February Love Letter: A New Look
A serendipitous meeting at Penland, fresh eyes, and a new sense of clarity for Safran.
Last summer, while I was taking a large-scale metal fabrication class at Penland in North Carolina, I met Sarah Lerner.
She was there with her beautiful mother, and I just happened to sit near them one day at lunch. I was immediately drawn to Sarah—and to her mother, too—her kind, calm demeanor, the way she asked inquisitive questions, her thoughtful insights.
She had just made some big, life-course-changing decisions and was preparing to move to Durham with her husband.
After that lunch, I had to see her work. I walked over to her studio where she was deep in a printmaking project, creating repeatable wallpaper patterns—proofs and sketches spread everywhere.
The drawing style, the subject matter, the colors—all of it. It felt so distinctly her. I was completely taken by her way of drawing and the topic she chose.
Fast forward to the last night at Penland. We were chatting at a party, and over drinks I told her more about Safran Everyday and how much I loved her drawings. I told her I could truly see us working together one day on branding and packaging.
After we got home, we kept in touch and started talking about what that might look like.
Finding a Sense of Clarity
I had been wanting to change our packaging for a while. I designed the first version a couple of years ago, and while I was proud of it, there was always something that felt a bit off. The designs felt slightly clunky to me.
In a true act of stepping back and letting fresh eyes in, I asked Sarah to rework it. She kept the elements that were working, simplified a lot of what wasn't, and made everything feel lighter and clearer.
It might not feel dramatically different at first glance, but to me it embodies the brand so much better—minimal and unfussy. It feels distilled. Like we pared it down to exactly what it needed to be—nothing extra.
I also really wanted a repeatable tile pattern to use for broader branding assets, and instead of illustrating all the products, we decided to focus on the single hooks. And wow—she delivered.
Form & Function: The Paper Tape
If you've ordered from us in the past few weeks, I hope you noticed the new paper tape on the boxes. The benefits are twofold:
Durability: I learned the hard way that clear plastic shipping tape does not hold up well in cold weather.
Branding: Unlike plastic, paper tape can be beautifully branded.
I found a used tape dispenser on eBay, worked with Sarah on the design, and now we have the cutest boxes being shipped around (I'm not biased or anything).
She even designed a color version for our instruction cards!
Simply A Love Letter
I know this may sound like an advertisement for Sarah, but it's really just a love letter.
I feel so thankful we happened to sit together at lunch that day last summer. Thankful she followed up. Thankful for how communicative and responsive she's been. Thankful for how hard she worked. And thankful for the fresh ideas she brought into this small business that means so much to me.
Truly,
Maia