Work hard. Be nice. Think big. Love digital. Have fun. We hold these five things above all; it is the core of who we are. What could be stronger than a sound list of five?

A solid duo. Consider the following power couples: The lock and key, mac and cheese, Bert and Ernie, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Pound & Grain, Hustle and Heart – Wait, what was that last one?

Where Hustle Meets Heart is the result of a creative exercise here at Pound & Grain. What started as a project to create some agency swag (notebooks, posters, etc.) developed into much more once we realized we needed something more than just our logo. Our designers and writers worked together to come up with a bunch of creative ideas and slogans that captured what we stood for. Amongst the long list of what we were calling ‘isms was “Where Hustle Meets Heart”. We felt it was the perfect fit for  notebooks, tote bags, buttons, growlers and more.

In order to understand Where Hustle Meets Heart, let’s explain Pound & Grain first.

If you didn’t already know (you should), we’re a digital creative agency. What has our name got to do with digital? For us, the granular detail and pixel perfect precision must be balanced beautifully with the heavy, big picture ideas we bring to the table. Hence, Pound & Grain. Powerful ideas and beautifully mastered details.

Pound & Grain is Where Hustle Meets Heart. The hustle is our attitude; where there’s a will there’s always a way. Whether it’s taking on challenging creative problems, creating what was deemed impossible, or meeting a tight deadline, our response is always to hustle.

The heart comes from our love for digital and how we view it. We often ask ourselves if the content we’re creating – whether it be a website, an ad or an app – has soul. Did deep thought, emotion and care go into the project? The answer should be yes.

When these two come together, big ideas come to life. Thus, Where Hustle Meets Heart was born and it has since developed into something much more than just an ‘ism. It’s what we do. It’s who we are.

Something beautiful about Where Hustle Meets Heart is that it can be interpreted several different ways. Some team members at Pound & Grain shared what it means to them.

Senior Designer, Jessica Luch shared, “For me, it’s about the dedication to focus on what you love to do. It’s about not being afraid to put your heart on the line and pour everything into your craft. Like a sweet spot between your grit and your soul, that gets funnelled into your work. I don’t care what the project is, I’ll find a way to love it, and put my spin on it. My goal is to break through the clutter, and I think you achieve that best when you find a way to put your heart into what you do.”

Senior Copywriter, Michelle Knight, shared her thoughts about what Where Hustle Meets Heart means to her. “For me, it’s where good ideas turn into real things for real people.” When asked about how she implements it into her work, she explained, “I stay passionate about what I’m creating. I believe every project is an opportunity to create something beautiful, something that will break the mould. That’s the beauty of working in digital- we get to dream big.”

Okay, so we know what it means to us. Time to stop talking and start doing.

In order for us to start making some swag, we connected with Mega McGrath (@megamcgrath), a Vancouver based artist and designer who focuses on typeface design to bring Where Hustle Meets Heart to life. She went to work on some hand lettering and once we saw how it looked as a piece of artistic calligraphy, it all came together. Share shared with us what Where Hustle Meets Heart means to her:

“To Me, it means exercising your creative potential. Combining what makes you vulnerable and human, while at the same time showing what makes you larger than that. Hustle and Heart are kind of synonymous to me in that way. I couldn’t have one without the other, Hustle is the tough exterior and Heart is its soft underbelly. When combined together you can create work that connects and inspires.” – Mega McGrath

Pocket notebooks, growler jugs, tote bags, wall art and more came next.

After browsing vendors, we found Scout Books (@scoutbooks), a company that believes you should “Think Big, Start Small”, a familiar concept to us at Pound & Grain. Scout Books is passionate about designing for and collaborating with the creative community, so we brought Where Hustle Meets Heart to the covers of notebooks with them.

Notebooks were the go-to because we wanted something to give away to our staff, clients and friends. Creative Director Graham MacInnes shared what he loves about them. “The books have been awesome, both as keepsakes for clients/prospective clients and for friends of Pound & Grain. We keep a stack on our reception desk and they seem to get snatched up pretty quickly. They really help us make a lasting connection with people when they can walk away with something they are excited about and can actually use.”

Growlers were created with Sigil and Growler, a chalk mural went up at our Vancouver office, tote bags were made to match, and poster designs were created to be shared with others during an RGD tour for students in creative and design related fields. Producing products which feature Where Hustle Meets Heart is our way of pushing what we do here at Pound & Grain out into the world, to interact with others and create meaningful connections.

Where Hustle Meets Heart is something that exists within and beyond Pound & Grain, can be explored and developed across multiple platforms and shared amongst others to create a lasting impression of who we are and what we do. Where Hustle Meets Heart has the potential to grow and develop beyond what we’ve already produced. It’s something that has longevity and we see sticking around for quite a while.