 and welcome to Connecting Hawaii Business on ThinkTechHawaii.com. My name is Kathleen Lee, and I am your host for this program. Big Tech Hawaii can be, you can catch your shows on ThinkTechHawaii.com as well as on ThinkTech Hawaii's Facebook and YouTube channel. For today's show, we are going to talk about patino graphic design, and I am very excited to introduce the owner, founder, and creative director, Mario Patino. Mario, thank you for being on the program today. Hi Kathleen, thank you. Appreciate you having me. Of course, tell our viewers about yourself. So we are a full graphic design agency located in Makaha, Hawaii. I am originally from San Francisco. I've been living in Hawaii over 12 years now. Actually, I just passed my 12-year anniversary. And then full graphic design, so logo branding, marketing, consulting, the works, some website work as well. Wonderful. Let's pull up your logo here, and I want to go over, you have a really great story on your website as to how you came up with your company name. So let's go over that. Yeah, so my company is Patino Graphic Design. That's my last name is Patino. I decided to name it after my father who passed away right before I moved here. So it's kind of an honor and a legacy to keep his name going. And it just kind of keeps us grounded as to like staying true to like our core values, you know, how to treat people, respect, you know, dignity and just being overall honest people, especially in business. So it just kind of helps us kind of reflect on that, on those aspects of our company. And I want to go into that a little bit more. I feel like go over the values that you have, that you're basing the way you run your company on, because I feel like that is reflective of what you do. And for the viewers out there, I have worked with Mario and Patino Design, and they are absolutely on the ball when it comes to service and treating people with respect and just coming up with stellar, stellar work. So let's talk about the values that drive your company, Mario. Yeah, so in graphic design, you know, we've, as we started working, and you know, even before I started the company doing freelance work and stuff like that, and just kind of getting my name out there, I kept hearing about all the horror stories that people had with graphic designers. You know, either they would, you know, do bad work or take forever and just, you know, be just really late on projects, quoting them like the incorrect amount, just stuff that wasn't fair. So when we started Patino Graphic Design, I really wanted to make sure that we put the client first. So the client is number one always in our book. We want to be honest, we want to be on time, we want to deliver great quality work, we want to be able to work with our clients and get to know them as people, not just as clients and a number in our file decks, you know. Yeah, I think that's great. And I've seen you do that, which I think is, you know, absolutely genuine. So thank you for that. Let's pull up first and second graphics and talk about the background. You said there was a story behind this. So Island Breeze is a branding project that we just finished actually. It's for the Fernandez family and Big Island. Now they've been in business for, oh gosh, over 20 years. And they haven't updated their logo in about 10 years. Just because it was so special to them and endearing to them that taking on this project was like a big deal for the company to kind of rebrand and move it into the next chapter of their company. So we were very honored that they would choose us for this special project. So the logo Island Breeze, it ties into the Polynesian track finding the islands in the first place. We wanted to really give this logo a cultural and authentic feel to it. We did a ton of research on Polynesian voyaging, canoes, what brought the original Polynesians to these islands, all that history and all that goes into before we even pick up a pencil to start sketching. So the research phase for all our logo projects is very immersive and we spend a lot of time. We take it extremely serious to learn a lot about your company, your brand, who you are and what you stand for and what does it mean out in the world. So when somebody looks at the logo, what are those values that they're going to take away from your brand? So we went through a lot of different variations and through our research, which is one of the things that I really love about design, is just getting to learn so much about all these different companies and brands and people. So we learned that Polynesians use what's called a stick chart, stick navigational chart, that they created out of bamboo or just reeds and coconut husk and stuff like that, with shells and they would track the current. So with these charts, they would be able to navigate long distances and use them as basically like GPS. So we use that kind of idea into the sale of the logo. And in the sale represents the voyaging canoes that brought Polynesians to these islands with the stick chart incorporated into it, which gives it a really authentic feel to it, yet still feels modern and fresh. But it still looks like a logo that's been around forever. So that was a challenge that we had with this branding, which we really love how it turned out. Yeah, and what were the thoughts of the company when you had presented this to them? Oh, they loved it. So we went through a lot of variations of different concepts, you know, and like we usually work with our clients really in depth and just go over each story, each logo that we come up with each concept has a specific story. So we first tell them about the story, the background of why we're presenting this logo to you, and then they go in and, you know, we make different changes or