The Birth of Bertie the Fox: How Our Charming Fox Logo Came to Life
A few years back, when Melody and Steve were planning Alesia Boutique, Melody’s oh-so-talented son Noah set about experimenting with bronze metal clay—a product that looks and feels similar to pottery clay but is worked on a much smaller scale. Noah knew he wanted to created an animal similar to his beloved orange cat, Cinnamon—who looks like a little red fox! And so…Noah set about sculpting and carving metal clay into a fox design. Ever creative, Noah felt his fox needed something that set him apart from other fox designs…and thus came up with the idea of having his fox hold a branch with tiny red berries in his mouth. For the fox’s eyes, Noah chose two small synthetic sapphires. Noah finally added a bail to the back and fired his fox pendant in our family’s small jewelry kiln. And then we waited with bated breath as the kiln worked its magic on Noah’s fox….burning off the clay’s binder and exposing a solid piece of recycled bronze metal. Much to everyone’s delight, upon opening the kiln door after firing and cooling down….waiting to meet Noah was a gorgeous little fox pendant with sparkling blue eyes! The final process was hand painting the branch and berries, which Noah did using special patinas in green and red.
As soon as Steve saw Noah’s fox pendant, he knew we had our new business’s logo, exclaiming: “That’s it! Our new logo!! Noah, please give him a name.” Noah thought about it for a few minutes and came upon the name Bertie. Voila! Bertie the Fox was born.🦊💕
Noah intricately sculpting and carving bronze metal clay into what would eventually become his Bertie the Fox pendant.
Noah’s fired and finished original Bertie the Fox pendant
Crafting the Perfect Vector: Enhancing Our Brand on Bags, Business Cards and More
Now that we had Alesia Boutique’s logo, we were able to have our shopping bags, business cards and other marketing materials designed and printed. Our first priority was having shopping bags designed, and we were informed by the packaging company that we needed a vector of Bertie created so they had an illustration to work from. Once again, Noah saved the day as he knew how to design in both Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. We’ve been using Noah’s wonderful vector ever since to have our shopping bags, business cards and other marketing materials printed up.
Foxtrotting Through Style: Running with the Fox Theme
Now that we had our vector, we needed to expand on the fox theme and include him in other aspects of our store. Once the buildout was completed, Steve and Melody set about finding fox-themed items with endearing qualities similar to Bertie’s. Melody found a few items online, but the true finds were the ones Steve discovered at our local Goodwill and other thrift stores. A lifelong vintage enthusiast and bargain hunter, Steve searched high and low in the Seattle area for foxes with whimsical, human-like qualities. One of our favorite beloved foxes in the boutique is a storytelling fox who wears spectacles while reading a tome to a sleeping elf. We also have portraits of anthropomorphic foxes hanging on our walls, whose fanciful attire and winsome smiles add to the warmth and charm of Alesia Boutique’s welcoming and friendly vibe.
Client Perspectives: Embracing the Fox Theme with Love
Since the establishment of Alesia Boutique two years ago, the reaction to Bertie the Fox has been tremendous. People come into our store and break out in huge smiles when observing the endearing red foxes posed on shelves and hanging on walls. In fact, Bertie is so well-loved that many clients have asked if Noah’s bronze Bertie pendant is for sale. Our answer is always ‘no,’ as Bertie is now a priceless Alesia family heirloom. With that in mind, we’ve been contemplating the idea of crafting a mold of Bertie the Fox as we consider offering Bertie jewelry designs to our clients. We shall keep you posted!