<\/p>\n
My family did something remarkable last week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They took a project of mine, basically tore it to shreds (Ouch!), then helped me to recreate it. I wonder what you\u2019ll think of the end result by the time we were finished with it\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Let me begin by saying that a company\u2019s logo is meant to convey something of the soul of that company. When we As an outgrowth of Still & Moving Center, the Academy gives online training to instructors and coaches of all different movement practices worldwide to teach their movers mindfully. Tuning into our inbuilt instruction manual – the body\u2019s sensations – tells us how the body wants to be moved. As the Da Vinci drawing suggests, the human body deserves our honor, respect, and care.<\/span><\/p>\n So, for the Academy of Mindful Movement\u2019s logo, we did our best to create a Da Vinci person – neither male nor female, with the sacred geometry of the circle, triangle and square.<\/span><\/p>\n That logo served the Academy well. In March 2024 we graduated our 5th cohort of trainees with that logo.<\/span><\/p>\n Now we are preparing for the Academy to enter the world stage at the enormous IDEA fitness convention in Los Angeles. Before creating our booth\u2019s banner, brochures, name tags and swag (goodies to hand out to conference attendees), we thought we should reconsider our logo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Is it appealing? Does it represent us, with all the joy and spontaneity that we want to instill into our Mindful Movement trainees? A gladiator mentality still seems to pervade the modern world of sports and performance arts. The more the athletes and performers put their safety at risk, the higher they boost their audience appeal with not just the \u201cthrill of victory\u201d but also the \u201cagony of defeat\u201d. Does our logo convey a celebration of the amazing human body in motion?<\/span><\/p>\n Does our logo even suggest MOVEMENT? Not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n The Academy staff decided to go back to the drawing board.<\/span><\/p>\n I was doing photo shoots for the book I\u2019m in the process of editing for publication. In one of the shoots, we came up with a photo that seemed as if it might work well for a new image in our Academy logo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So we gave it a try, and this is what my graphic artists and I came up with:<\/span><\/p>\n This logo idea features a pose that\u2019s fairly ambiguous: it\u2019s not really yoga, it\u2019s not quite martial arts, it\u2019s not traditional dancing\u2026 so that\u2019s good! The Academy is for instructors from ALL the moving arts. It\u2019s got the proportions of the circle, the triangle, and the square, with the suggestion of Da Vinci\u2019s Vitruvian Man. The only problem: It\u2019s definitely a Woman!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was entering new territory asking them for feedback on a company logo. Nobody in the family had ever asked on the thread for professional advice of this kind. I had no idea how huge their response was going to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Responses started to flow in. One daughter-in-love (a distance runner) liked the circle. One of my brothers (a recreational walker) and my son-in-love (a disc golfer) both liked seeing my image in the logo. Sweet of them.<\/span><\/p>\n I pushed the whole family with the question: \u201cWill an image of me – obviously female – cause the Academy to lose the interest of the MALE coaches and instructors?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of our LGBTQ+ family members suggested going back to a more gender-neutral image. And I thought it was also important to get a <\/span>movement-neutral<\/b> image. How about a gender-neutral figure running? Running is a universal human movement, right?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We took a stock image of a running athlete and our designers came up with this potential logo:<\/span><\/p>\n I was pretty pleased with it. It was so androgenous, and finally the Da Vinci person was in motion, which we never succeeded in achieving in our original logo.<\/span><\/p>\n Nope. My family pretty much hated it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From the female side: \u201cIt definitely looks like a male figure.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not yet! From my mom (a recreational swimmer): \u201cRunning doesn\u2019t seem to go with mindful movement although I know it\u2019s also related.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n From my other brother (a distance biker): \u201cA less specific movement silhouette than running might be better\u2026a playful image, a movement without a specific purpose. I like the one of you better that way. I don\u2019t think the gender of the silhouette is important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n From our daughter (a yogi): \u201cThe runner looks too disciplined and serious to me, and single-sport oriented. I know you love the symbolism of the geometric shapes and colors, but it looks too institutional, and not very modern. Kind of overly philosophical.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s when the family really started to get creative, taking the logo into a whole new direction:<\/span><\/p>\n From another daughter-in-love (a gym attendee):\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Boy, did my family go crazy for that image when it showed up on the text thread! Lots of emoji hearts! \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b \u201cThis is so great!