Aptos designers Cari Class and Stacey Boscoe took on their own firm as a client -- and they couldn't be happier with the results.

The new logo and letterhead they created for Design Source earned a triple crown in the design world, winning three international awards.

The honors include a Gold Award in the 37th Annual Creativity Awards, one of the longest running graphic design competitions; a Silver Davey Award, a contest for small firms worldwide; and selection by graphic art guru David E. Carter for "The Big Book of Graphic Design 3," to be published this year.

The Design Source logo, in a striking mango orange, features a stylized "d" intertwined with an "s" on a chocolate brown background.

"It's about integration of aesthetics and meaning," said Class. "It's not your standard business color. It's striking and award-winning, and you're going to get noticed."

The two designing women used the same process they use for clients, "brainstorming who we are and what we believe in," explained Boscoe, who has worked with Class since 2001.

From those conversations come a graphic symbol.

Next the pair goes through a four-step process, creating a black and white version, then refining details, searching for the right colors, and then creating a final version.

The orange-y mango appealed to both of them, and when Class returned from Tuscany, Italy, with wall texture designs in mango, they agreed it fit perfectly. They used a piece of the Italian wall texture design on their stationery and business cards, which were printed on recycled paper stock.

"Because it's our brand, we let that one brew for a long time," Class said. "There was no compromise."

Boscoe added, "Clients say 'You look like you have so much fun together' and we do."

The Design Source logo isn't the only work from the Aptos firm recognized by Carter.

Branding and packaging designs the firm created for La Filice Winery in Paso Robles and Whole Grain Natural Bread Co. in Santa Cruz also will appear in his book.

Their current client list includes Mugnaini Imports of Watsonville, Cruz Car Wash of Capitola, Kaleidoscope -- The Parent Teacher Store in Capitola, and BASF Fuel Cell in New Jersey.

Class and Boscoe work together on more than business projects.

They co-chair the Santa Cruz chapter of Dining for Women, a national organization that sponsors charities in third-world countries to empower women in poverty by funding programs fostering health, education and economic self-sufficiency.