Logo (proposed)

A black swallow at the centre of a radiating circle of red fingerprints, on white.

Origin and flexibility

• The red is literally the red of the original ink handprints used to make it. It was not chosen as a brand colour and can be adjusted.
• The logo works on different grounds: on black with the swallow inverted, and so on. That flexibility is one of its strengths.
• The logo's colours are not necessarily the site palette. This is an open question (see the plan's colour section).

What it carries

• Grounded hope, literally: many human hands (ground, body, community) around a bird in flight (hope, the announcement of spring).
• Texture and imperfection: fingerprints are hand-made, unique and irregular. This is a native texture the wider system can draw on.
• Wholeness: the circle (Christopher Alexander).
• Liminality: the rings radiate like a sunrise or a birth, with the swallow breaking out from the centre.

Issues to address

1. The red is a clean, bright screen red. A deeper, ink-like red (real stamp or printing ink) may fit the earthy, slightly muddy feel better. Test a few.
2. The swallow is a common stock silhouette. A hand-drawn or printmade swallow would be more distinctive and match the brand's craft.
3. It fails at small sizes. On a favicon or YouTube avatar the fingerprints turn into pink noise. We need a simplified version, for example the swallow alone or the swallow in a solid ring.
4. We need a set of versions: full colour, one colour (black on light, light on dark), inverted, and small.

Liked so far

• The logo set in a white disc (footer, avatars) or a white square tile. It gives the mark more dynamism and lets it sit on any ground, including night.