we want your feedback for our new logo

[Ananda Fitzsimmons]

Dear colleagues,

As part of the development of ERA’s new website and visual identity, we are reviewing two possible logo directions: an abstract radiant glyph and a bird-with-leaf glyph. Each conveys a different approach to representing ERA’s mission.

Below is a brief overview of the two options and what they communicate. We would be grateful for your input:

Which of the two logo options do you prefer, and why?
Please reply with your thoughts by Monday, December 15.

Your feedback will help us ensure the visual identity reflects the breadth, goals, and spirit of the EcoRestoration Alliance.

With thanks,

The ERA Design Working Group

EcoRestoration Alliance — 12.9.25

Logo Analysis for Steering Committee

ERA’s visual identity needs to communicate its mission clearly: 

• global ecosystem restoration
• systems-based climate repair
• collaboration across cultures
• scientific credibility

The two current logo directions take very different conceptual approaches — one abstract and conceptual, one literal and iconic. Both have strengths, but they convey fundamentally different stories.

Option A: Abstract Radiant Glyph 

What it communicates:

• Systems thinking: The radiating forms communicate cycles, interconnected processes, and science.
• Impact: The glyph reads as an energetic burst
• Global scale: The circular, open form suggests the planet, wholeness, or a collective effort.
• Innovation: The glyph feels modern and forward-thinking
• Renewal and regeneration: The outward expansion feels like new life or ecological recovery.

Strengths

• Represents all ecosystems, not just one.
• Positions ERA as innovative and modern, aligned with climate science, systems modeling, and large-scale planetary repair.
• Stands out in the environmental NGO landscape, which is saturated with leaves, birds, and trees.
• It communicates that ERA is an impactful, systemic, global alliance.

Weaknesses

• Less immediate and emotionally cooler. Less clear what it represents. 

• 
  
  Option B: Bird-with-Leaf Glyph
  What it communicates:
  • Engaging emotional tone: Feels friendly, approachable, almost folksy.
  • Biodiversity restoration: It conveys wildlife protection clearly and quickly.
  • Peace and hope: A bird with a leaf evokes “olive branch” symbolism — harmony, renewal, non-violence.
  Strengths
  • Instantly legible: Anyone, anywhere understands “bird + leaf = nature.”
  • Emotionally warm and personable, especially to community groups and general audiences.
  Weaknesses
  • Too narrow for ERA’s scope: ERA restores soil, water, carbon cycles, economies, local communities, large-scale biomes — not just forests or bird habitat.
  • Feels like a wildlife or conservation nonprofit, not a global climate-repair collective.
  • Risks cliché: Birds, leaves, and olive-branch imagery are extremely common.
  • Aesthetic style skews “illustrative”, which may undermine ERA’s scientific, data-driven credibility in policy or funder circles.
• 
  
• 
  

Please share your comments no later than Monday December 15.

		ANANDA FITZSIMMONS Présidente du conseil d'administration President of the Board of Directors regenerationcanada.org 438 820 1760

[Fred Jennings]

I like the bird.

Fred

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[folorunso dayo]

I pick the bird, it's shows nature and what's the value .

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/947424270.4659984.1765316624002%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Michael Pilarski]

I vote for the bird.  You know it is nature right away and I like it is carrying a leaf which brings in the green world , and peace like the dove. 

Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski

Earth Repair - Permaculture - Agroforestry - Wildcrafting - Medicinal Herbs

Global Earth Repair Foundation

Friends of the Trees Botanicals

Friends of the Trees Society

NW Herbal Fair

Fairy Congress

PO Box 1133
Port Hadlock, WA 98339
# (360)-643-9178

I acknowledge that I live on the stolen lands of the Chemacum, S'Klallam and Klallam Peoples.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/947424270.4659984.1765316624002%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Rob Lewis]

I vote for the bird and leaf. The other is too abstract and corporate looking.

Rob Lewis

[Edward Paul]

Hello Colleagues

To me the bird has much more meaning conveyed at a glance as even in the Bible during the floods its the bird that was used to  check if all was well when the first returned the message was it was not well and then when the last did not return meant that life was at its fullest 2. Even the color you have chosen is really great welcoming and promising to deliver on all that we all stand for not withstanding hope for humanity Mither Nature and the gallant soldiers restoring the Planet am in love with it the last is endless please let's all embrace this as it defines our very existence

Love

Edward Paul Munaaba

Director

Edwards Hamlet Regeneration centre

Telephone +256 758 650197

P.O Box 1627 Jinja

Minister General Duties

Office of the Prime Minister

Busoga Kingdom

Jinja Uganda

[Sally Dodge]

I like the bird, and echo what Michael said about why. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/211177896.1254712.1765350903269%40mail.yahoo.com.

<ERA Logos A & B.png>

Sally Dodge

sally...@comcast.net

802-233-2498

[Mayanka Dutta]

Agreed, I love the bird! 

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[Paul Sturm]

Bird for me as well !!

Paul 

Paul Sturm

Executive Director 

Ridge to Reefs

410 227-7689 

www.ridgetoreefs.org 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/CAJhbMoBdcirDev_RvHpo_U9wgRkhprgX-KMRSKxf91T5Azx%2BLg%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Paul Sturm

Ridge to Reefs

pa...@ridgetoreefs.org

410 227-7689 

www.ridgetoreefs.org 

[Anastassia Makarieva]

Birds bring seeds to all devastated lands, they are primary and supreme natural ecorestorationists being capable of 3D motion (flight).

Some birds also travel crossing almost all the globe, so they also symbolize ecological and people connectivity. 

Among the two, definitely the bird for me.

