Typographic Dog Quotes - New Graphic Designs for The Paws

We've been working with The Paws for a couple of years already, and we made tons of surface pattern designs for their dog accessory range. This week we worked on some typography designs for a new range of products. And we couldn't be more pleased with the result.

Typography & Graphic Design was my mayor in Art School. While making logos for clients I can use that love for typography very often but somehow we've not been creating many typograhy designs lately. So it was wonderful creating a series of new designs for one of our favorite customers. We loved playing with type, styles and color. And adding a small illustration here are there.


If you like what you see and need some artwork for your hoodies, shirts or paper goods. if you need any print designs or illustrations for your business you can find more info on our website and get in touch with us there.

New Work: Sova Learning - Logo Collection

As you might know already our studio doesn’t only make print designs. We do mainly create print designs but we started our making corporate folders, flyers, magazines and branding strategies including logo designs. We love making logos. It’s still something that gets me personally very excited when a logo job comes in. I love thinking about all the design solutions on graphic items. Finding a voice to reflect a business in just one image. Connecting the image with typography.

We’ve been working for Sova Learning for a little while now and we’ve made a series of designs, both logos, and other graphic items, for this company that focusses on educational tools for teachers and children. With those two target groups in mind, and all the various products Sova offers, we wanted to create a versatile logo that could be extended easily when the company would grow. Time to post a little pieces about this series of logo designs.

The Visual
As a metaphor the owl is seen as a wise creature and we loved the fact it’s popped up in various storybooks. We used this symbol as the main visual for the Sova Learning brand. But the main brand has more under its wing. We created a primary logo, and from there we created two visual images for Sova’s Podcast series and Genius Journals. For the Podcast series, Sova Tales, we made a minimalist microphone and placed this shape in front of the owl. The shape is created from three simple elements. For the Genius Journals logo we wanted to avoid drawing attention away from the name, the Genius Journals have been around for a while and we wanted to make sure the typography was easy to read. So we place the small shape reflecting the journals on top ow the owls head. This way both secondary logos have their own little icon within the logo.

The Colors
We wanted to keep the colors light and bright. For the main Sova Learning logo we choose a smart blue that is both fresh and joyful, but also toned down enough to reflect both target groups.
Orange is the color of communication, for the Podcast logo orange seemed the perfect fit. We choose a muted shade that gives the logo a tad more sophistication avoiding cheap bright color shades. For the third logo we wanted to add a greenish shade to balance out the palette. A neutral tone that's versatile and chique.

More info
We love working for Karen, who runs the Sova Learning company. She’s a creative by heart and is rapidly growing here business. if you’re interested to know more about Karen and her business, visit her website. If you’re interested in having a logo made by our studio you can just send us a quick message. We’d love to hear from you.

De Campus // Boulder Gym Accessories

As most of you might have noticed already while following Maaike on Instagram, she has gotten herself a new hobby. The past year she discovered climbing and has been bouldering in a local boulder gym in The Hague. Since she is having some insiders there, they asked us to create some party gear for their kids birthday parties and events.

Graphic design is not really part of our main business anymore but for this time obviously, she couldn’t say no. De Campus is a place that also makes an awesome birthday outie for kids. For these festive occasions, they needed a little stash of party stuff. So we created some cool placemats, flags, and a fun table cloth to dress us those birthday party tables.

The table cloth was made with a climbing wall print that is also available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop. The backdrop of this print is in the typical wooden color most climbing gym walls are made out of plywood. And these colors make the table cloth not too crazy patterned. For the placemats, that are also used for other occasions we used one of Maaike's photographs. They make a perfect and colorful abstract visual. The outdoor flags are designed in the typical De Campus blue tones with some subtle geometrics shapes underneath the white contrasting logo. It’s a fun result, right?

If you’d like to find out what it is we can do for your business, please send us a message.

Finished work // Theater Rotterdam

Last fall the studio received an email from an exciting new client. Actually it was the first company I worked for as a graphic designer while I was doing an internship, when I was still eager to become a designer and didn’t have a clue what I was doing, most of the time… I was working here for 6 months.

Theater Rotterdam contacted me to license some illustrations for a kids production ‘Crazy but True’ by Ant Hampton performing in their theater mid-December. An interactive performance magnifying how kids can form their own reality. The flyer and posters were designed to show random facts using typography supported by illustrations.

We are very happy with the lovely result of these graphic items. The typography and illustration color palette with a deep blue, soft pink and white are a strong combination, fresh and fun without getting ‘too young’. We love the result. And we also love performance art, so hopefully there will be more exciting things to work on for Theater Rotterdam in the future.

Uitagenda 10 years // Kunsthal Exhibit

Here is a little story about my first steps toward being a designer. When I was a graphic design student I had to do an internship in my third year of studying. And I was the lucky girl that was hired as a graphic intern at one of Rotterdams best theaters. During my time there I worked with just one designer colleague who taught me the technical aspects of prepping work for the printer, checking the press, thinking in concepts, designing new campaigns for cultural festivals. I loved it. Being dropped into this cultural melting pot and working with so many creative people within the theater was amazing and such a good prep for the real deal. I had a shitload of responsibilities as an intern and I love the freedom of it all.

