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BY ALLISON POTTERMAN

When Alicia Hrdlicka began observing Las Vegas’ entrepreneurial landscape, she noticed a recurring issue. Visionary founders, armed with groundbreaking ideas, often struggled to articulate their depth through their brands. For Alicia, this wasn't an issue of talent, but rather one of translation. Hanami Studios emerged from this realization as a dedicated space for aligning a brand's visual identity with its founder's vision.

“The name 'Hanami' is deliberately chosen,” Alicia shared, reflecting on the process behind her studio’s inception. "In Japanese culture, Hanami is about the appreciation of blossoms—intentional growth, thoughtfully cultivated." This philosophy mirrors Alicia’s design ethos: a balance of softness and precision. Hanami Studios is her answer to helping founders navigate and stand out amid Las Vegas' bustling business scene with an aesthetic clarity that embodies their stories.

Alicia sees Tech Alley as a critical ally in Hanami's mission. Often, startups prioritize product development over brand positioning. Alicia hopes to change this narrative by establishing visual clarity from the get-go. “Tech Alley isn’t just about exposure; it’s a community,” she explains. Here, innovation intersects with presentation, creating a collaborative atmosphere where design becomes as crucial as the innovation itself. Alicia aims to help startups craft brands that reflect their ambition, backed by investor trust and market alignment.

In joining this vibrant ecosystem, Alicia plans to refine her design philosophy further. She is particularly intrigued by the cultural symbols and community-focused iconography she can explore through Tech Alley. "Design isn’t static,” she notes. “It evolves through the connections we make and the stories we share.” By gathering insights from diverse sectors and backgrounds, Alicia envisions strengthening Hanami Studios’ ability to craft identities that resonate universally yet remain true to specific community narratives.

Diversity in Tech Alley, for Alicia, represents an opportunity, not a challenge. Exposure to varied industries and perspectives will broaden the contextual depth in Hanami Studios' designs. Alicia is eager to see how different sectors communicate their essence and how those insights will refine her design principles without altering her core aesthetic. "Diversity doesn’t dilute design philosophy; it strengthens it," she asserts, believing that true creativity comes from informed, strategic design solutions.

Reflecting on her journey, Alicia points to a significant milestone: finalizing Hanami’s logo, a blend of cherry blossom and lotus. Each element carries profound meaning—the cherry blossom signifies growth and fleeting beauty, while the lotus symbolizes resilience and serene beauty. This logo captures the essence of Hanami Studios, marrying softness with strategic intent, and setting the tone for every project they undertake.

Alicia wants Hanami Studios to be known as a place where clarity and gentleness come together, where founders find that their brand finally feels like a true extension of themselves. It's not just about aesthetics; it’s about aligning their business with their vision. Hanami Studios is where founders grow into their refined, clear, and cohesive form—ready to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of innovation.

You can find more about Alicia Hrdlicka and Hanami Studios at hanamistudios.org or follow their journey on Instagram at @hanami.design.co. For collaborations, reach Alicia at hello@hanamistudios.org.

Featured Interview

Where Aesthetics Meet Intention: The Rise of Hanami Studios

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FEATURING Alicia Hrdlicka

Below is our interview with Alicia Hrdlicka.

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What was the moment you knew you wanted to build something of your own, and why was Hanami Studios chosen as your venture?

The moment Alicia knew she wanted to build something of her own came when she began noticing a recurring pattern among emerging founders: powerful ideas paired with inconsistent or underdeveloped visual identities. She saw visionary entrepreneurs struggling to communicate the depth of their work through their brand presence, and she recognized that the gap wasn’t talent — it was translation.

Rather than continue designing in isolated projects, Alicia felt compelled to create a studio dedicated to solving that disconnect at its root. She wanted to build something structured, intentional, and scalable — not just a freelance service, but a brand with a philosophy.

Hanami Studios was chosen deliberately. “Hanami,” a Japanese term referring to the appreciation of blossoms, represents the studio’s core belief: that growth should be intentional, observed, and thoughtfully cultivated. The name reflects Alicia’s design ethos — soft but strategic, minimal yet deeply considered. She envisioned a studio that would help founders bloom visibly in competitive spaces, aligning aesthetic clarity with long-term ambition.

For Alicia, building Hanami Studios was not simply about starting a business. It was about creating infrastructure for alignment — for herself and for the founders she serves.

