What our logo "WOLO" symbolizes?
FOREWORD by Miss Donna
Wow, we spent over a year deciding on a new logo for our new space but we could not settle on a design. Finally one day in February 2017, due to consuming a copious amount of 'Vietnamese coffee' and pressure to come up with a logo, I allowed my imagination to run free on a doodle app that I downloaded earlier that evening. I was not certain where the hand-drawn direction was going as I am not a graphic design artist. But I felt there was something intriguing about the spirals that I created instantly with only the touch of my fingertips! At that moment, I was thinking about all the children that I have worked within in the last 15 years...and in that moment it just felt exciting to draw randomly. In the next week or so, we had a designer create other logo designs while seeking input from our friends/families. The feedback however did not fit or sit well as we did not just want to choose a design out of desperation. As we kept looking at our designs, we realized there was something more to the "spiral" design than just a random late night doodle. We found many more meanings (listed below) and because of this we finally felt this symbol really captures our ideas of life, our values, beliefs, and philosophy. We wanted something super simple yet complex in terms of the multi-dimensionality of the symbol. Furthermore, we want to offer more than just a child care centre and school of arts. From within we expand outwards to explore other areas that are an extension of our inner being...this may be art, music, drama, science, literature, sports, and anything that brings joy. This joy can then be shared with others who can also benefit from this. This joy can then serve our inner being and our expanding community. There is no pure joy when we are only serving ourselves...but there is true joy when we are able to share ourselves with others openly. We want to be the change we wish to see in this world...as inspired by Gandhi. We hope this symbol inspires you to take action as it has inspired us to keep going!
Wow, we spent over a year deciding on a new logo for our new space but we could not settle on a design. Finally one day in February 2017, due to consuming a copious amount of 'Vietnamese coffee' and pressure to come up with a logo, I allowed my imagination to run free on a doodle app that I downloaded earlier that evening. I was not certain where the hand-drawn direction was going as I am not a graphic design artist. But I felt there was something intriguing about the spirals that I created instantly with only the touch of my fingertips! At that moment, I was thinking about all the children that I have worked within in the last 15 years...and in that moment it just felt exciting to draw randomly. In the next week or so, we had a designer create other logo designs while seeking input from our friends/families. The feedback however did not fit or sit well as we did not just want to choose a design out of desperation. As we kept looking at our designs, we realized there was something more to the "spiral" design than just a random late night doodle. We found many more meanings (listed below) and because of this we finally felt this symbol really captures our ideas of life, our values, beliefs, and philosophy. We wanted something super simple yet complex in terms of the multi-dimensionality of the symbol. Furthermore, we want to offer more than just a child care centre and school of arts. From within we expand outwards to explore other areas that are an extension of our inner being...this may be art, music, drama, science, literature, sports, and anything that brings joy. This joy can then be shared with others who can also benefit from this. This joy can then serve our inner being and our expanding community. There is no pure joy when we are only serving ourselves...but there is true joy when we are able to share ourselves with others openly. We want to be the change we wish to see in this world...as inspired by Gandhi. We hope this symbol inspires you to take action as it has inspired us to keep going!
We believe that human beings of all ages and especially young children, at some point live in the world of imagination. A phenomenal space where perception, will, memory, intuition, and reasoning thrives. These marvellous tools can allow us to experiment, explore, and discover different ways to being, doing, and living. Our imagination can take us to unknown areas to explore our highest form of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
We facilitate children's ideas and find ways to explore new ideas and thoughts together by encouraging them to ask questions, build-upon or break down theories and belief systems, creating new ideas, all in the realm of continuous growth and learning. We are here to assist, guide, and mentor children to bring them to their highest level of learning and well-being. We believe in thinking and exploring in multi-perspectives, and this in turn reflects our Reggio Emilia inspired philosophy where children have more than 100 languages or ways to express one self.
Our stories become who we are and the stories that we tell our children and students shape who they become and who they will become. We are all about continuous growth, a love for learning, and community. We imagined a space where the arts thrive and children have access to care that is catered to emergent learning and well-being. The space is an ongoing space of changes and we strive to create a space that is ever evolving and changing to meet the needs of our families and students, thus becoming "our unique" WOLO space.
