As someone who has always been captivated by the beauty of the world—whether in the form of design, architecture, local craftsmanship, or the simple elegance of nature—I found myself yearning for more meaningful connections during my travels. Alongside Tom, my partner in life and exploration, we would spend countless hours curating our journeys, searching for hidden gems, and seeking out like-minded locals who shared our passion for aesthetics. It wasn’t long before friends and family started turning to us for travel advice, recognizing that we had a knack for discovering the extraordinary.

This sparked an idea. What if we could turn our passion into something more? What if we could create a travel company that offered the kind of experiences we were always searching for ourselves? And so, the seed for aēsplore was planted.

With my background in strategic and experience design, I knew that this venture had to be more than just a business—it had to be a brand that resonated deeply with those who shared our aesthetic sensibilities. In the first quarter of 2024, Tom and I embarked on a design sprint, applying the double diamond model of human-centered design to explore the possibilities. Through intensive market and consumer research, we discovered a gap in the travel industry—a niche where aesthetic exploration was underrepresented. This realization became the foundation of what aēsplore would become.

Finding the right name for our brand was crucial. We wanted something that encapsulated our mission and vision in a single word. After much brainstorming and reflection, aēsplore was born—a blend of "aes" from aesthetics and "plore" from explorer. It was perfect. The name not only represented our love for beauty and exploration but also hinted at a new, aesthetic way of experiencing the world.

With the name in place, I turned my attention to the visual identity of the brand. I chose the sans-serif font "Stolz" for its clean, modern lines, which I felt mirrored our brand’s commitment to simplicity and elegance. The logo was a labor of love, involving numerous iterations and experiments with different designs. Ultimately, I merged the letters 'a' and 'ē' to create a symbol that featured a horizon line, representing our journey of discovery and our focus on aesthetics.