The vision of Thai Village is, essentially, a desire to follow God’s own heart in His restoration of humanity. The hope is to see people operating in wholeness, to understand their inherent meaning assigned from God’s presence in their lives, and to restore dignity where it has been lost. It is a vision that flows through the veins of all parts of the process, including design.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” – Henry Ward Beecher

One might think, “Does the process of design matter that much? How can beauty and development affect how we see God’s story of redemption?” In a world riddled with consumerism and marketing schemes, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between what is produced to inspire and what is produced quickly to make money. Afterall, there are many aspects that, in a broken world, we simply don’t have time for. Isn’t it only important to bring in returns as quickly as possible? But if we truly follow God’s lead, it is usually slower and more holistic than that.

The Thai Village Thanksgiving Pie is one of many examples of this vision being enacted. While Thanksgiving in a Western context can often look like watching sports and eating a large meal with family, every TVI holiday product design starts with considering how we might encourage people to engage with the holiday’s original intent—in this case, gratitude to God for His provision. From there, the design team considers what kind of work is needed for artisans (paper, fabric, tin, wood, etc.) and ideas will follow. Then, comes hours of drawings, samples, decisions, refining, and searching for materials that will work with the vision.

Once the final product is finished and refined, the process is still not complete. It still needs to be announced and arrive safely in the hands of the customers, which includes, but is not limited to, photography and packaging. Like a flower slowly budding and making its appearance in spring, this part of the process can be particularly slow and surprisingly detailed. How will the product remain unharmed? Do we use a box or a bag? Can our packaging honor the environment? How will people know what’s inside? What takes up the least space? There might already be a meaningful product waiting, but it is still important how it makes its way into the world.

In today’s world, we often only have direct access to the end result of things we buy. We notice when there is a problem, but when things are “good”, we don’t always stop to consider what exactly makes it feel right, look pleasing, or all the things that make it beautiful. Similarly in life, the things that go unnoticed or might seem simple—breathing or sleeping—in fact, have incredible attention put into their process and design. Our goal is to give people something that feels cared for, purposeful, and meaningful in every step, something that makes us stop for a moment to consider the design. Just as God has put His identity and honor onto each of our lives, so we seek to convey that same message through every aspect of the things we produce.