Our Brand
Story
asolden
ASOLDEN has spent years operating under the name ATHENS, collaborating with exceptional talent to solve countless workplace issues that arise in the field. As our business expanded, numerous touchpoints emerged with clients distributed globally. This new ecosystem demanded a brand name and design system that could meet these evolving needs.
As
Holden
But this brand transformation was not driven solely by market demands. The name "asolden" comes from combining "as" – meaning mode of being – with "holden," the English name of labor attorney Daegi Hong.
"As I approached middle age, I was suddenly struck by questions about my own existence that I had always taken for granted. My life, my name, my nationality, my appearance – all of it simply given to me without any special cosmic mission or inevitable reason (phenomenological thrownness) – began to feel strange and unfamiliar. The fact that I exist, that you exist, that we are all here, struck me as extraordinarily peculiar and fascinating. With the realization that time is finite, I looked back on life and realized that life itself is not particularly grand or extraordinary. These day-to-day moments we experience – that's what life actually is. This reflection naturally led to a new perspective on the work we do, the people we meet, and the problems we strive to solve."
with Order:
We hoped that this existential contemplation would be woven into our new brand identity. For this not-at-all simple task, ATHENS partnered with Order Design, founded by Jesse Reed and located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. This was not just a rebranding effort – it was a journey toward creating a new identity rooted in fundamental questions about existence itself.
The Order team at their studio on Franklin Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Holden, work
"For years, I have moved through labor sites by day and spent my nights drafting legal briefs at the office. To everyone around me, I appeared to be someone consumed by work. Yet not once did I think of it as 'working'. To engage with others at the labor site—that was my life itself."
"I strive to bear infinite responsibility before the face of the Other. The knowledge that a single decision made today could ripple outward to dozens of workers and the families awaiting their return each evening—this was, at times, a source of profound fear. The face before me summoned other faces I had yet to see. There were nights when the weight of it kept me from sleep. In the late hours, revising a single sentence in a brief, hesitating before a decision on which someone's livelihood hung—I do not know if I will ever grow accustomed to these moments."
"And yet, I am deeply happy, and grateful. I began with nothing, and now the labor law firm has grown into something of real consequence. Beyond major corporations and public institutions, global enterprises from around the world now seek us out. As the firm has expanded, so too have the faces before me—but still, I hold no grand mission. Tomorrow I will return to the field; by evening, I will be weighing the words for another brief. I simply try to live faithfully through those moments of pause before another's face."