\u201d exclaimed one of my nieces (a former water polo player) of the colorful leaping dancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI agree completely,\u201d chimed in my other niece (a skier).<\/span><\/p>\n From husband Cliff (a paddler): \u201cThis is COOL!!!!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Again from our daughter, Sandhya, who attended some of our Academy sessions: \u201cYes! This joyful image feels much more in line with the feel I get from your Nia movement classes and Academy lessons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Wow! That family-suggested image burst all the boundaries of what I thought our logo was about. No Da Vinci person. No sacred geometry. Yikes! \ud83d\ude2c This family input was starting to make me feel nervous. What kind of chaos had I invited into our design process?<\/span><\/p>\n Was I losing all control here?!?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust put a circle around it?!\u201d suggested our older son (the firefighter uber-athlete).<\/span><\/p>\n OK, well that comment indicated some recognition of our original design. \u201cCalm down,\u201d I internally coached myself. \u201cLet\u2019s just stay loose and open and see where this logo goes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I texted back to my fam: \u201cAwwh! \ud83e\udd79 You all love me so much! And you know me pretty well, too! I used a similar image style that I purchased for a workbook I put together a few years ago.\u201d Daughter Sandhya responded immediately: \u201cThat\u2019s it! Joyful, gender neutral, simple, and filled with light!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I protested: \u201cFor the Academy of Mindful Movement my ultimate target audience is coaches and instructors who are not like me. I want to change the “No pain, no gain” ethos of bullying and shaming people to misuse their bodies in CrossFit-type gyms.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One brother wrote back: \u201cI do like the athleticism and precision of the movement captured in the multi-colored image that DD sent, given your mindful movement core tenets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Still protesting, I texted: \u201cI want the Academy to be noticed by a personal trainer that our sons might train with. What kind of image for the Academy will we need for that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I decided to call for a new vote on the three options our designers had come up with<\/span><\/p>\n 4. with a circle around it. They almost unanimously voted for 4.<\/span><\/p>\n Now what was I going to do? I REALLY did not think that such a feminine-looking image was appropriate for the Academy. Had I boxed myself into a corner I couldn\u2019t get out of?<\/span><\/p>\n No – wait!\u00a0 At 90 years old, Mom (Nana) is still willing to think outside the box – or actually back into the round. \u201cYour image from the other book is joyous, not gender specific, and could be in a circle with your blue and go!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sandhya agrees and makes the winning suggestion: \u201cI agree with Nana. Here\u2019s a quick mock-up of #5 with my very basic graphic design skills. The #5 looks cleaner, and also kind of like an Om symbol<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n YESSSS! I am vastly relieved by Sandhya\u2019s suggestion. I can take that idea to our graphics team and run with it. I text back to everyone:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have an amazing family. I’m blown away! We can run with this idea. <\/span>\ud83d\udc9b\ud83e\udd17\ud83e\udd29\ud83e\udd17\ud83d\udc9b\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n With Sarah Hodges taking the lead, our design team goes into action with their advanced graphic arts skills. Within a few hours we get back to the home team with our \u201csolar leap\u201d logo. Here it is:<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m greeted by a shower of enthusiastic responses:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s amazing \ud83e\udd29\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cLOVE it! I like how it flows outside the circle and the color gradients.\u201d <\/span>\ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\udc4d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI love how the figure emanates from the sun, moving onward. Amazing how fast this creative process evolved and what it yielded.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n From traveling niece in Bali: \u201cIt was fun to wake up to this creative discourse \ud83d\ude42 wonderful ideas and an awesome outcome, love it.\u201d \ud83d\udc99<\/span><\/p>\n From DD, original contributor of the colorful abstract figure <\/span>that busted open our creative process: \u201cLooks so good! It feels more fluid!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, our Academy staff texted in their appreciation for the new logo.