LynchNW Blog

This is Milo.  Milo is not a Doberman.  I’m not sure what Milo is, actually.  Maybe some blend of Lab and Heeler?  Or Shepherd and Rottweiler?  Collie and Bernese Mountain Dog?  Who knows.  I can say with conviction, though, that he’s a pretty even mix of Good Boy and Knucklehead.  Actually, probably heavy on the Knucklehead.  And no he is not, as of right now, the Best Dog Who Ever Lived in the Whole Wide World (BDWELITWWW). 

I don’t think we’ll ever find out Milo's true genetic makeup, but I’m pretty confident that he's not a Doberman.  I mention that because of our ‘Axe Dog’ logo.  I’ve been asked fairly often if the logo is a Doberman, and if so, is it because I own a Doberman?  It is and I don’t.

Picture: 'Axe Dog Logo'

My only history with the Doberman breed is not even a personal one.  My wife, Maggie, was living with her Uncle Don and Aunt Ann Marie when I met her, and at one point the family had a Doberman.  I never knew Fala (she died before I met Maggie), but her name would be mentioned with reverence whenever the subject of dogs came up.  As anyone who’s had a dog can attest, there are some that seem to fade with time (or make you wish you could forget), and some that will always be remembered as uniquely special.  

Picture: Jake

For me the dog that will always have a special place in my heart was Jake.  He was a black lab, my first dog when I was a kid.  Jake had that certain something that’s hard to describe but that made him awesome - kind of a combination of mild craziness mixed with genuine kindness - and he was everyone’s buddy.  He was, in my eyes, the BDWELITWWW.  I know he actually wasn’t.  He never dragged me to safety from a burning car, or fought off an attacking bear.  In fact, his real talent was not listening.  He would often take off down the street and disappear, me calling his name, and him pretending not to hear.  But he was a faithful friend.  And with dogs, I do think everyone should, in the course of their life, have at least one dog that they think should own the title of BDWELITWWW.

Picture: Fala

Back to Fala.  When I was designing the ‘Axe Dog’ image, I didn’t have a dog in mind.  I was just trying to come up with something I liked.  I thought an illustration incorporating a dog would be good.  I like dogs.  Most people like dogs.  So if it was going to be a dog, the obvious choice was a lab.  That has always been my favorite breed.  But a lab in a logo typically brings to mind either bird hunting or a friendly face drooling all over you.  We don’t make hunting gear, and dog slobber isn’t that appealing.  I tried to imagine what kind of dog would represent the idea I was trying to convey - strength combined with approach-ability, but also something that expressed quiet confidence and authority.  How about Fala?  She was her family’s BDWELITWWW.  Fala was gracious and gentle, but she still made everyone who came to the front door pause and wonder if they should proceed.  I liked that mix. 

Picture: Damascus axe head and oak handle, hand made by our guy Taden

As for the axe, the idea of place is important to a lot of people, and I’m no different.  I’m proud of where I’m from.  In addition, I wanted people to know that the parts we make didn’t come from some big nameless overseas factory, but that they were made in some American town they had probably heard of, and maybe even visited.  So how to define place, specifically a place in the Northwest, in a logo?  A Doberman with a Washington apple in its mouth didn’t quite have the look I was going for.  However, an axe did fit the aesthetic I wanted.  Obviously, axes are used everywhere, but incorporating the axe would give the logo a bit of a Northwest touch, since historically this is Big Timber country - you know, rocky mountains and loggers and tall pine trees.   So the Doberman and the axe. 

I’ve thought about redesigning the dog logo with a breed more singular to my history.  But I've ruled out labs, and I can’t get Milo to hold an axe handle in his mouth long enough for me to make a quick sketch.  He just wants to choke down his dinner in about 10 seconds and then lay down on the rug next to my chair.  And I don’t think that image is something that would look good on a t-shirt.

As a side note, Milo's campaign to take the BDWELITWWW title from Jake is not off to an auspicious start.