A few years back (2014), Ben approached me and said he wanted to make a hat for a friend of his whom he had lost suddenly. His last name was Wirth and he wanted to have a few hats made in his memory, and maybe try and sell some for mental health awareness. I spent some time thinking about what would stand out? It needed to be strong, but also not overbearing. It needed to be timeless, and simple, and easily applied. It needed to not be fussy because the reality is, what we are dealing with here is a subject that needs to be addressed head on, without wavering. We started with a simple wordmark. Ben and I went back and forth a few times over fonts, kerning, stacking options for "I'm Wirth it" and long formats. We settled, and never looked back. The wordmark was just what we both thought it needed to be. 

It wasn't long before we began working on an illustration to add to the logo. The hands hold a lot of meaning. When you hold your hands up in the W, there are three things that can be seen. The first, of course, is the shape of a W. The second, is a frame of two hands on either side of your face. This is to symbolize the importance of both looking at yourself and others from a place of compassion, and support. Thirdly, when your two thumbs cross in the middle, you can draw the outline of a heart. All three of these things represent the brand. 

The funny part of where this comes from is that, during my teen years, when I struggled most with my own mental health issues, I was a big fan of alternative and punk music. Weezer was touring like crazy in the late 90s early 2000’s and I went to many concerts. The Weezer fans would hold their hands up to make a W. I loved how something so simple connected so many fans without using any words. I thought we should do something similar for WIRTH. 

I'm Wirth it. You're Wirth it. With Love.

WIRTH Creative Director & Brand Maven

Natalie Gulliver