they have suggestions. And that's kind of the part that we really love is that interaction with the clients, because we really get to like, they get to be a part of the process and then we get to like learn from them as well. So it's like kind of back and forth process, which is really cool. I love that. Let's keep going and pull up the third graphic. So tell us about what went into this. So this is Hawaii production. This was a really fun logo that we had on our plate. So the challenge was how do we make Hawaii productions, which is, you know, essentially kind of a basic name. It's a very straightforward name, just Hawaii productions. So how can we make that really creative, not cheesy, something that hasn't been done before, something that's out of the box that you wouldn't normally think. So we started sketching, started coming up with different ideas, looking at the area. We did some research on where this company was located, which is near Puna, which is near Volcano Park, National Park. So we wanted to incorporate some sort of volcano aspect in the lava because it's rebirth. It's the, you know, the creation of land, which is what they are into, they're into video work and creating new content for their customers. So it's all about creation for them, which we thought it was perfectly fitting for this logo. So we custom illustrated the volcano, which, funny or not, we did so many different versions of this volcano until we finally got it right. And we wanted to keep it really like a dark kind of color with their color palettes, because a lot of the times in their video production, they have to wear dark clothes, they're in dark sets. So it just kind of matched the entire vibe of the brand. And then, you know, the lava spilling out from the W, which just kind of makes the whole logo pop. We really loved how that came out. And the custom, sorry, sorry to cut you off, but the font is all custom drawn as well. So we drew every single letter from scratch. That's amazing. How do you get as a business owner, how do you pick your clients or people to work with? You know, we're in a really good position right now that I'm extremely thankful for that we get excellent clients coming to us that have really, really cool and exciting ideas. The entire concept of our brand is to work with people that are like pushing their industry forward. So we love to work with people who have innovative ideas, who have really creative concepts, really cool brands that they're pushing out, that they're really passionate about. So we want to work with people who are passionate about their own business. Because if you're not passionate about your business, it's going to show in the amount of effort that you put in day to day. So those are the types of clients that we love to work with all the time. That's wonderful. Let's pull up the fourth graphic. Tell us about this particular company and this logo. HUNA is a, they are an interesting company, which is, again, what I love about this business is just like getting to meet so many people from different walks of life. So HUNA, they teach basically like motivating classes with the HUNA background, which is very specific to Hawaii, and they have workshops like basically all over the world. So they wanted to create a new t-shirt for their merchandising. So the HUNA logo, they already had the text, but they had a really outdated kind of, you know, not very captivating graphic for their t-shirts. So we decided to give it a really authentic kind of vibe and styling to it that's really modern, and it makes you want to buy that t-shirt. Like if you see that in the gift shop, you go immediately to that shirt. It just stands out the circle within the circles. The graphics around it just makes the HUNA pop out in the center. That was a really fun project that we had. They wanted something that was like really modern and just eye-catching and just brings their brand to this, you know, to a new generation of the audience. Mario, what is your typical process when it comes to starting out with like creating these beautiful logos? Like is there one? Do you have like a set in stone process or is it different for every client? Kind of like how people when they wake up in the morning, they have like a morning routine. Do you have something like that when it comes to coming up with your designs? Yeah, we do actually. We have a really interesting process that we create. So for every new branding and logo project that we create, we first start off by starting a web page for that project specifically. On this web page, we will upload mood boards, concepts, sketches, revisions up until we get to the final logo. It's just a way of really keeping track of the entire process, and it's something that's unique to our company. I haven't heard of many other design firms that do this, but it's just easier for the client and for us to keep track of the entire process. We start to finish. That way, we don't have to go back and forth with email attachments, and you know, you lose this version or that version. It's just a really clean process. But we start off with the initial research. Now your research phase, as I mentioned before, is very, very in-depth. So we like to learn everything as much as possible about your brand, your industry, and you as the business owner. We want to get to know why you started this business in the first place. Because you know, it's interesting for us, and a lot of times we get a lot of creative sparks or creative juices basically if you want to say. From hearing people's stories about why they even started this business in the first place. A lot of times our logos kind of derive certain things from those conversations that we had initially. Because every logo that we create tells a story. We