In a world that demands algorithmic perfection, I drew an imperfect sign with markers.
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A sign on a sales table has one job: to convey who you are, promote what you’re selling, and show how much it costs.
For our artisanal, non-alcoholic spirit, drawing a handmade sign shows more than just “here are our prices.” It also represents who we are as people and what we stand for as a brand. Our drink is small-batch—made, bottled, and shipped by us. Each label even has the expiration date handwritten by yours truly.
“Co-founder Tawny Lara still handwrites the packaging date on every single bottle, writes
in a recent article, “It makes the product feel bespoke without being kitschy, and earthy without being pretentious.”
We’re as mom and pop as it comes, which is our strength and our weakness. As an indie brand with no investors, we simply can’t compete with brands that have major funding.
Instead of getting down over the pay-to-play nature of the consumer packaged goods industry, we’re leaning into the grit that made us who we were before we started this company: A sommelier who’s passionate about quality drinks who married a scrappy journalist with a passion for the truth.
We make our own drink, and for a recent local market, I decided to make a handmade sign. In a world that demands filtered, algorithmic “perfection” for your branding, I drew a sign with markers.
A DIY sign represents our DIY business
We couldn’t afford a $40,000 vinegar generator, so Nick, my husband and cofounder, made one. We couldn’t afford a marketing team or a publicist, so I learned how to do PR myself. Small budgets can inspire creativity in the same way that tech overload can inspire a more analog life.
I’m not a Luddite. I love memes and doomscrolling as much as any Millennial, but the internet brings out a heightened version of who I am IRL. Creatively, making something on a computer is an entirely different experience from the classic pen-and-paper approach.
My digital creativity, whether writing essays or creating slides for a presentation, wants to laser-focus while listening to Aphex Twin pulse through my headphones. My body becomes completely immersed in a digital experience, unaware of anything going on around me. I like it that way.
My analog creativity listens to The Flaming Lips on vinyl while hubby plays with our dog right next to me. It’s a shared experience with markers and paper and silliness and play. With my mind disconnected from the internet, my body creates something unique that tells a story through imperfect drawing. I like it this way, too.
When you can’t fit in; stand out
This back-to-basics approach to marketing aligns with my personal perspective. I get distracted by online articles with moving ads and pop-ups, so I subscribed to paper magazines again. We’ve also cut back on streaming services, opting to rebuild our physical media collection.
When we first launched our drink, we apologized for being a vinegar-based drink in an attempt to appeal to a broader audience. But now we’re leaning into what makes us unique rather than trying to mask it.
Similarly, I wanted to fit in with the cool kids when I was younger, stifling anything that made me me, such as straightening my curly hair or wishing my name was “normal.” Now, I celebrate being a curly-hair cofounder with a funky name and a weird drink. That’s the energy I channel when working local markets with our hand-drawn signs.
Conversations, and sales, sparked
Handmade signs can spark an interesting conversation with consumers, too. While working that same market, I shared with a customer that we are a small-batch, handmade brand. “Just like your sign!” she said as she made a purchase, tapping her smartphone against mine until we heard the modern-day electronic “ding” that’s replaced a cash register bell.
I recently asked Nick a question that many of us are wondering right now: “What’s the next TikTok?” Which is another way of asking, what will humans be obsessed with once they get tired of algorithm-inspired content? “The next TikTok is IRL,” he replied, “People will get back to wanting something real.”
I think he’s right. People will either get deeper into the internet vortex or they’ll pull away from it. We’re an IRL brand, so it makes sense that our signs reflect that, attracting people who ride that same wave. We’re also imperfect human beings who want to add something thoughtful and inspired to the plethora of mass-produced drinks in the growing non-alc world.
Once I stopped comparing myself and my branding to strangers on the internet, I reconnected with real authenticity. Sadly, the word authentic no longer means genuine. Authentic on the internet often means self-exploitative in a way that pleases the almighty algorithm.
Thankfully, there are no algorithms in the IRL world. Instead, we have markers and human beings and, as Bob Ross would say, “happy accidents.”
Come join us.
XO,
Tawny
"Once I stopped comparing myself and my branding to strangers on the internet, I reconnected with real authenticity. Sadly, the word authentic no longer means genuine. Authentic on the internet often means self-exploitative in a way that pleases the almighty algorithm." Tea!
No, but actually, this kind of stopped me in my tracks, because I'd never thought about it this way, and my initial impulse is that you're correct. Or, at the very least, outside the world of writing, where an authentic voice and set of thoughts makes one stand out, the meaning of the word has been lost.
Anyway, great read!