You remember pennants — a triangular cut of sturdy felt boldly emblazoned with the name of your high school or college sports team, waving around fiercely during a championship game. That may be how we remember them best, but thanks to The People’s Pennant, these felt flags aren’t just for sports fans anymore.
Our friends Jessica Karle Heltzel and Tim Hoover of Kern and Burn, along with designer Eric R. Mortensen, just launched The People’s Pennant, a line of American handmade pennants created by designers. Devoid of sports mascots and team names, these felt flags celebrate something different: the ordinary. Think lazy Sundays, picnics, and coffee breaks.
With a new pennant design launching each month, there are currently three available: “Read Much” designed by The Heads of State, “Rise & Shine” designed by Richard Perez, and “Coffee Break” by Ken Barber.
Eric, Jess, and Tim collect vintage pennants. “Pennants that remind us of previous hometowns, road trip stops, and old dream teams. We love discovering hand-drawn lettering and illustrations that don’t exist anywhere else in the world but on that pennant. We wanted to provide that same sense of discovery, nostalgia, and emotion and apply it with a twist: to pennants that celebrate everyday activities, humble joys and little things that make life worth living. Plus there’s something so satisfying about felt, it has a nice weight and the ink on the fibers provides such a nice texture. It’s so great to see the digital illustrations transferred to a tangible, tactile piece of felt.”
And if the trio had their own one-line pennants, here’s what they would say:
Eric: Space is the Place!
Jess: Windows Down. Stereo Up.
Tim: Sleep Less. Dream More.
What would your pennant say?
Images: The People’s Pennant. [SJ]
