 Once we made the move to Colorado Springs physically, and made the decision to speak more in terms of a Presence conversation, I began to think about coming up with a sign, a logo that could easily be linked with our activity worldwide.
The importance of a logo cannot be overemphasized. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't recognize the swoosh that we have come to associate with Nike? When you see a container of Coke you immediately pick it out of the lineup because of the familiar red and white label and its curved writing.
The same could be said of the unmistakable look of "Focus on the Family" with their scripted signature - immediately you recognize it as having its origin from the James Dobson line of products.
Done correctly, logos can reinforce the image of an organization and, as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." If you hire a thousand designers you inevitably will get a thousand different choices from which to choose. Therefore, choosing who you want to design your logo is as important as the concepts you desire to communicate by its appearance.
When designing the logo to depict the Presence movement, we had to ask ourselves a few questions. Do we want a logo that fits in line with the cadre of 'religious looking' symbols and logos? That answer was fairly simple, 'No!' Do we want a logo that is a symbol or a scripted word or phrase? Give us a symbol. Do we want this symbol to be traditional or contemporary? Contemporary. Do we want this to appeal to your present market of subscribers or do you want something that is more appealing to the youth and world of tomorrow? Give us tomorrow's youth.
On and on the questions go - one, two, three or four colors? Two. Will it stand alone or always appear with the ministry name? Both. Is this something that will be easily interpreted or somewhat vague and left to the imagination of each person? Somewhat vague, but carrying a certain self-interpretation as well.
After considering and answering an entire host of issues, it was then time to express exactly "what" we needed to communicate. To say it was a tall order for any designer would be an understatement.
We wanted something that had energy versus appearing 'static.' It needed to represent the presence of God - How do you do that?? It needed to represent the working together of the human and divine. It needed to be something indicative of the presence of God within and outside of our universe. It needed to be forward looking and have an ever-expanding feel to it.
In short, it needed to be something nobody had ever seen before and it needed to be perfect… after all, it had to be representative of the greatest story ever told… a story based in pre-time creation that continues forever.
Now, let me ask - Given all that we have listed, if you were a designer, would you work with us on such a seemingly impossible venture?
In the past we had been blessed to work with some pretty gifted people. Our magazine was an award winner because of its appealing design. Several of our pieces of literature have gotten broad attention because of their design. Perhaps we turn to the same experienced designers to see what they might have to offer regarding our logo… or perhaps not.
A Star Is Born
All kids draw, doodle and scribble on the walls. It is just a part of who they are. I mean, if kids couldn't draw, how could they ever survive all those years of church?
My nephew, Wil Nagel, is no different. He drew. Then he began to paint. Gwynne and I still have a painting he did of a flower when he was seven years old! I couldn't believe it then and I still chuckle about it today. It was apparent that he had a gift for combining creativity with creation; creativity with symbols and the sacred. Before long, he was painting murals in the gymnasium of his school, in universities and other places.
Since then he's grown up. He's now the ripe old age of 23 and cannot work the long hours he used to (smile). It was obvious - Wil was the man for the job. He had everything we were looking for and I knew as my nephew that I could abuse him endlessly until we had exactly what we wanted. The kid nailed it on his first try. He produced a plethora of ideas and many variations of things, but the first one he showed us was clearly the winner. Wil Nagel… keep the name in mind, this guy is going places!
Making the Statement
The logo of Presence Ministries International and of the Presence movement is symbolic of our vision. When represented in color, this logo has at its center a golden "P." Around its exterior are energetic swashes of blue.
The golden "P" is representative of the presence of God in the middle of the universe and extending outward or beyond. As our ubiquitous God, he is at once everywhere present; in this realm and in the next - a dimension we usually refer to as heaven.
In his presence, he has united heaven and earth and brought us into a moment-by-moment walk with Him that will never end (John 8:51).
As well, the "P" stands for the Presence of God within his people. In this we see the divine as being present within (2 Peter 1:4) and as our being present with and before Him. Life is to be lived as a series of events in which we all receive and then extend the love of God to a world in need of embracing.
The blue swashes surrounding the "P" are representative of the universe, of activity, of the creative arms of God that continue to empower us in the realm of our creative potential. This activity calls us to create new societies, to explore new frontiers, all bringing glory and honor to God, always holding Jesus as the name above all names.
In this fullness we no longer 'wait for things to happen,' instead we traverse the forward paths to 'make things happen' so that the world might come to know the meaning of the heavenly hosts as they proclaimed, "…peace on earth, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).
The presence of God within his people. God and man, working together to bring about the success of an ever-increasing kingdom. Together may our activity be drawn from the deep wells of the greatest story ever told that the will of God might be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This article is from Tim King's new book, Give Me This Mountain: the story of Presence Ministries, Bimillennial Press, 2003
URL:
http://www.presence.tv/cms/presencelogo.php
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