Land of eternal summer: Summerland Ceramics’ Liam Kaczmar on brand consistency and why social media is a real fucking drag.
Sustaining a uniform brand isn’t easy. It’s natural to shake things up a bit to push artistic horizons or simply because you’re bored. This is all fine and dandy but most of the time brands end up putting out half-baked ideas, confusing their audience and displaying a presence that feels fractured.
Not the case for Summerland Ceramics. I spoke with Summerland’s owner, creator, creative director, and spiritual guide Liam Kaczmar about artistic patience and brand consistency in a conversation that pleasantly (d)evolved into a philosophical confab about the perils of social media. These always make for the best conversations.
Is Summerland’s cohesiveness intentional?
Yeah, I think so. When I launched the brand, I didn’t just launch one product — I launched five right out of the gate. I was trying not to show one piece of the puzzle, but the whole puzzle and what the brand was about. I was also trying to solve a specific problem: Why aren’t there any cool bongs?
As for the cohesion of the brand, I think that is because Summerland is only me on the design front. I worked at an ad agency for five years as an Art Director and I’ve done so much of that work that I figured out how to make things cohesive and work together for Summerland. And since I’m the only person behind that part of the brand, I can apply that knowledge and I don’t have to ask for permission when I want to do something new.
How much of your agency experience helped build Summerland?
A huge part. I talk shit about working in advertising but it taught me a lot about design, strategy, and branding. I worked on campaigns for large brands where we’d have to tackle every single angle — from strategy to the look and feel of a company to overall design. I was working 80 hour weeks, busting out pitch decks like crazy. I definitely have done a lot of that work so I think it comes through in Summerland.
But I’m an artist first. I have a designer mind which requires a lot of problem solving and I apply that mindset to everything I do. And since I’m the only person behind Summerland’s creative, I can make decisions that feel cohesive because they only come from me.
How much of the design and vibe is rooted in brand principles? Or is it more about instinct?
I’m going on intuition. I’m doing what I like. I’m making what I want to see. For example, I ended up designing custom fonts for Summerland because I couldn’t find anything that personally resonated with me.
That’s the wave I’m riding on: what do I want to put out in the world?
What keeps you from going off the deep end and doing something entirely different?
Budget. Right now I’m trying to grow Summerland on my own and I have so much to do with so little. But I would love to do that. Down the line, I’d like to design a side brand that’s more wacky. I want to change it up but still stick to Summerland’s brand principals.
But for now, I’m taking things one step at a time. I try not to go overboard. Like, as you get money from a collaboration with another brand, you can invest that into better packaging, or to solve your production issues for the next five months. We’re currently just a team of two running this company; myself and a Brand Coordinator. We work with two production facilities in California. So we’re scrappy and need to take it slow. I like to go slow and keep an even keel in the moment, but my brain is always already five years ahead.
How much of the consistent brand aesthetic comes from the bong itself? The clean design of the ceramics seem to be mirrored in other elements of the brand.
It’s just how things came together. I keep things very utilitarian but still have a vibe to them. But honestly, I’m not that good at web design so I just used the tools that I had. I would like to do crazier stuff but I think it’s good to keep things minimal and clean. “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I learned that rule in 8th grade web design class and have used it ever since.
Your main products are ceramics but you also offer home goods. How do you maintain that brand balance and cohesion across products?
It goes back to our tagline: “Made from Earth by hand in California.” It’s that “made from Earth” part that keeps things grounded. It’s what restricts the brand to one principal and keeps everything as natural as possible. Like, our incense is hand-rolled and made from ground up bark. We’re trying to do more hemp clothing too. I just try to stick to that idea of being from the earth, first.
Do you think those other items will eventually be as important to the brand as the bongs and pipes?
They already are. Those items work as an entry point into the brand. If you only have 10 bucks, it’s the first step into Summerland and the experience. Once you buy some incense then you may come back to check out the clothing or bumper stickers, and then maybe that leads you to the main product which are the bongs.
Would you consider yourself a ceramics company or a lifestyle company?
I’d say lifestyle. I wanted it to be Summerland — not Summerland Ceramics. But that was the Instagram handle I was able to get. We don’t stop at ceramics.
How do you maintain a cohesive presence on social media?
I think it goes back to the fact that it’s still me behind the postings, and maybe my personality and style comes through on social media. I work closely with the photographers. The creator of the bongs is also the Art Director. It’s the vision of one individual versus a company or the work of a separate designer and social media manager team. They have to pump out deadlines. I don’t. I try to keep it loose and authentic.
It also goes back to wanting to see a certain type of content. What do I want to see? What do I think is interesting? I’m my own audience. But it’s hard man. Social media is a fucking monster.
Ha, why is that?
There is addiction built into it. You waste so much time just scrolling. I’m trying to figure out how to do it and still keep my integrity.
Do you feel like you have to fight the social media addiction as the owner and creative behind Summerland?
Absolutely. I have to think about what I post and whether it’s going to get good engagement or if it’s too risque for the brand. I do fight that but my biggest war with social media is the addiction. I waste too much of the day scrolling, not getting work done, not enjoying life, going surfing. But the flip side of that is I’m doing research into brand strategy and seeing what people respond to. So as much as I complain about it, it really helps the brand.
The success of Summerland is due to social media. When I started, I made a few prototype pieces, posted them on Instagram , and created a website for pre-orders based on those prototypes. That’s how I funded the first round of ceramics.
Do you think you’ll ever quit social media?
I think that’s going to eventually happen for a lot of people. It’s not a good method of advertising. People are sick of being sold to. Instagram is advertising you opt into. I think everyone hates that part of themselves — the part that’s addicted to social media. Maybe they don’t realize it but it’s there. The digital side of themselves. It’s cool to see what your friends are doing, or inspiring artwork, but there’s the advertising side of force-fed through it too. Social media just bums me out.
Click here to learn more about what’s happening over at Summerland.
