What’s in a Name?

 My name is Donna Armata Sanford and I am an interior designer.

When I started my design company over ten years ago, I knew that I wanted to name it something unique, but not outlandish.  Design studio names range from the obvious to the clever to those so funky that they require a decoder ring to understand.  I came up with the name Greylock West Design.  

Cut to today… new year, new projects, fresh starts.  I came to the conclusion a logo make-over was in order.  As I, and the work that I do, have evolved so should the image my company projects, right?  In talks about what I was looking for in my new logo, my graphic designer posed the question “where does the name come from?”

Good question…and here’s the explanation.

I’m 45 and have long silver hair (“Greylock”, get it?).  This de-pigmentation of my tresses occurred over the last nine years after I had my daughter and is due to that plus a definite strain in the family genetics…A funny coincidence, but has absolutely nothing to do with the company name.

I had wanted something different for the name of my design firm.  Rather than go with Donna Armata Sanford Design (which is a bit of a mouthful), I wanted something that had a good sound, meant something to me and would endure.

I was raised in New England, more specifically Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Then after marrying my husband, relocated to his home state ofColoradowith its wide open spaces and soaringRocky Mountains.  Much of my youth was spent in the northern Berkshires where the majority of my family had settled with its winding roads, big trees and rolling hills.  At 3,491 feet,MountGreylockis the highest point inMassachusettsand I grew up in its shadow, hiking it through the dramatic fall foliage and snow-mobiling to the ice crusted peak in the winter.  It is the focal point of the region, much photographed and much loved.  My company is named ‘Greylock’ to honor from whence I came and ‘West’ to honor where I am and where I am going.  

It is me.