We facilitate children's ideas and find ways to explore new ideas and thoughts together by encouraging them to ask questions, build-upon or break down theories and belief systems, creating new ideas, all in the realm of continuous growth and learning. We are here to assist, guide, and mentor children to bring them to their highest level of learning and well-being. We believe in thinking and exploring in multi-perspectives, and this in turn reflects our Reggio Emilia inspired philosophy where children have more than 100 languages or ways to express one self.
Our stories become who we are and the stories that we tell our children and students shape who they become and who they will become. We are all about continuous growth, a love for learning, and community. We imagined a space where the arts thrive and children have access to care that is catered to emergent learning and well-being. The space is an ongoing space of changes and we strive to create a space that is ever evolving and changing to meet the needs of our families and students, thus becoming "our unique" WOLO space.
Source: Google
Child-like Drawings: We were thinking about the children at our centre and the ideas of drawings came up. As adult beings, we all were once a child and it is integral that we maintain that child-like energy to be able to have the energy to explore, create, and discover. When we begin to draw, it is our first experience of putting our ideas out there, thus energy flowing through our body and thus being expressed through our fingers. As children begin to formulate ideas and explore the world through our imagination, they begin by drawing scribbles. Scribbles that can turn into many spirals and many other lines. That is something so simple, yet powerful about using our hands to create and play and it starts from within. What does creating from within look like? Sound like? Feel like? (from a child's perspective or from an adult's perspective)
Unique Fingerprint: As human beings, we each have our own unique stamp in the world. We are essentially alone in the world due to our uniqueness and it is okay to be in that solitude. But we are the same too and it is through these similarities that we are connected. We each have our own ability to have an impact and leave an imprint in the world. We all have the ability to serve and give. Each life is valued. Each being and spirit has value. Our logo's spiral is imperfect. Why? Because that is what makes it unique. What makes you unique? What makes you also the same? How can we elevate and support each other while being our unique selves?
Source: Hilltop Children's Centre
Collaboration: This is the core of our centre. We value our community and what each individual has to offer. As human beings, we not only thrive better when we are supported by a community, but we need each other to share ideas, build upon ideas, and take action on ideas. When you know you are all connected, you are part of a collective. We not only empower ourselves, but we seek to empower others. We are here to create a new reality through collaboration. What brings joy to you? How can we support your joy without harming others?
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Natural World: Nature is filled with spirals. Look for the tornadoes, galaxies, snails, art, plants, etc. Nature loves simplicity and complexity. There is beauty in the world when we choose to seek beauty and wonder. The energy that is generated from the spirals always begins from within and expands outwardly. This vortex of energy is not only captivating but alive and listening. What can nature teach us about ourselves? Our world?
Source: Google
Connection: As human beings, we tend to lose touch of our intuition and our trust of nature’s gifts. Due to the great adversity of life, it is these innate gifts that need to re-introduced to our daily lives. We are more than just physical beings. We are beings who are connected to our world, our Earth, and beyond. There is beauty in simplicity and in simplicity there is complexity. When we find connections in simple things and complex things, we feel that there is something more than just living, but instead also being. What are these connections that you would like to explore?
Source: Google
Tree Rings: Trees represent growth and evolution over time. As human beings, we need nourishment and patience to grow into the person that we are to become or wish to be. Just like any living being and/or tree, it grows on it’s own terms and evolves over time. Remember, each year a tree is older, it grows another ring. Children grow and just like trees they require attention, care, and love! A sprinkle of patience, time, water, and sunshine goes a long way! Trees not only grow over time but they also provide life. Trees also grow a ring each year...but it always grows from within. We love nature and trees. What type of nourishments have you been shown or given while growing up? Do we all need the same type of nourishment in order to grow fruitfully?
Source: Google
The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress made in spirals. - Madame de Stael Consciousness: We begin from our inner being and we expand outwards to the world. While creating many adventures, we will always have that connection to our inner being as our logo's spiral loops back. Hence, consciousness begins from within in and we are all in each other's consciousness. By being conscious beings, we are conscious of each other's energy and impact on the world. We all have the ability to be that difference or to shape what we want out of life...but it always starts from and begins from within. What does beginning from within mean to you? What would your inner child share with you?
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Lastly...What does our logo make you think of?
What does it remind you of? 
As we see the multi-dimensionality of our logo, we also see the multi-dimensionality of our centre, our team, our students, our families, our communities, and all things as ever growing, integrating, and changing.
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What does the picture of the child make you think of? Is it just a creative work of art? Or, is there more to the image?
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