Crafting a brand is a cornerstone of establishing a business, embodying the identity through its logo and name.
Our journey towards pinpointing the perfect name was nothing short of an odyssey. Initially, we dove into brainstorming with zeal, naively unprepared for the marathon it would become. Surprisingly, filtering through hundreds of potential names turned into a grueling process, with each suggestion feeling less fitting than the last. Our creative session morphed into a whirlwind of colours, animals, people, and eventually, into the realm of the utterly imaginative.
As weeks of deliberation unfolded, we eventually honed in on our desire for a name that was concise yet distinctive. The breakthrough came unexpectedly from a Mandarin textbook that had been lying around. Our shared background in studying Mandarin, coupled with the origin of our bamboo from China, sparked the inspiration we sorely needed. The word that caught our attention and resonated with us was "Wà Zi" – the Mandarin term for socks. For the first time in our quest, we found unanimous agreement in the name's appeal and relevance to our brand.
Thus, after enduring rounds of exhaustive discussions, we were proud to christen our venture Wàzi UK.
Turning our focus to the logo design, we envisioned something more defined: a panda perched on a bamboo branch. However, our initial naiveté about copyright laws led us into murky waters. Our choice to use a readily found image from the internet backfired when we received a stark email accusing us of art theft. Faced with the prospect of legal turmoil, which our budget simply couldn’t accommodate, we opted for diplomacy. By ceasing the use of the image and educating ourselves on copyright intricacies, we navigated out of the predicament.
This setback inadvertently paved the way for a more authentic creation. We sketched the initial concept and then collaborated with a professional artist to refine it. The result was a logo that not only surpassed the original in quality but was also unequivocally ours.
Next up was sourcing a manufacture to bring the dream to reality and letting the artistic flair flourish in coming up with our original designs: some you see today and others we are very glad you don’t….
Thanks for your time folks,
Team Wàzi UK
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