Theoretically, maybe the two could be combined and the bird stylized and placed in the center of the figure with beams, where the current beams stylized into something resembling leaves.

Anastassia 

чт, 11 дек. 2025 г., 06:20 Paul Sturm <pa...@ridgetoreefs.org>:

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[Rolande Ansima]

The first one connects more with me, it feels more whole 

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[Mike Hands]

We commissioned a survey of bird species in a “before-and-after” study of land-use.  “Before” was degraded pasture/scrub; “after” is on Inga F.’s demo-farm at Las Flores which was degraded pasture in 2012 when we bought it.  It is now agroforest.  Three new springs appeared in our arboretum within three years of tree-planting.

The ratio of bird species was 4 : 147

Guess which way : )

best

Mike

Mike Hands
Program Director.  Land for Life Program
Inga Foundation
UK

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[Eston Mgala]

Dear All

I vote for the bird one

Thanks

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[Cindy Eiritz]

I like the bird and Michael's description too

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[Cindy Eiritz]

I like the bird and Michael's and Anastassia's descriptions

[Simon Ticehurst]

Thanks Ananda for this opportunity to comment. I like both logos, but I think Option A is better because it conveys ERA´s wider and more systemic approach, and Option B is more limited/specific in that regard. The combination of blue and green works too, though there could be another dash of blue in Option A that reflects aquatic and ocean ecosystems (in that color balance I note Option B is better).  

warmly, Simon

[Owen Allen]

Thanks Ananda, 

The bird is just delightful and if the value is to have a very recognisable and attractive glyph I vote for that one (no 2).

cheers

Owen Allen

Ecosystem Support

Dasein Tropic

Qld, Australia

Mob: +61 423430941

You are the Betterment of the World

[Jme Conway]

I have to ask, while we're at it, what's wrong with the current logo?

The current coloured text on black logo is outstanding. It does everything, as well as point forward.

The problem with the two new logos is predominantly the colour scheme. It's FAR too simple and looks half-attempted.

Any new movement MUST better whatever it replaces. Equally, a note regarding religion.

If you 'want' to consider yourselves a global movement, you must assume collective religion, and or relationship with that. If we're you, I'd at least move to a spiritual relationship, more than religious.

1. "The Bible" is not good enough.

2. Bible "references" are not good enough.

3. We live amongst a complexity, that must be accepted, not refuted.

4. If you want something religious, find a more collective and accessible symbol. Don't coral yourselves into a hole.

5. Being "Christian" is not good enough, unless that's what you want. If that's what you want, then SHOUT about it and admit it. Don't pretend to be Global though. Being religious is NOT the same as being Holistic.

I'm not suggesting that any religion in itself is wrong. I'm saying that presenting ourselves on a Global stage, enclosed by a single dominant religion ~ is Naiive.

Be aware of that. 👍

Jamie Conway about.me/jamieconway

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/78aa9521db97bce8164608b2bff5dcdb%40daseintropic.au.

[Russ Speer]

Ananda,

I prefer our current logo. But if a change is necessary, I prefer the bird.

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[IYAMUREMYE Leonard]

Dear Ananda,

I personally prefer our current logo. But if a change is necessary, I prefer the bird.

Regards

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[Bru Pearce]

Hi All,

 

I agree the current logo is better. The bird will box you in.

 

I asked Canva this it what it sent back

 

 

 

 

Bru Pearce

E-mail   b...@envisionation.org  

Mobile  +44 7740 854713

Web      www.envisionation.org  

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Option A: Abstract Radiant Glyph 

What it communicates:

·        Systems thinking: The radiating forms communicate cycles, interconnected processes, and science.

·        Impact: The glyph reads as an energetic burst

·        Global scale: The circular, open form suggests the planet, wholeness, or a collective effort.

·        Innovation: The glyph feels modern and forward-thinking

·        Renewal and regeneration: The outward expansion feels like new life or ecological recovery.

Strengths

·        Represents all ecosystems, not just one.

·        Positions ERA as innovative and modern, aligned with climate science, systems modeling, and large-scale planetary repair.

·        Stands out in the environmental NGO landscape, which is saturated with leaves, birds, and trees.

·        It communicates that ERA is an impactful, systemic, global alliance.

Weaknesses

·        Less immediate and emotionally cooler. Less clear what it represents. 

·         

Option B: Bird-with-Leaf Glyph

What it communicates:

o   Engaging emotional tone: Feels friendly, approachable, almost folksy.

o   Biodiversity restoration: It conveys wildlife protection clearly and quickly.

o   Peace and hope: A bird with a leaf evokes "olive branch" symbolism — harmony, renewal, non-violence.

Strengths

o   Instantly legible: Anyone, anywhere understands "bird + leaf = nature."

o   Emotionally warm and personable, especially to community groups and general audiences.

Weaknesses

o   Too narrow for ERA's scope: ERA restores soil, water, carbon cycles, economies, local communities, large-scale biomes — not just forests or bird habitat.

o   Feels like a wildlife or conservation nonprofit, not a global climate-repair collective.

o   Risks cliché: Birds, leaves, and olive-branch imagery are extremely common.

o   Aesthetic style skews "illustrative", which may undermine ERA's scientific, data-driven credibility in policy or funder circles.

·         

·         

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/CADLsS%2Bgu7Nx77Ve13hg-NB9q5wy21KVhr-DRBZvW0-1wsdtCLg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Arturo Montanaro]

I prefer the bird version as well :) 

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Arturo Montanaro Bioregional Coordination Mycelium Learning Network art...@myceliumlearning.com (+506) 86803107

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