In what ways do you envision Tech Alley catalyzing Hanami's mission among startups?

Alicia envisions Tech Alley as a powerful bridge between innovation and presentation. In startup ecosystems, product development and funding strategy often take priority — while brand positioning is introduced later. She sees Tech Alley as an environment where that narrative can shift.

By connecting with founders at the early stages of their growth, Hanami Studios can help startups establish visual clarity from the outset rather than retrofitting their identity after scaling. Alicia believes that when branding is integrated early, it strengthens investor perception, market trust, and internal alignment.

Tech Alley also fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration — bringing together advisors, technologists, operators, and creatives in one space. Alicia views this intersection as essential. Hanami Studios contributes aesthetic intelligence to the ecosystem, ensuring that innovation is matched with intentional presentation.

In her view, Tech Alley does not simply provide exposure; it cultivates community. Through that community, Hanami Studios can support founders in building brands that are not only functional, but visually aligned with the level of ambition they represent.

What specific elements of your design philosophy do you hope to refine through this community?

Alicia hopes to deepen her understanding of cultural symbolism and community-driven iconography through engagement with the Tech Alley network. As a brand designer, she is particularly interested in how symbols function across industries, regions, and cultural contexts — and how meaning shifts depending on audience.

She recognizes that logos often carry layers of historical, cultural, and communal significance that extend beyond aesthetics. By connecting with founders from diverse backgrounds and sectors, Alicia aims to refine her sensitivity to these nuances, ensuring that her work remains both visually compelling and contextually aware.

For Alicia, design philosophy is not static. It evolves through exposure, dialogue, and perspective. She views the Tech Alley community as an opportunity to expand her symbolic literacy — strengthening her ability to create identities that resonate authentically within specific communities while remaining strategically positioned in broader markets.

How do you anticipate Tech Alleys' diverse influences will shape Hanami Studios' future designs?

Alicia anticipates that Tech Alley’s diverse network of founders, operators, and advisors will broaden the contextual depth of Hanami Studios’ future work. Exposure to different industries, cultural backgrounds, and problem-solving approaches naturally expands a designer’s lens — and she views that expansion as essential to creating brands that resonate across varied audiences.

Rather than shifting her core aesthetic principles, Alicia expects the community’s influence to refine them. Greater insight into how different sectors communicate — from technology to service-based businesses — will allow Hanami Studios to design with sharper precision, ensuring that each identity reflects both cultural awareness and market positioning.

She believes diversity does not dilute design philosophy; it strengthens it. By engaging with founders from different perspectives and lived experiences, Hanami Studios can continue evolving in a way that remains intentional, informed, and strategically relevant.

When you reflect on Hanami Studios’ journey, which milestone brought you the most clarity?

When reflecting on Hanami Studios’ journey, the milestone that brought Alicia the most clarity was finalizing the studio’s logo — a hybrid symbol merging a cherry blossom and a lotus. The process was less about aesthetics alone and more about crystallizing the design language that would define the studio moving forward.

The cherry blossom represents transience, growth, and intentional appreciation — while the lotus symbolizes resilience, elevation, and grounded beauty. Bringing the two together allowed Alicia to articulate what Hanami Studios stands for visually and philosophically: wellness, serenity, refinement, and thoughtful transformation.

In choosing that mark, she wasn’t simply selecting a logo. She was defining a standard. The symbol established a cohesive design language rooted in softness, minimalism, and strategic calm — principles that now guide every project the studio undertakes.

That moment transformed Hanami Studios from an idea into a clearly aligned brand system. For Alicia, it marked the shift from experimentation to intentional direction.

What story do you want people to tell when they talk about you and your business?

Alicia hopes that when people speak about Hanami Studios, they describe it as intentional — a studio where clarity and softness coexist. She wants founders to feel that working together brought a sense of alignment, that their brand finally felt cohesive and true to the vision they carry.

More than trends or aesthetics alone, she hopes the story reflects thoughtfulness. That every detail was considered. That the process felt calm, structured, and elevating. That their business didn’t just look better — it felt clearer.

If there is a narrative she hopes carries forward, it is that Hanami Studios helps visionary founders bloom into their most refined expression — quietly confident, visually aligned, and ready for growth.

Website: www.hanamistudios.org
Instagram: @hanami.design.co
Email: hello@hanamistudios.org