Ten Years, Eighty Thousand Symbols, and The Emblem Edit

Jun 29, 2025by Ashley Gibbons

How Our Newest Personalized Necklace Came to Life: The Story Behind The Emblem Edit

If you've ever wondered how our personalized designs come to life, this is the story behind it all. The Emblem Edit - our newest customizable necklace - has been years in the making, shaped by over 80,000 personalized designs, customer stories, and a love of meaningful symbols. In this post, we're taking you behind the scenes: from the first Etsy order to the idea that inspired our most meaningful piece yet.

From Ding to Design: Beginning on Etsy

He picked up his phone when he heard the Etsy "ding!" We looked at each other and he said, "I guess I better get on the computer and design it."

February 22, 2015 - the day Eric sold his very first art print.

We were new parents navigating newborn life with two full-time jobs and part-time childcare.

At a time when our world felt like chaos, and we were ships passing in the night, we were both drawn to this unexpected spark of creating.

It made zero sense. But there I was, nursing a baby in one arm and googling Sole Studio to see if anyone else had taken the name.

Even before we knew what we were doing, we were designing with meaning.

The Rise of Our Long Distance Map Design

At first, we celebrated every order as if it were a lottery win. Every visit from the grandparents meant one thing: date night. Always at the bar of our favorite Italian restaurant on Frankfort Avenue. We'd clink our red wine glasses and say, "Cheers to Sole Studio!"

Then, slowly, things picked up.

Date nights became pizza in the basement, shushing the baby in the carrier while printing shipping labels.

And customers started coming back - not for more décor, but for more personalized long distance gifts. Symbols to honor the people and places that shaped their lives.

The 2-Map Design - or Long Distance Design, as Eric affectionately called it - became our best seller.

It's no secret he loves maps. And he channeled the idea that love knows no distance into a reminder you could hang on your wall.

Why People Kept Coming Back

That's when something shifted.

People started writing to us - not just to say thank you, but to share the deeper meaning behind their gifts.

"Bought this as a gift for my mother who lives all the way across the country from me ❤️ she loved it, and once I saw photos of it-I did too."

"These are such a good idea if you live far from family. I got three maps for mine and my husband's parents for Grandparent Day. They loved them!"

"My mother loved her print! A perfect gift when you are far away from your parents!"

"I bought this for my dad for Father's Day...and it certainly brought a tear to his eye when he received it through the mail!"

I saved every one of these customer notes.

Because that's when I realized: this wasn't just home décor. These were story holders.

Customer Stories That Touched Us

Next came a design Eric called The Scattered Anniversary print - a way to honor not just where love began, but all the places life had taken you together.

And people loved this one, too.

"I actually did it for myself. It is a memento to hang on the wall to remember our 50th anniversary and the years we have been blessed with... know everyone will love it too!"

"Can't even tell you how much my parents loved this gift. It's their last anniversary because my dad has terminal stage 4 cancer. Thanks for such a memorable gift."

"Hubby loves his gift and it sums up our first decade of marriage."

"SoleStudio went above and beyond... they even made our super-specific edits & delivered in time for my parents' 50th anniversary. My mom was thrilled."

Dates of marriages and birthdays. Cities where lives were built. Pieces of information scattered across a map - each one a visual shorthand for entire chapters of someone's life.

From Wall Art to Wearable Symbols

Since that first Etsy sale, we've created over 80,400 personalized art prints.

Each one rooted in the idea that:

People crave symbols to express themselves.

And after ten years of designing personal symbols for walls…

We finally did what we've been dreaming about for years -

We made them wearable.

Introducing: The Emblem Edit

After years of crafting personalized long distance gifts and meaningful map art, we're transforming the idea of combining meaningful symbols into something new:

A necklace you can hold close.

Wearable emblems that tell your story - without saying a word.