of my brain. I've committed myself to this great cause to not put things off that are difficult but rather to "start today".

It's a call to action and a challenge that I've made to myself since I first started contemplating working for myself again. It means making that embarrassing phone call to friends, family and contacts I've met along the way and just letting them know, "just to let you know, I'm doing graphics again... any kind, all kind, tell a friend, here's my number and my email, and oh, did you get my number?"

I've learned a lot since the last time I tried this sole-proprietor business, and I've made my mind up on the importance of investing time into things like my website, cold calling,  social networking and oh yeah, designing new things. As a matter of fact for the last couple of weeks designing new things has been at the bottom of the to-do-list. My loving wife reminded me of this very important task just this morning... er, well it's just past midnight on Friday morning now, so yesterday (thursday) morning. I guess that means I can still live up to that commitment. After I get some rest, I'll start today.