What does our logo mean?
Our logo has been with us, in one incarnation or another, for our entire history. It is a familiar sight for anyone who knows our organization. But what does it mean? Is it a tree? A candelabra? A crown? Why have we chosen this particular image to represent our organization?
Our Logo, Our Story…
Our logo is actually very reflective of our history – and our present and future.
When our logo was originally conceived, it was intended to represent one of our seminars. The single dot in the centre square was the speaker or teacher, standing at a podium in front of a room full of learners, represented by the five dots around the curved band. The colors used to be black, white and bright blue – these were common branding colors at the time (late 1970s) because they printed well and showed bold contrast (think of the Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton, as two other local examples). From a semiotics perspective, these colors indicated our organization’s obligation to truth and justice (black and white) and education (an engaging blue).
LESA has grown and changed a great deal in the last three-and-a-half decades. While it is important to us to maintain the history behind our logo, it is also necessary for us to tell a new story with it, to reflect who we are currently, and where we’re headed in the future.
Which Brings Us To The Present…
As LESA has matured, so has our logo. The colors have changed to reflect our commitment to excellence (gold), knowledge and our respect for the traditions of the legal profession (navy blue). We subtly updated the font treatment and modernized the design to better position us as innovative thought leaders in CLE.
The single circle in the centre square now represents the learner. This reflects a shift in our educational theory, away from a teacher-centred model to a learner-centred system. The small rectangle above the circle represents a mortar-board, a symbol of lifelong learning and achievement. The curved band now reflects how we serve the full spectrum of needs of the legal community. The five dots represent our five areas of expertise: live events, educational resources, assessment, communication, and administration.
The concentric squares show the different aspects of the community we serve: the outer square being the public, the middle square representing the Alberta legal community, and the inner square reflecting our learners, our volunteers, and our staff. It speaks to our desire to collaborate with all of these groups to maintain the strength of the legal profession across our province.
Re-Visioning Our Logo…
This new interpretation of our logo stems directly from our mission, vision, core values and goals. It represents our commitment to serve the spectrum of CLE/CPD needs of Alberta lawyers, articling students, and their staff. It reflects our goals of accessibility (complete spectrum), sustainability and quality (“gold-standard” in legal education). The design speaks to our core values of professionalism (colours), collaboration (concentric squares), innovation (the five dots reflecting our five areas of expertise) and responsibility (our desire to better server learners by placing them at the centre of our educational model).
The very fact that we re-visioned our logo instead of re-branded it shows our commitment to sustainability and responsibility, and our pride in our history as an organization.
Our logo – and our story – truly reflect where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.
And it’s an image that makes us proud!
