What’s Up With the Name Typebird?

Originally, the name I picked years ago was Fiber Based Design. I started in the realm of photography so the darkroom was my happy place. When I printed my own work, my favorite paper to print on was called fiber based paper. Makes total sense right? Not exactly.

Everyone thought I was a textile designer. Looking back on it, I totally get it. In the moment I was blinded because I loved the idea so much.

Once I accepted the name’s fate, it was easy to move on. Finding a new and improved name was a challenge. During all of this my was going through his battle with cancer. He got it from Agent Orange when he was in Vietnam and he was fighting to beat it tooth and nail. Eventually, it progressed so the idea of the name change took a back seat.

One night on the way home from visiting my mother’s retirement home for Thanksgiving, we had a good three hour drive home. My husband and I just brainstormed ideas. Finding time with toddlers was rare, you had to take the moment when you could. While searching for a real turkey dinner (the retirement home food was quite mushy) we pressed on.

During that time my husband said, what about Typebird? You love birds, they mean something to you and you are obsessed with typography. He wasn’t wrong and it did have a ring to it. I wrote it down to continue thinking about later. Side note, no dinner was ever found. That is the year we ate Lunchables from a gas station for Thanksgiving dinner.

Not long after this, my dad passed away. A little bird came the day after his funeral and sat on a tree branch over our driveway. That bird was there every evening for three weeks. Three whole weeks. I know because I kept a calendar. I checked on it every night after I put the kids to bed. One night I said to my husband. I wonder what type of bird it is.

And that is how Typebird was born.

Even in grade school I was destined to know bird friends, they have always popped up in my life. The yellow bird was my little bird friend. It was a White-eyed vireo which is actually no longer the bird in the Typebird logo. Since we live in Georgia now, I have a connection with Bluebirds. We even have a box in the backyard for them to nest. It happens about twice a year. We have seen over 53 babies fly away. New chapters happen all the time.