<\/span><\/p>\n And a final, insightful comment – one that really struck home for me – from my brother who worked decades in the tech industry: \u201cWell, this is a new one. I\u2019ve never seen a group text focus group before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, I believe we pioneered a new business-family feedback loop model. I managed to keep a guiding hand for branding continuity, yet was somehow able to let my family and staff know how much their input meant to me, so it kept flowing in through the open door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I feel enormously satisfied with both the end result and the process by which we got there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s my final text:\u00a0 \u201c\ud83e\udd70 Mahalo to all of you! You definitely helped to give birth to this new logo, and I love it. All your energy is woven into it. \ud83e\udd70\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.23.1″ background_color=”#f9f6f5″ background_image=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/trans-shiva.png” background_size=”contain” background_position=”top_right” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”84px||0px|||” custom_padding_tablet=”60px||||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” border_radii=”on|24px|24px|24px|24px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ width=”100%” max_width=”1500px” custom_margin=”-80px||||false|false” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”30px|20px|30px|20px|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/letter_renee.jpg” title_text=”21″ align=”center” disabled_on=”on|on|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_line_height=”2.4em” header_3_font=”santana||||||||” header_3_font_size=”32px” custom_margin=”-25px||1px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_line_height=”2.4em” header_3_font_size=”32px” custom_margin=”||1px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Ren\u00e9e Tillotson, Director, founded Still & Moving Center to share mindful movement arts from around the globe. Her inspiration comes from the Joy and moving meditation she experiences in the practice of Nia, and from the lifelong learning she\u2019s gained at the Institute of World Culture in Santa Barbara, California. Engaged in a life-long spiritual quest, Ren\u00e9e assembles the Still & Moving Center Almanac each year, filled with inspirational quotes by everyone from the Dalai Lama to Dolly Parton. Still & Moving Center aspires to serve the community, support the Earth and its creatures, and always be filled with laughter and friendship!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/letter_renee.jpg” title_text=”21″ align=”center” disabled_on=”off|off|on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_image=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/yoga-instructor_96.jpg” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_image=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/lanikai_hoop-edit-scaled.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#24394a” background_image=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/body_background.jpg” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”60px|60px|60px|60px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”50px|10vw|50px|10vw|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”30px||30px||true|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ header_text_color=”#9a5206″ header_2_font=”santana||||||||” header_2_text_color=”#9a5206″ header_2_font_size=”2vw” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” background_layout=”dark” max_width=”800px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”45px” header_2_font_size_phone=”35px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/still-moving-center\/id1424600988″ url_new_window=”on” button_text=”APPLE APP STORE” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color=”#fe9440″ button_border_color=”#fe9440″ button_border_radius=”24px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_duration=”1550ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fitnessmobileapps.stillandmovingcenter” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”GOOGLE PLAY STORE” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color=”#fe9440″ button_border_color=”#fe9440″ button_border_radius=”24px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_duration=”1550ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By\u00a0 Ren\u00e9e Tillotson My family did something remarkable last week.\u00a0\u00a0 They took a project of mine, basically tore it to shreds (Ouch!), then helped me to recreate it. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":29629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[125,142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-letter-from-the-director","category-life-at-the-center-letter-from-the-director"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/davinci-252x300.png\")
created our logo for the Academy of Mindful Movement back in 2021, we thought of Da Vinci\u2019s Vitruvian man. This Renaissance image harkens back to ancient ideas of balance and proportion, and the sacred geometry of the human form.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/acad-logo-300x291.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo-draft-300x300.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fam-text-thread-177x300.png\")
At this point, I decided to take a straw pole of my extended family to see what they thought of the new logo idea. We have a 20-person strong text thread of three generations of family members, many of whom are athletes, yoga practitioners, and dance lovers. We mostly share photos of vacations and congratulations on birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo-draft2-300x300.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/running-242x300.png\")
<\/span>Actually, it came from this photo of a running woman. Success, right?<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo-DD-300x300.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo-renee-300x288.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/text-logos-300x92.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/dancer-logo-177x300.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/circle-draft-logo-300x298.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/acad-300x237.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NEW-Academy-LOGO-long-1-300x87.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nRen\u00e9e Tillotson<\/h3>\n
Get the Still & Moving App<\/h2>\n