Decorita (1987)

My wife Riitta wanted to start a business and open a shop for holistic clothing and decoration. The name of the company was Decorita. The intention was to establish a so-called “brick-and-mortar store” and we found a suitable location in Kallio, Helsinki. Riitta asked me for suggestions for the company logo.

At first, I thought of the Leo, a star sign that was visible in Riitta's personality and occasionally in her own ideas. She also had a certain sympathy for snakes, and she had dozens of them in her pieces of jewellery. The snake seemed like a clearly better starting point, although there were negative reservations about the snake (e.g., the snake's tongue). I made the first sketches, where the snake started to transform into a dragon. Once I got the snake right, the logo started to take its final shape. Riitta was also excited and wanted to see more.

I had no previous experience of a relative as a client. Could any small differences of opinion grow into uncontrollable drama? I thought that if I do my job with enthusiasm and as well as possible, it will also be communicated to the client (wife) as a sign of good and effective cooperation.

I first outlined the logo and then copied it onto watercolour paper. I made the logo with two different backgrounds and coloured it with watercolours. The main colour was red, while the covers were black. The Decorita logo, which was used both on labels and in-store decoration, was the final touch.

What are all the elements in a clothes shop? We collectively ended up with the following: letterhead, order form, envelope, business cards and cover notes. The products to be sold needed clear product labels, of which three different types were produced. The corporate identity elements were printed on parchment paper in a colour that matched the colours of the logo.

The new company attracted well-deserved attention. Even fashion-conscious people found their way there, although the location was not the best possible. But most importantly, my customer was visibly satisfied. In addition, my design work was recognised in several national and international competitions and published in publications such as in the Graphis Design Yearbook.