Friends,
Ladies,
Gentlemen,
On this day, the sixth of January in the year of our Lord two thousand and fourteen, I present to you …
There is one person that made the birth of this logo possible.
Her name is Carmela Quiapo. Or you can just call her… Charmie.
Charmie and I are part of a volunteer storytelling and reading advocate group called The Basadours (www.facebook.com/basadours). I promise to tell you more about The Basadours in a separate post. I just can’t agree with myself how to present the group. So…back to Charmie.
Charmie is a 20-year-old student of the University of San Carlos with an incredible talent in designing posters and taking photographs. She is to me a budding artist that only needs a platform to showcase her multitude of works and creations. She draws, she takes photos, she captures life through videos, she sings (which means she loves music) and she reads.
She also happens to be one of the twins’ 20 godparents.
When I decided to start “BOOK SHARE” via TRR (Ha! That’s the acronym for The Reading Ruffolos), the first thing I thought was: “WE NEED A LOGO!”
Why?
Because we will need to have a stamp that on first look, distinguishes this blog from all other blogs aimed at just, hmm, let me stop with hmmm…
So I asked Charmie if she can do the logo. She was hesitant and referred me to a logo designer. I did not want a logo designer. I needed someone who understands what I was trying to do. I needed someone who knows what I was getting at. Charmie was the best person for that.
I asked her to use TRR as an experiment and promised her two things: (1) a visit to The Henry Hotel (http://www.thehenryhotel.com) – inarguably, Jeff and I’s favorite hotel in Cebu City because it’s so bloody quirky (yes, that’s me attempting to sound British after watching Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes); and (2) treat her to an eat-all-you-can feast (suggestions are welcomed).
Before Charmie agreed to work on the logo, I told her that we only need two elements : twins and books.
Why?
The reason is pretty self-explanatory.
It was a good feeling to be sitting down, facing this computer and anticipating what this Fine Arts student will produce. I knew it was going to be something wonderful.
Yesterday, the 5th of January, she sent me the logo – the first study.
And that was all I need. With only a few black lines added to the entire look so as to emphasize the book, I was grinning in excitement as I pinged at least six people to show off the final logo.
This was one thing I was not hesitant to share.
How did she came up with the logo?
Here’s Charmie:
“I stared at the title ‘The Reading Ruffolos’. Then, I listed down significant elements of the name. Both words start with an ‘R’. It is a significant element. I stared at the letter again and saw a face. I decided to duplicate another R, flipped it and draw something on it to emphasize the girl and the boy. I changed the colors to signify, Nicholas and Antoinette and I drew a book and…voila! Twins holding a book.”
Charmie is a distinct artist because she reads. I think there is something so special about artists who read because their bodies of work are more intense, deeper and mysterious. They speak to the observer with so much meaning and passion that when you understand the art, you will understand the artist. Like shaking hands with them or sharing cups of tea (sorry, no coffee!) with them.
I did not believe it when she told me that she used to be an Architecture student but shifted to Fine Arts because she failed in her design class. But she swears by her life that it’s true. Well, that is something I should be thankful for. Otherwise, perhaps, perhaps, Charmie won’t be around to do the logo.
Her creative influences is an assortment of a visual illustrator (Mattias Adolfsson), a multidisciplinary artist (Brock Davis), an avant garde artist (Charlavail Effron), photographers and videographers (Jason Magbanua and the talent behind Rainbowfish Photography, couple Nicolo Manreal and Matet Spagnolo), and a musician named Hayley Williams of the band, Paramore.
A great, good mix of everything, huh? Although… I forgot to ask who are her favorite authors. (Charmie when you read this, please comment below and tell us your favorite authors.Thank you.)
But she did share that, to her, “reading is an artform as art can be everything”.
“I love to read because it makes me understand things more, my imagination widens, I get inspired. It’s more peaceful when I read. When I open a book, I become a witness to its superpowers. When I read it, I feel like these powers become mine.”
