At Awfully Good Design, we embrace the beautifully paradoxical nature of language — especially in words like awful. Today, “awful” suggests something terrible. But it didn’t always.
From awe to awful
Centuries ago, “awful” literally meant “full of awe” — inspiring, breathtaking, worthy of reverence. A cathedral was awful. A mountain range was awful. The word carried weight and wonder.
Over time, the meaning flipped. By the modern era, “awful” had drifted to describe the opposite: something dreadful or unpleasant.
Why we love it
Our name is a wink at that contradiction. We make work that’s awfully good — so striking it stops you in your tracks, the way the word used to mean. It’s a reminder that the best design carries a little tension: familiar yet surprising, playful yet polished.
The takeaway
Great branding, like great language, lives in the interesting space between expectation and surprise. That’s exactly where we like to work.
Want a brand that makes people look twice? Let’s talk.