Graphic Designers Past

Finally, a post not about Scandinavia or Scandinavian cars. Instead it’s about guns… kinda.

My grandfather’s shotgun

I recently made a discovery on an old shotgun that belonged to my grandfather. There’s a small marking on the underside of the stock that I never noticed before. Upon closer inspection, it’s clear I’m not the first in my family to play designer.

What seems to be a COH is carved into the base of the stock. He could have simply carved the letters one after the other, but instead chose to blend them together. A sign this wasn’t his first time making this mark.

I’ll refrain from offering a critique of my grandfather’s logo but I’ve taken the liberty of quickly drafting what it could have looked like.

OK, maybe it’s not exactly what he would have wanted. His is clearly a square and has all sharp edges, but this is my website, dammit. And I have Illustrator and he had a knife or awl or something.

Carl O. Hayn Sr, the patriarch of the Hayn family, was a character. I remember hearing how he would walk down main street in cowboy hat and boots, with a six-shooter strapped to his side. In college when my car broke down I got the chance to drive his Lincoln Town Car for a few weeks, complete with vanity plate and the Stetson in the back window. You never forget the feel of the leather seats and suspension in a Town Car. It’s like driving a pillow.

There was nothing pillow-like about my grandfather. He earned his living running a machine shop, making things with his hands instead of clicking a mouse like his grandson does. But I wonder what he would have made if he took a different path.

It’s a side I never knew existed and wish I could ask him about.