When the Story Is Missing,
So is the Meaning
We live in a world overflowing with products, and it’s easy to focus on aesthetics and forget the origins. But when the story is missing, so is the meaning. This post reflects on why storytelling matters in design, craft, and culture, and how losing that connection diminishes not only the product, but the people behind it. If we want to create with integrity, we have to start with the story.
There’s a difference between a product that catches your eye and one that stays with you. The pieces we remember most aren’t always the trendiest. They’re the ones that feel familiar
Textured. Rooted
The ones that carry story because,
A Story Gives A Product Meaning
It turns a purchase into a keepsake, a gift into a legacy, and a design into a conversation. When the story is missing—even unintentionally—something gets lost. The connection weakens, the origin fades, and the meaning becomes harder to hold.
I’ve been inspired by how some brands bring cultural integrity into every detail, like:
Tatá Harper, who hails from Colombia and shares how her love of beauty began in her hometown of Barranquilla, built a skincare line grounded in sustainability and transparency from her farm in Vermont.
Nopalera, founded by Sandra Lilia Velasquez, centers every skin and body product around the symbolism and strength of the fierce, nourishing, and unapologetically Mexican nopal cactus. Using native ingredients and bold design to express cultural pride
Jan Barboglio, a Mexican-American designer raised in Coahuila, Mexico, channels old Mexico through hand-forged iron, carved wood, and poetic, spiritual details from her company, headquartered in Dallas, TX.
These brands don’t just sell things, they tell stories. They embed meaning into form and give culture a place in everyday life.
Take café de olla, a traditional Mexican coffee brewed in a clay pot. The pot isn’t just practical, it’s essential. Clay enhances flavor and carries the memory of generations.
That understanding is what drives brands like HERNAN, founded by Isela Hernández, who has Texas roots from Del Rio, where she grew up. Their handcrafted Olla de Barro, made in partnership with Mexican artisans, isn’t just a tool; it’s a vessel of tradition. It honors both the flavor and the cultural legacy. Brew it in anything else, and it’s just coffee. Separate the two, and something sacred is lost.
As someone who studies Latin American art, I’ve seen how much stronger the connection is when stories are respected, not borrowed, but honored. So, whether you’re choosing what to buy or shaping what to offer, ask not just what it looks like but what it carries.
When the story is intact, meaning isn’t lost.
We see more clearly, choose more intentionally, and connect to something deeper than the product alone.