Hook and Irons
Tools Of The Trade - Birth of 'The Hook' November 25 2014, 2 Comments
Earlier this year while visiting a neighboring firehouse, I saw that they had displayed a very cool shadow box with all of the different knots used in our fire department. I really liked the idea and all of the other 'knot boards' I've seen. I thought that it would be nice to see a board with many of the different types of hooks used in the fire service around the country laid out in a 'knot board' style so the viewer would be able to see all the different variations next to each other. As far as I knew, I had never seen anything like this before.
The first problem was finding the right designer who would be willing to research and sketch the different hook variations and lay them out in an interesting manner. I chose Adam Weaver for this project because not only is he a very talented hand-letterer, he is also extremely talented at creating authentic and original illustrations. The only problem was that Adam is not a firefighter. He did not know how important this tool is to us or it's many uses. How could he feel as passionately as I do about our tools and our history?
Fortunately, I've learned that Adam is a life-long student of many subjects and after the Keys To The City project, I know that he relishes learning the finer details of a subject rather than the broad strokes.
First, we set out choosing which hooks to use. I tried to pick not only the most popular hooks, but ones that are unique to certain parts of the country. After we settled on the subjects, Adam got to sketching. We tried to never stray too far from the 'knot board' feel. I wanted the design to be educational as well as visually interesting.
In the end, I feel Adam created a design that is truly original and unique--a design that I hope most firefighters would be proud to own.
I want to thank Adam for being so patient and taking the time over these past months to learn so much about our world. We have become fast friends and I hope Hook and Irons can tempt him into creating more designs for us in the future.
As for me. . . Well I hope you guys dig all the care, dedication and time that went into this one. And, as I always say, 'Wear it with pride.' And this time, since we're offering a limited edition print, you can 'display it with pride' as well.
Firewire 8/22-8/29 August 22 2013, 0 Comments
A mostly fire related, semi-occasional, mining of web type stuff.
This week we released 'The Bronx is Burning' tee and so far it seems as if you guys like the shirt as much as we do. If you're interested in learning more about The War Years in the Bronx, here are all four parts of the BBC documentary Man on Fire. Each part is about 12 minutes long and give a true perspective of the time period.
Doing all the research for 'The Bronx is Burning' tee, I've found so many great videos and pictures from the time period. Here are a few more that didn't make the cut from the original blog.
George Steinbrenner, left, gives manager Billy Martin a bearhug and congratulations after the Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals to take the 1977 AL championship
And the last New York thing I found (I promise) is a very cool before and after comparison to places in NYC.
This is a very interesting photo essay. You can see more by clicking here.
Collab with Ryan Brown from Pursuit of NY
Our new Bronx is Burning tee was designed by Pursuit of NY. They are, about the coolest indie label I've seen in a while. Check em out.
Cool Stuff, you'll Probably Never Need
A homemade adjustable wrench for all you doomsday preppers who are always preparing.
Parting Thought That Pertains To My Frame of Mind During Most EMS Calls
Enjoy your Thursday.