Finding the Character…
When I first began work on this travel blog, I was really struggling to come up with a logo.
How could I encapsulate the myriad of incredible experiences we’ve had in one single image? I sketched out plenty of half-formed ideas, and nothing quite felt right. In this process, something kept me circling back to the idea of character. The characters we met on the road, the unexpected…the encounters that truly color our journey and inspire us. And, the importance of storytelling in my life. I kept cycling through ideas over the summer, and trying to capture “it.” Whatever “it” was.
One day, The Grumpy Gnome came home from our local Goodwill outlet with a stack of fantastic old books! They were someone’s collection of Yale Shakespeare volumes, from the mid 1900’s. Whoever had owned this collection was an actor—theater programs, his script notes, and correspondence with cast members, directors, and loved ones were folded into the aging pages of the nine small editions. On the inside cover of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ was an intricate label that featured a gnome, walking with a book through a whimsical forest. The inscription read, “Ex Libris: Ruth Cofeen to France.” I had seen the phrase “Ex Libris” before, but didn’t fully understand where it came from. I did a little research and learned that libraries and book collectors would create custom labels for their personal collections of books, and “ex libris” is a tag of ownership. It roughly translates to “from the books” in Latin. And then, it hit me—we were both looking at the personification of The Grumpy Gnome. Strolling cheerfully through his forest. On the inside cover of a book that was beloved by someone enough to tag it as their own. I began thinking of “it” as a library label, rather than a logo. I had found our symbol: I would create an image that represented all of our stories, Ex Libris (or “from the books”) of our life experience.
I began sketching from the label we had found, but took liberty with the decorative border to add elements of our own stories. It’s a kind of Easter egg hunt, deciphering what each of the animals represent and how they symbolize the interchange of experiences that connect all of our adventures. It’s the full journey, past and present, on a page. The original pencil drawing is featured above. I started here, then refined it with marker, and used Adobe Creative Capture to photograph and upload the marker rendering as a vector. From there, I was able to add the text to personalize our logo and upload it as a graphic. Apart from drafting in CAD, I don’t have much experience with art on a computer—graphic design and digital painting are still very new to me. This process was great because it allowed me to draw everything out physically and upload it in a cleanly rendered way.
Some of the symbolism woven into this image is as follows:
Wolf: inspired by our puppies, Kaia and Lucky—my connection to them as their adoptive mother. Lore, family, compassion. A reminder to look beyond judgement to see the inherent good in all living beings.
Mountain Goat: Krampuslauf (Austria); tradition, the mystical…old legends. Defying all obstacles to climb the mountain.
Black Forest Squirrel: our travel mascot—playful, curious, unique; we befriended one in the Black Forest, at the Triberg Waterfall area in Bavaria, Germany
Cat: inspired by our two adoptive kitties, Max and Banshi—they have big personalities and always speak their mind. They accompany me in just about everything I do, connecting me to the joy of home.
Phoenix: inspired by a golden statue we found in Edinburgh; a reminder that we can always reinvent ourselves, be evolved by the journey, and rise stronger than ever before through transformation
Thistle: Scotland—one of the first symbols I experienced as a traveler; reminder to notice the wonders of nature, to understand context and history of the places you travel to.
Unicorn: the national animal of Scotland—a reminder to believe in magic and you’ll find it.
Butterfly: Schmetterlinghaus, Vienna, Austria—a beautiful art nouveau building with a stunning butterfly exhibit. Freedom, metamorphosis, embracing possibilities. Enchantment.
Bear: Madrid Central Zoo, Spain—we saw a Malaysian Sun Bear, and a Panda on our trip passing through. They were two of the sweetest animals that The Grumpy Gnome had ever seen. Interaction, communication, playfulness.
Raven: London; community, mystery, messenger. A reminder to appreciate and fully observe the wonders that surround you.
Deer: Germany, Austria—family connection to The Grumpy Gnome’s heritage. Gentle strength, tranquility, reflection, family, beauty, and harmony with nature.
Giraffe: We were able to see two baby giraffes at the Chester Zoo in England; reminder to embrace the unexpected, move through discomfort—don’t let social awkwardness hinder you.
Forest: inspired by our many passages through nature—embrace and honor the beauty of the earth; allow yourself the freedom to wander and explore; open up the itinerary and don’t over plan.
Book: the source of all shared experiences—communication, storytelling, connection, history, learning and understanding the context of where you are. Never stop learning. Write your story. Be evolved by the journey.
Gnome: The Black Forest, Germany—waterfalls, woodland hikes, natural wonder, the essence of finding the magic in the every day. Embracing your unique self, just as you are. Self expression.
The Gnome’s Hat: a fun connection to The Grumpy Gnome’s stubbornly upright hat, which never quite fits, but also never falls off. Preparation, finding balance, accepting the things you can’t control.
As our this blog progresses, we will share stories, art, and music from our travels that work with these symbols and expand upon their meaning. There are many layers, and it will be fun to explore them :).