want to incorporate that into every single logo that we create. It has a special meaning, a special story behind it, that maybe only you as the business owner knows and can see, but it's there. So first we start with the research phase, finding out everything we can about you. Then we start coming up with some initial concepts. We have a meeting with our team. We do our initial brainstorm. We come up with some concepts, some ideas. We just start throwing everything that's possibly out there. Just as wild as you can get. We want to always come up with the most unconventional approach to your logo. So if you're expecting like, you know, a flower for your logo because your floors, that's probably not going to happen. We want to get deeper. We want to get more abstract and really find what's at the core of your brand. So once we start creating the initial concepts, we start refining those, narrowing it down, taking out what's not working, adding stuff that worked, continuing to polish it up until we do a presentation for you. Once we present everything to you, then you can come up to us and give us some revisions, edits, and then we just start that back and forth process until we find the right solution. That is a very detailed process and I'm sure everyone that you work with appreciates that. I want to go back to what you said about, you know, finding out the why of businesses and which is how you come up with these concepts and bring it back to you, Mario. What is your why when it comes to your business? Why did you start it out? What inspired you? That's a great question. That's something that I usually don't get asked on my end. I'm always the one asking you, like, why? Why did you start? I started doing design. I basically started doing design before I even knew what graphic design was. I'm a little bit, I graduated in 2001, so before like Photoshop and all that stuff from high school. Give away your age, Mario. Come on. Yeah, I know. So I'm up there. I'm getting up there. I was always into arts. I was always into drawing and sketching and that would be the kid who drew on, you know, on his desk all the time. Teachers would yell at me, but so the first, the first thing that I ever did was just like flyers for friends for their bands or their parties or whatnot. And I would just draw them out and, you know, it was before we had computers. And then in college, a friend of mine introduced me to Photoshop and it just blew my mind. I was like, wait, what? What is this? This is insane. I was like, I can do all this. Like, and I just started just like diving into that. And it's just, I just had a passion for creating things and bringing people's visions to life. Like, that's like the coolest part about like graphic design to me is like, if you tell me something that's in your head or something that you're thinking about, for me to tap into that and bring your vision from your head onto the screen and then, you know, match your personality and match your, your brand, your company and everything like that to a T is just like, that's the ultimate, that's the ultimate goal right there. I appreciate the passion that you have when you talk about this, Mario. Let's pull up one of the, well, the last example that you have for design when it comes to a client. Tell us about this, Team Aloha. This is one of your more recent projects, right? Correct. We have Team Aloha. We actually just finished this one. Again, a lot of research went into this one. This one is interesting because the two founders, the real estate agents, they are local boys that were born and raised here, but they recently moved to Central Florida right during the pandemic. They moved to Central Florida to try out something new. They started getting into real estate over there and then they came up with a logo. They hired a designer for their logo. Team Aloha was still Team Aloha, but they hated it. It just, it wasn't their personality. It wasn't them. They just didn't have that, you know, good experience with the designer. So when they approached us, you know, we heard that and we took that into consideration with them because they were at first a little, you know, they were a little hesitant just because they had such a bad experience the first time. So we really worked with them and reassured them that, you know, this is going to be a whole different process. You know, everything that you had the first time around, throw that out the window. We're starting from scratch, right? So this logo, we went through a lot of variations as well. They were really keen on trying to keep some sort of island flavor, but not to be so Hawaii driven that it kind of, that people in Florida wouldn't resonate with it. So they wanted to keep some aspects of the Hawaii aesthetic with still keeping it modern and fresh and recognizable anywhere they went. The pineapple is really important to them. It's based off the lokahi triangles, which are important in Hawaiian culture. And we just did our own kind of spin and our own variation of it with the font. The font still gives it that vintage kind of Hawaiian feel to it, but still keeps it really modern and fresh. This was a really fun project. For them, they are LG TVQ and they were really adamant about having a logo that they felt proud to showcase during their events. They have an event for Pride coming up that we designed something for them with this logo and Pride colors, which they absolutely loved. So that was really special for us just to give them that, give them a new experience. They were completely ecstatic with how everything came out. They were like, you know, we should just went with you in the first place if we would have known you were there. So that always makes us feel really good just to change people's mindsets about