I was having a
conversation with a friend of mine last week, when the question arose about our
firm's logo. "Mmmm, I just realized it was an abacus, Jonathan."
It occurred to me, right then, that I have never told my clients about
why this was important to me.
An abacus is one of
the oldest methods known to man to calculate a series of numbers. The
earliest known written documentation of the familiar Chinese abacus dates back
to the 2nd century BC. That's a LONG TIME AGO! I wanted to present
ourselves to clients as standard-bearers; a reliable and tried-and-true
resource for the services we offer clients.
But this is the 21st
century, and being a 21st century kind of guy, I wanted a modern, edgy look to
the abacus. As I recall, my conversation about the design went something
like this:
"What do you want
the logo to be?"
"I would like an
abacus, I think."
"Really?
Aren't those really old? Isn't your profession regarded as stodgy
anyway?"
"I suppose that's
true....but what can we do to blend reliable and modern?"
I'll admit, I wasn't
completely sold on it at first. I guess I am slightly stodgy. I used old
letterhead and cards for six months after we agreed on the logo. Over time it
began to stick. For me, the message behind the logo began to take shape.
I am a standard-bearer. I am a tried-and-true resource. And I look
good doing it.
This service is just
as relevant now as it was 100 years ago.
