Swirls of colors and detailed patterns populate the works of Nahi, a design studio whose founding mission is to provide nonprofits and small businesses with thoughtful designs.
Based in Massachusetts and Oregon, Nahi stays close to its name, which means “we” in Apache. The design studio brings connection between communities through their artwork. Founded by Reilly Zlab Martin and Sebastian Ebarb: Nahi designs logos, icons and seals. Martin and Ebarb said they aim to keep their designs accessible and affordable by using a pay-what-you-can policy.
Nahi has been involved in several large projects, including working with the town of Natick to change their town seal. Chosen in 1980, the former Natick seal depicted missionary John Elliot, often credited as the founder of the town of Natick, preaching to an Indigenous audience. The new design shows water flowing under a bridge built by Indigenous people in 1651. According to the Natick Town Seal Review committee, the bridge and water symbolize the tenacity of the Natick community.
“As a personal experience, it was really wonderful to work with Natick and seeing the seal change because of its racist history,” Ebarb said. “Finding out that people were very open to changing and finding new ways to represent the town was really impactful to me.”
Ebarb has designed pieces reflecting his heritage and history as a member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb. Collaborating with Boston design firm Utile, Ebarb’s recent piece, “We All Lived Downstream,” depicts how the lands his tribe currently and historically inhabited were taken from them. During the 1960s and 1970s, the seized land was intentionally flooded to create a dam.
“The chances of [the land] going back to what it previously was is slim to none,” Ebarb said. “It’s something that within the community we talk about, but nobody walks up to you and asks ‘Hey, what happened to your tribe?’ [This] was an opportunity where I had free rein to get that conversation about what it means to steward land, as well as what’s happened to our land.”
Martin said she appreciated learning about Ebarb’s and others’ heritage while working at Nahi and said that the team is very conscious about being open about how familiar they are with different heritages.
“Something we’re really conscious about is being honest with people when we are less familiar with their heritage,” Martin said. “It’s important to us to be open and honest with folks to ensure that they’re a part of the process and their heritage is reflected.”
The pair follow a pay-what-you-can strategy, meaning that Nahi works with each individual customer to determine a price range, then they figure out what they can do within that budget. Martin said Nahi wants to provide organizations and businesses with smaller budgets with a service they may not otherwise be able to afford.
“We try to meet folks where they are,” Martin said. “Anyone should be able to have a good design, regardless of what your budget and background is.”
Nahi also worked with the organization Harness, a group who works to bring out the voices of minority communities, to help design graphics and logos for an Indigenous wing of their organization called “Protect the Sacred.” Ebarb said that when working with nations they don’t represent, Nahi tries to display the nations’ own work and artstyle.
“[We’re] making sure that we’re listening and being attentive to the needs and the wishes of other tribes,” Ebarb said. “We don’t stop and pretend like we know everything about every single Native American tribe when there are hundreds, and [we want] to make sure we are representing people in the best way possible and allowing people to feel like they are connecting with their culture.”