10 years later I bumped into my intern colleague when my college was having an open house and we met up for coffee later. it was so much fun to catch up after all this time and while we were sitting down, discussing all the things that happened in those 10 years he also invited me to participate into a new project. At that time he was working for a cultural magazine that needed a cover for the new cultural season kick off. I created a cover and I also created a bunch of illustrated patterns for their kids section. A year long my work was spread throughout Rotterdam. And as you might know already, I have a soft spot for that city. A great project to work on.

That same magazine is now celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary. And they are properly celebrating! All covers made on those 10 years are now part of a Kunsthal exhibit. Last week was the grand opening during the kick-off of the new cultural season, of course. You can now see a beautiful overview of covers; photography, illustration and typography. A wonderful mix of graphic designers and illustrators who have created something unique. I am pretty ecstatic to be on the Kunsthal wall, one of my all time fave museums, in my fave city.

Safari Animals and Scandinavian Pastels // New Children's fashion // Naturkind Biomode // Grand opening

We are very excited Naturkind Biomode will open it's little kids paradise in Germany later this week. For this colorful new brand we created over 15 designs that will be available on kids fashion. Giuliana is the big brain behind it all, she approached me during spring this year with her story about how she wanted to offer parent eco-friendly clothing with a good price tag and fun modern designs convinced us we would be a good match.

Working for children's fashion is not new for us. We have worked with companies in Australia, UK, Canada, South Africa Sweden and the list goes on. But up until now we have never created a series of designs for a German company, we have designed fabric of course, but Naturkind is our first retailer in Germany in toddler and kids fashion. And what a great brand to start with!

We have worked on different themes for girls, boys and also some gender neutral prints are included in her collection. We especially love how our Safari Animal print turned out. Soft beige with fun pink and blue color pops. Giuliana is not afraid of colors and our colorful prints have been featured in numerous magazines in Germany, they sure like a bold statement! So we are convinced she will be doing great with her pick of African Animals and Scandinavian pastels.

After finalizing all designs for her range of children's clothes she also asked us to work on some signage, posters, stickers and wrapping paper for her shop. It has been a fun process all together of which we can now show our final results.

October 31th will be the day of the grand opening of her shop in Bad Harzburg, Germany. So good news for all German parents but how about the rest of Europe then? No worries Giuliana also has a webshop, she originally started selling online, where you can order all here colorful, fun kids fashion.

Sources of inspiration: New York Yay! Series // fabric // postcards // home decor

I was a dreamer at 15. I wanted to go and see the world and luckily my father supported the idea of studying abroad for a year. Just before my 16th birthday I took off on my first trip to the United States. Where I crisscrossed the country. We took a long walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. Ate a one foot high sandwich in Salt lake city. Yes that is to be considered huge in Holland… We crashed at some awesome peoples home in Atlanta and we went to see New York. It was the first trip that made me realize I wanted to see the world.



Although I never went back until last year this country is my first taste of traveling. Letting go of what you know. Go with the flow and pick up the different energy while moving from place to place. Enjoy simple every day things and go back home appreciating what you take for granted.

This year, after receiving Shutterstocks Grant Prize I decided to go back to New York. Working for a company that invited me to come and see the new Empire State Building office, it was all work no play of course.

I love the buzzing streets of New York, where your eye gets drawn to the high architecture and people are in a constant state of hurry, but also enjoy life in little moments by themselves in a park or coffee shop. The city surprised me: I always have this sense of restlessness within me, but when I visited New York, I felt this sense of easygoing peace and calm, like I was home. It's also visually mind-blowing. Street art and high-end designer shops go hand in hand. NYC is the ultimate destination for a designer like me, where constant movement is inescapable, there's room for both culture and business, and, if you set your mind to it, everything seems possible. A multicultural melting pot, which I love.



I love traveling alone and getting lost in places I have never been before. I stumbled upon an expo of graduation students, met some interesting young artists with amazing refreshing work. Goosebumps people! Another stroll from my loft to the high line brought me through the romantic streets of the West Village with it's beautiful brown stones with the typical soundtrack of New York in the back: spring sparrows. An old lady walked by and told me luck would be coming my way... It had already found me.

After I came back from this trip I have been making some new US and New York themes. Some for fabric, some for my pug loving friends back in Brooklyn and a new series for iphone cases and postcards. I still have to create so many things though. So yes, I call them my New York Yay series.

> Typography and photography travel inspired art | christmas presents | Little Smilemakers online shop

It is that time of the year again! Decorating the house for the winter season and it's holidays. A while ago I was working on some travel inspired postcards. Designs containing both photography and typography. All telling their own personal story of a country, a culture or a moment. If you are a travel addict yourself or if you are just looking around the internet for a fun christmas present, check out all travel inspired artwork that is available now at society6. Place your order before cyber monday and enjoy free worldwide shipping.

Available on: iphone case, ipad case, laptop skin, tote bag, baby onsie, t-shirts and pillows for your home. Enjoy shopping for the holidays!

> World travel | mindful typography | online postcards | Kaartje2Go

There is nothing more special than receiving a postcard from family or a loved one when you least expect it. Old & new typography designs from Little Smilemakers Studio are now available online at Kaartje2Go. If you would like to send your friend or loved one a small inspirational message take look around and pick your favorite quote to send out.

> Carpet design | new business | new logo

by Maaike Boot

Together with Sjoerd Knops, carpet designer and chief of the new Carpet Design company i sat down and worked on this little smilemaker piece of work. Finished for press and ready to be all cute, all businesscard, all paper tomorrow. The first step to a new exclusive luxury brand. Next step: website!