Logo Design
Danny Ross outines the thinking behind the Formartine Parish Church Logo
I was asked to design a logo for the new parish grouping of Formartine Parish Church.
I felt the design should reflect who we were, who we are and who we may become and that it should be profoundly Christian in a relevant way. Contemporary, stylish, memorable and impactful.
I thought about the logo for many weeks and had baskets full of crumpled drawings. The design had to be adaptable for varying uses:
• suitable for both print and screen
• clear at different sizes
• effective in colour and in black and white
Frustrated, before breakfast one morning, I prayed — not for long, but quite ardently and by lunchtime all the salient features of the design were falling into place: the cross, three flames and a dove. As I looked out of the window, three doves were tumbling in flight from the sky to the ground, which gave me hope.
A final drawing emerged. It then had to be scanned and digitised. Pencil marks were digitally erased, lines were tidied and colours tested until the final version satisfied.
Elements of the Design
THE CROSS
The symbol of Christianity. The cross brings us all together in Christ’s love, forgiveness and salvation in unity of purpose
FLAMES
The three flames represent the three congregations:
Barthol Chapel — a living flame
Tarves — a living flame
Udny Pitmedden — a living flame
The living flames reference the day of Pentecost, marking the beginning of the Church. The flames also allude to the Burning Bush, the emblem of the Church of Scotland
DOVE
The dove represents the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, when he was baptised by John, marking the start of his ministry
I hope you like the design and that it will speak for us in a meaningful way.