{"id":458632,"date":"2026-06-03T09:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/458632\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:57:07","slug":"daryn-roongrawewan-doesnt-design-logos-she-crafts-ornamental-icons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/458632\/","title":{"rendered":"Daryn Roongrawewan doesn\u2019t design logos, she crafts \u201cornamental icons\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s clear to see Berlin-based designer Daryn Roongrawewan\u2019s<\/a> extensive background in editorial design in her approach to branding. Detailed and ornate, with a look and feel that you often only find in old print, her work is a feast for those that love expressive type. Her delicate visual systems draw from vintage design languages and small observations she makes out in the world day to day. For her brand identity for flower shop Atelier Lin<\/a>, for example, the designer dived deep into Slavic alphabets to craft custom initials for the wordmark.<\/p>\n

The florist\u2019s new custom letterforms had to have \u201cornamental curves for softness and grace, but with purposely rigid edges, like carved metal, for firmness\u201d, she says. For the florists\u2019 care cards the designer also pulled from the distinctive character of the Victorian era, including carpet bedding plans and monograms. The illustrations on the other hand, were \u201cinspired by 1920s children\u2019s books\u201d, she says, and the designers\u2019 bespoke L in Lin is a nifty visual trick that can rotate into a number of different drawings of flower shapes, turning \u201ca single letter into an ornamental icon\u201d, Daryn adds.<\/p>\n

For a visual identity for Padma<\/a>, a Los Angeles art and design studio rooted in ecology, Daryn started things out completely offscreen \u2013 instead of constructing a logo, she went out looking for it in the great outdoors: \u201cNature already holds the shape of letters. The curve of a leaf, the subtle twist of a stem. The initial P for Padma came from watching more than creating,\u201d she says. The final logo draws from the shapes and gestures of the purple sugar magnolia snap pea, paired with a customised wordmark that Daryn designed to mimic the nodes of the plant\u2018s stem. The designer then worked with clay and raw textures<\/a> to translate this into some visual elements for Padma\u2019s new website.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my approach to design is a lot like my approach to the things I keep,\u201d Daryn shares \u2013 \u201ceven my tattoos. Every mark should mean something.\u201d The designer has always been a firm believer that when it comes to branding, taking inspiration for visual forms from something you\u2019ve observed in the world, that people recognise, \u201ccarries a warmth that people can feel even if they can\u2019t explain it\u201d, she ends.<\/p>\n