Grafika Identeco

At our national conference in St. Louis last May, I was charged by the Estraro with the task of creating a new logotype for Esperanto-USA. In setting forth about that task, I had several design concepts that I shared with the board. I pointed out two things about logotypes, in the first place, people tend to be drawn toward more rounded forms, rather than pointy, prickly forms, and in the second place, some colors (green and red) draw a less favorable reaction than others (blue, orange and yellow). For these reasons, and also the fact that the star is such an ambiguous symbol, it would be preferable to develop something unique rather than throw up another version of nia kara stelo.

I made mention also that if this task were put to a committee, I would be confident that the result would take far longer than necessary and almost certainly disappoint. Nevertheless, I have realized some of my concepts, and I would be interested in feedback. Keep in mind that these are very crude compared to whatever final product results.

This first concept is an attempt to make something unique to E-USA. The initial concept was a handshake, and I believe that this symbol incorporates notions of reciprocity and mutual exchange, compatible with the idea inherent in a neutral auxiliary language. It alludes in this way too with the "jubilea melono," which did at one point have traction as worldwide symbol of Esperanto. The box could be extended out to the right, and potentially some word added to it.

This second one is a concept more in line with a modern corporate logo. The circle of course represents the globe, without simply putting a picture of the globe on it. The circle could be used alone or with the name of the organization, on the left, with other words positioned on the right, and the size and position of the organization's name could be varied. The "e" would be adjusted, and the blue lightened up, but this prototype does express the concept.

This one presents a less professional look. The tilted square, which contains an "e" in the negative space, evokes the four points of a compass, reflecting the geographical distribution of Esperanto speakers, and the utility of Esperanto in travel. This is also a fairly flexible logo, which could be shown in black and white with the yellow-orange points of the compass rendered in white with a black outline. Also, the "esperanto" on the left could be left out, leaving "e usa"

This simple design began with the idea of a U.S. Passport, with obvious connotations of travel, but also inspired by the instructional videos Pasporto al la tuta Mondo. This logo's simplicity gives it the versatility to extend the box downward and put other symbols over it, or words such as "Prezidanto," "Estraro," "Eldonejo" or whatever relevant League function the logo would be attached to.

With this one, I do violate some of the concepts previously laid forth, but only to illustrate one possibility with more traditional symbolism, combining American symbolism and Esperanto at the same time. The shield, which is a symbol of the union of many states, is also ubiquitous as the U.S. Highway marker (with its own relevant dual symbolism - travel, and the so-called American love affair with the automobile). The green star is simply superimposed, and the sign is tilted to add some dimension.

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