working with a designer and the process of what it is to work with the graphic design firm. It sounds intimidating and a lot of times people think that it's the scary kind of process to take on, but we try to make it as fun, as enjoyable as efficient and successful as possible for everybody. And I know that firsthand because I've worked with you and I'm still working with you. So thank you. Let's pull up that last graphic. Mario, you talk in terms of us and we, can you elaborate more on your team and how, you know, they're making it so that you guys are working together to have each and every single design be a success for your clients. Right. So I always say we because, you know, it is a team effort as much as us on on the design part as it is on the client part, because it is that back and forth is that, you know, give and take with with revisions and concepts. And sometimes clients come with us with very specific needs or very specific ideas that they want to, you know, go into this direction or that direction. So it's always a collaborative effort with graphic design. You know, it's not just one person. As far as our team goes, we have two designers on our team right now, UH graduates, which we're really proud, you know, we're really proud to kind of give back to the design community here in Hawaii, younger designers who are eager to learn the business, eager to learn the industry, immense talents that we, you know, we see talent, you know, potential in them to keep growing. And it's just really fun to work with a team, you know, before I started bringing people on, it was just me kind of taking on everything. And I, when I found myself, you know, being stretched thin on time and just being able to provide all the resources for our clients that I wanted to, obviously, right. So we had to grow, which is a great thing. So it was important for me to grow with the right people. And that's something that I really, really, really take great pride in and just being able to help designers and help them along their path, because I know, you know, they're gonna, they're gonna take it and run within, start their own companies. And it's just really cool to see them grow as designers and as people and as entrepreneurs as well. So I do a lot of mentoring and behind the scenes teachings and just advice. And it's been, it's been quite the experience. I love it a lot, actually. I think that is awesome. And let me jump off of that. In the few minutes that we have left, what is one lesson that you have learned that you would like to share with people if they are thinking of starting their own business, especially here in Hawaii? So what I always tell people is that you're never going to be 100% sure, especially if you're starting a business from scratch. There's always going to be those doubts. There's always going to be those fears. Just have to go out and do it if you have a passion for it. If you are 100% committed and passionate about starting this new endeavor, it could be, you know, whatever business it is, like accounting or selling, whatever. Have a passion for it. Follow it. Make sure you have the right people on your team. Make sure you reach out to the right designers like us. And, you know, just put in the work, because it takes a lot. It is not easy being an entrepreneur. It's a lot of stress, a lot of long nights, a lot of work, but it is probably the most rewarding thing out there, running your own thing. So for all of you guys who are scared or timid about do it, just buckle down, take the leap, and you'll love yourself for it. Great note for everyone coming into the new year, which I'm still saying, but we're doing January. Let us pull up your website again. Mario, people would like to learn more about you and your award-winning agency. Where do they go? They could go on our Instagram at patino designs. You'll see all of our latest work on there. We're really heavy on Instagram and social media. You can go to our website mpatino.com or patino.biz, either one will take you to the same site, or you can email me directly at mario at patino.biz. Reach out. There's no scary commitment. We're really, really willing to talk to you about your goals and your business needs if you have them. Talk to us. We're here for you. And we have a couple of minutes left. Is there anything else that you would like to add? Yes. Make sure that when you are starting your company, make sure to think about your brand's identity. I tell this to a lot of clients when they are first getting going. Think about your brand as a person. Are they cheerful? Are they more on a serious side? Is it more on the funny side? Are you a comedian? What would you describe your brand as? Once you get that nailed down, come up with a great name for your brand, something catchy that will stick in people's minds that instantly will resonate with your audience, and really focus on your core audience about who it is you are aiming your business at. It's very important to find your demographics and stick to that and really serve the needs of the people that you're trying to sell whatever item it is to. And to get a great designer. Great design is everything. It could either make or break your brand. Invest in your business. It is very, very important to invest in yourself. Very good reminder. Thank you for that, Mario. Again, we have been talking with Mario Patino, odor, founder, and creative director for Patino Graphic Design. So thank you for being on the show today. Thank you. Appreciate it. And we also thank Jay Fiedel and the folks at Think Tech Hawaii for making shows like this possible. Today we had Hailey and Michael helping us out. Until next time, aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and donate to us at ThinkTechHawaii.com. Mahalo.