Vermont : A Love Story
Mason came here for college and never left . There was a vibrancy of community in the Montpelier area . Mason formed a studio , which quickly became a hub , a drop-in place , almost a salon . Gertrude Stein had the salon of artists and writers of her time , she was a catalyst , so was Laughing Bear studio .
Of Laughing Bear , he reminisces , “ The idea was that this would be an umbrella organization , not just a design studio . I wanted to help others , create a place for people to work together , to learn , support each other and grow . This fit well with the Vermont ethos and involved collaborating deeply with talented local artists , photographers , and writers . A changing cast of characters worked here over the years and a fair number went on to their own careers in graphic design .”
When Mason and I shared a studio , I never knew how many to expect when I climbed the stairs . Illustrators and their children , chefs and musicians , photographers , clients in suits and ties , and dogs ! It was exhilarating .
The quirky and wonderful studio name , Laughing Bear Associates , came from a small metal typesetting piece of a sweet bear Mason had found early on , and it just sort of got used on design pieces , and used some more , and then , he had to register a company name . “ Just call it ‘ Laughing Bear .’ Why not ? People remember it .” So he became Laughing Bear Associates .
Of those early days he says , “ Many organizations were just starting , fledgling groups — the Humanities Council , Nature Conservancy , the Arts Council , they were just getting going . In my design work , it was a case of trying to build an identity for each of them .”
“ We worked with small businesses , like Horn of the Moon Café , Bear Pond Books , Buch Spieler Records , many others . It was very much a community of people trying to do what they loved , what they felt was really useful and helpful within their community .”
Horn of the Moon Café
His early work for Horn of the Moon Café in Montpelier embodies his style : The restaurant became a fixture and indeed part of the identity of Montpelier . This was particularly true for a certain demographic , which might be approximately described as young people intent upon an alternative lifestyle that emphasized healthy and locally-produced foods , a commitment to the environment , a dedication to rural roots that were actually new to many of them , and the dogged pursuit of informality .
Mason captured it all in the logo . “ It was of an era ,” he reflects . “ Sort of funky , but not amateurish . With an intentionally hand-crafted feel to it .”
The Horn of the Moon logo became iconic .
To create it , Mason stacked the words atop each other and sketched them with a magic marker upon a white paper napkin , which allowed the ink to thicken the letters and bleed away from them . He tidied them up to ensure they were legible , and voila ! — the culinary ethos that Horn of the Moon brought to Montpelier had an apt visual representation .
He reflected , “ I didn ’ t want just a typeface or calligraphy , because Horn was a very funky place . It needed a kind of image that really represented that kind of playfulness .”
Mason said , “ I always want to create something that truly shows the character of Vermont . I try to stay true to a sense of what Vermont is , not imitating urban areas , not trying to look like other design . I want to reflect values I believe in , of hard work . Much of my graphic design involved trying to fuse the ethic and texture and integrity — and even hardheadedness — of Vermont with freshly arrived energy and invention .”
His work embodies that which he holds dear about Vermont .
It ’ s hard to believe now , but graphic design was basically an unknown field in our state in the early ‘ 70s when he started , and was yet to emerge here as its own distinct craft .
He grew up with design . His father worked for a local newspaper in Rhode Island . Later his parents had a weekly newspaper . They sold that , and then his mother had a typesetting shop , working with ad agencies and designers . Mason worked with them as a child , proofreading , helping after school , and interning at local design studios . He was interested in progressive education , and that led him to Goddard .
“ I eventually did design work for Goddard College -- posters , yearbooks , calendars . I was also teaching basics of design . I tried to bring an essence of Vermont into all my work : paper choice ( glossy or a rough-hewn sheet ), perhaps a woodcut instead of a photograph ? Everything came into consideration . I ’ ve had people , Goddard students , years and years later , come up to me and say , ‘ You know , the reason I came here was because of that catalog that you did . You really nailed it .’”
20 VERMONT MAGAZINE