Stories
The Foundation’s logo
A symbol of knowledge and evolution, the semantically charged logo vividly depicts everything that the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation has advocated from its inception.
A symbol of knowledge and evolution, the semantically charged logo vividly depicts everything that the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation has advocated from its inception.
When Sylvia Ioannou had to come up with a logo for her Foundation, her mind, but especially her heart, already knew where to turn. Her school years back home, i.e., her studies at the Pancyprian Gymnasium, had left her with indelible memories; a prominent place among them was held by the school emblem: an owl – the enduring symbol of knowledge and wisdom.
The original logo of the Foundation did not take long to be created. At its centre is the wise owl of the Pancyprian Gymnasium. A loving tribute by Sylvia Ioannou in honour and memory of her school and homeland. An olive branch – the eternal symbol of peace, reconciliation and a trademark of the Mediterranean – acts as a foothold for the owl, while at the same time forming part of the spiral that encloses it.
A symbol of the vital force that can be seen everywhere in nature, the spiral, the vortex, this characteristic winding motion, has always been associated with development, evolution, energy and knowledge. It starts from inside and as it moves outward it grows and spreads out, as if offering its ever-increasing power to the whole world, to all of us. The shape of the spiral evokes our DNA, our fingerprints. We come across it in plants, flowers, tree trunks, shells and galaxies, in the earth and sky. It is the shape that expands and contracts, always in perfect harmony; the most excellent measure in life.
The spiral of the logo is formed by the verbal representation of the Foundation’s name. The colour blue seems like the only natural choice for the entire design. It is the blue of the sea and the sky, a reference to travel, new horizons and the Mediterranean.
When knowledge accumulates, it must be shared. When the Foundation’s rich Collection began to be digitised and made available to the public, it also signalled the time to modernise the Foundation’s visual identity. A more sharply defined owl, but always close to the original style, and the new logo was ready to accompany the Foundation’s evolution by carrying forward Sylvia Ioannou’s vision.
