MARIMOTO Design

MARIMOTO Design is the creative studio of Austin-based interior designer Shawna Mari Hills. Inspired by Shawna's Japanese American heritage, the name and mark combine her Japanese middle-name Mari which means truth, and Moto which means source. The name also draws meaning from the Latin root for moto which means motion or movement.

The sum of the name's parts provides MARIMOTO with a rich and significant foundation. Digging deeper into how the parts of the name begin to describe the studio's creative practice:

• Mari / Truth refers to a reverence for form, function, and purpose

• Moto / Source describes Shawna as a creative well and touchstone, a resource that will carry projects from concept to completion

• Moto / Motion expresses Shawna's role as a nimble guide, leading the design journey forward

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Rather than depicting the wordmark as Japanese kanji symbols, the look of a Japanese script was created using the English name and a custom, Swiss-inspired modern typeface. Taking advantage of the name's alliteration, a double-height M establishes the parameters of the mark's square form. Ligatures weave together the letters to create an asymmetrical, yet balanced and uniform, kanji-inspired mark.

ROLE

Strategist and Identity Designer

CLIENT 

MARIMOTO Design LLC