When Life Gives Your Logo Life
In my opinion, a company's logo is one of the most important investments they can make. It's your company's first impression, if you will. And we all know you only get one of those. I began trying to envision my logo before I did anything else, it was that important to me. I went through several designers until I felt like I had someone who "got it."
I remember meeting with my creative/marketing team at Out There Creative for the first time, and the conversation went something like this:
Allen: So, you want a lemon tree but it to not necessarily look like one, and what's this about nine lemons or something?
Me: Umm, yes. Pretty much. (It is here I start giving my dissertation about the tree of life, the number nine, why lemons are or aren't sour, etc.)
Tori: Ok, got it.
She said she "got it." No one has "gotten it," and I'm confident they are going to end up designer number 5. I'm pretty sure I sounded like a rambling idiot talking trees and hidden lemons, but sure enough they nailed it, first try. They have been stuck with me since. The take away here is that the logo is so crucial to When Life that I was bound and determined to seek until I found. I want you to know that a lot of time and thought went into the creation of the When Life logo.
It was very important for me that I had specific key elements within my logo. I knew that I wanted a lemon tree, and that the lemon tree be designed with the Tree of Life in mind. The Tree of Life has multiple meanings across the globe, but the belief that it enriches and perpetually maintains physical life was the message that I felt best tied into my conviction in storytelling. Storytelling provides a way to preserve cultures and family traditions. It inspires, encourages, and entertains. It allows you to connect with not only people around you in the present, but also glimpse into and better understand the ones who came before you; family or otherwise. Sometimes, a story is all you have to preserve a memory of an event or someone special in your life. It was important for When Life to capture that.
People often asked me if I thought that with the lemon as the fruit of choice would we be looked upon as only focusing on the "bitter" or "sour" moments in life. My reply, "the sweet is never as sweet without the sour," - Vanilla Sky. I purposely chose nine lemons as this is a very powerful number in not only mathematics, but in many religions and philosophies. It is sometimes viewed as the number closest to perfection. That theory aligns with what I want you to realize. Life is not perfect. Once the tree was created, the idea of having the lemons in some measure hidden within the tree, yet still slightly visible to me was a brilliant concept (Thank you Allen and Tori). With storytelling, you are exposing parts of your life that may or may not be obvious to someone. Even when you share your story, your "lemon" may remain hidden to some degree.
Just know that you have a story, people want to hear it, and life is not perfect. Your story will not be flawless, but that is exactly what makes it perfect!
Love, Love, Love,
9 comments
Wonderful post. I’m so happy you explained the story behind your logo because I love it so much. I purchased the logo shirt because of it. It means a lot to me.
Love the story behind the logo and the effort that went into creating it. It definitely shows. ❤️??
Love this! My first ever painting as an adult was my version of the Tree of Life…and it’s currently hanging in my hallway! No better representation, in my opinion!
I hope someday I could own one of your tshirts, I admire the idea behind it and your story inspires me a lot.
Thank you Jayne! I’m glad that you can appreciate the thought that went into creating this. :)
This is great, so different from anything else I’ve seen!