I've always been fascinated by that split second when a match is struck. Before there's a flame, there's friction. Chemicals collide, a spark appears, and suddenly something ordinary creates light. That's what creativity feels like to me.

A design starts as an idea, a sketch, a conversation, or a wild thought. Then comes the experimentation, the problem-solving, and the spark that turns an idea into something real.

The matchbook itself also has a special place in design history. Long before digital ads, social media, and AI-generated content, matchbooks were some of the most effective pieces of everyday marketing. Businesses used them as miniature billboards, filling them with logos, illustrations, typography, and memorable messages. They were functional, collectible, and uniquely human—tiny pieces of graphic design that people carried in their pockets.

That's part of why I chose it as the symbol for Little Underground Designs. It represents a time when originality, craftsmanship, and creative thinking were the heart of the process. Every design was drawn, printed, and created by people with ideas, instincts, and imagination.

The name Little Underground Designs celebrates the unconventional—the overlooked ideas, independent voices, and creative sparks waiting beneath the surface. And our motto, We Strike Differently, is a reminder that great design isn't about following formulas. It's about creating something authentic, unexpected, and distinctly human.

Just like a matchbook, sometimes the smallest spark creates the brightest light.

Some of my favorite Matchbook covers from archive.org