What’s in a Name?

“Why did you choose the name Colorful Swans Press, and what does it mean? Do you just really like swans? Or was it a totally random thing?”

I’ve been asked this question a few times this week, all from seemingly unrelated people and at totally different times. And so I thought, maybe it’s worth writing a post about it! It wasn’t a completely random choice to pick the name, I didn’t throw a dart at a list of names or anything like that, although that would have been really fun. But there is a little bit of a backstory about my choice.

The decision to pick the name Colorful Swans Press for this new publishing company adventure happened very quickly. I wish I could say that it came from a long process of deep thought and from days of meditating and focusing on finding the perfect name, but it just didn’t. I was sitting at my computer, working on a new sketch for a poster I was designing for a friend. I was drawing a swan, floating on a blue lake. First I drew the image of the swan—long fluid lines, graceful and proud. Next came the feathers and the wings, the airy shapes that would allow it to fly. I drew a crown, tall and angular, reflecting the light. And lastly, I chose a color swatch on my palate, and clicked to finish the swan’s feathers.

The swan’s feathers filled with beautiful colors—hot pink, green, blue, yellow and orange. I looked at the color swatches seeing with surprise that I had mixed them up, choosing instead of the light pink I had planned a vibrant pattern with splotches of colors. I looked at the finished result, and decided that although it was different from what I had originally planned…I liked it! I printed the swan and put it up by my computer, liking how it made me feel cheerful.

When the day finally came that I worked up the courage to begin pursuing my dream of publishing books, the swan looked at me from its perch beside the computer. And when I sat and thought about the name I wanted to choose for my company, the swan was there. It hadn’t been the design I had intended, but it had become the design that I loved. And so at that point, the choice seemed kind of obvious. Colorful Swans Press. The swan to me represented many of the things I wanted our books to be about—positivity, embracing differences, inclusivity, happiness, pride, love and fun. And also I guess, happy accidents, because by clicking the color swatch I hadn’t intended I ended up with a product I really liked.

My swan is still by my desk, and has worked its way (in simplified form), into our logo. It still makes me just as happy now as it did then, and I’m always excited to share it alongside our posts and publications. I hope that something Colorful Swans Press publishes in the future makes you happy and reminds you of how unique and special you are!

Wishing you a very happy Saturday💜

-Colorful Swans Press