Projecting the Vision: Defining the Porta-Hang Brand

Every company needs a name, right? Something that captures the essence of the brand, represents the product, and sticks in people’s minds. At the time, all I had was the clunky placeholder “portable hangboard.” It worked as a description but didn’t exactly scream “catchy brand name.”

Enter my friend and climbing partner, Josh Hendrick. Josh and I spent countless hours on the wall and in the gym together. He was the kind of partner you could trust implicitly—a great climber, a responsible belayer, and, most importantly, a true friend. Josh and I tested Porta-Hang together, sharing ideas and refining prototypes.

During one of our many conversations, Josh mentioned the need for a real name. He didn’t have it right away, but after some time—and with the help of his wife, Emmie, who is incredibly creative—they landed on the name you know today: Porta-Hang.

It just stuck. It was simple, memorable, and it perfectly captured the portable essence of the product.

Crafting the Logo

Next came the logo. A brand needs a visual identity, after all. But I was in bootstrap mode, with no budget to speak of. I visited a couple of ad agencies to get quotes, but their prices—thousands of dollars—were way out of reach. If I wanted a logo, I’d have to make it myself.

So, one Sunday afternoon, I decided to teach myself raster graphics. Armed with some basic design software, I took the 3D model of the Porta-Hang from SolidWorks and overlaid it with the silhouette of a climber I found online. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine.

In that flash of inspiration, the logo was born. While the product design continued to evolve, the logo remained untouched—a simple, enduring symbol of what Porta-Hang represented.

This phase was another reminder of what it takes to build something from nothing: resourcefulness, creativity, and a little help from good friends.

The original logo, lasting to this day.