Curious Creatures Origins: Alfred
Throughout the numerous events that we attend as a company, one of the most frequent questions is in regards to our name. “How did you pick the name Curious Creatures?”
If I’m being frank, I can’t quite recall. I remember a distinct conversation between my brother (Sebastian) and I (Tatiana) as we stood in my bedroom, the complete understanding that we were on the same page in regards to the name. In fact, coming up with the name was the easiest part of starting our company. Everyone was on board with the fact that our identity was Curious Creatures, there was no other name to consider; we liked the way it sounded, the way it felt. From that point, we developed a brand, built an identity, but the name came first, and the name was easy.
Before all of that, Alfred was brought into existence. We’ve previously talked about this (I recommend reading the “Our Story” under “About” on our website) but Alfred was created for Sebastian, our brewer’s, final project at the KPU brewing program in 2020. At the time, I was attending Emily Carr University of Art and Design and as his artistically inclined little sister, he asked me for help creating a poster for this project. I, of course, said yes, anything to not have to do my actually assigned classwork and consequently I dragged my partner in crime, Brigitta, our resident designer, into the laborious process of doing my brother’s project.
“Our Story” as seen on Curious Creatures
An important thing to note about the success of this first draft of Curious Creatures was freedom. When companies hire artists for jobs, there is usually an expectation of what that final product needs to look like. Everyone, no matter their artistic skill set, knows what they like. It’s what makes artistic media so intriguing yet so frustrating: it is very hard to reach a point where what you are picturing in your head corresponds with what you are capable of producing. Just because someone laments a complete lack of artistic talent, that does not mean they don’t have expectations for the final appearance of a project. My brother is very good about acknowledging that Brigitta and I, as individuals who have spent decades honing our artistic skill sets, will be far more successful at our jobs if he lets us do them unencumbered by what he wants, letting us experiment.
So that’s what we did! He told us what he needed the poster to say, and then we went forward freely, experimenting.
I knew that I wanted to draw a character, this was easy enough to extrapolate from my own joy in the arts. I’ve always loved illustrating oddities, whether that comes in little creatures or wonky shaped buildings, my art has to feel like a science experiment come to life, an off kilter critter who grew limbs and consciousness one day and started walking. I wanted to draw a frog or a toad I suppose. I'll be honest that, while the two are distinctly different creatures, they frequently end up in the same folder in my brain. Then I spent an evening scribbling in black felt tip, unfurling the identity of this being on the blank pages of my sketchbook.
Miscellaneous Sketches of “What Could’ve Been” Alfred (2022)
He came in an earnest shape, contorted and round. Limbs too short to do much of anything, eyes that screamed of an honesty that could be mistaken for cruelty. He held a beer stein, overflowing with foam, and I looked at him and knew his name. It was as simple as naming our company. This was Alfred, and that was that.
Digitized Sketch of Early Alfred (2022)
From there I picked a colour palette and drew him on my iPad at the size that Sebastian would need for printing his project posters. The early colours of Alfred are based entirely on the colour palette I was using at the time. I frequently go through phases of colour as an artist. I tend to hyperfixate on an individual limited palette and will spend months drawing exclusively with those colours. For a period of time in 2022, I drew everything in various shades of pink and purple as I enjoyed the fairytale vibe of those colours in unison.
And upon presenting him for my brother’s approval, he had no critiques. He liked Alfred’s rotund little body, so I sent the boy off to Brigitta to be splayed upon an A4 piece of paper to be seen by one and all.
Sebastian’s Final Project for his KPU Brewing Program (2020)
Alfred was immediately a star, or at least, that’s what Sebastian tells me about his popularity in his KPU brewing class. I expected nothing less for my gallant little man. He was an inevitability and I proceeded to spend the next two years of my university degree developing the world Alfred lived in. My final project for my illustration degree was focused on the story of Alfred’s nephew, Hatley, and the strange town they all lived in.
Hatley the Mail Frog - Illustrated by Tatiana Isabella (@chocotat)
So when someone asks, “Why did you name it Curious Creatures Beer Corp?” The honest answer is: I’m not quite sure. There is a complicated answer, the facts I lay before you as I recall them. But some things you just know, and the three of us who started this company knew that there was never a doubt about what we were.
Left to Right: Sebastian, Brigitta and Tatiana (Co-Founders, Curious Creatures Beer Corp)
It’s funny how a thing that is so important to the course of a person's life can feel so simple.
Stay Curious,
Tatiana
Curious Brand Manager and Illustrator
