Image of the Week: Birth Arts International
© Birth Arts International
This logo was commissioned in 2008 by Birth Arts International, an organization that trains childbirth educators, doulas, breastfeeding educators, and midwife assistants. The organization's global director, Demetria Clark, found me through Mothering Magazine, where my mother and child images had been published. Demetria wanted an image that was both modern and earthy, both professional and warm. The birthing mother must be upright and empowered, not supine. She is conscious and actively participating in her labor. The supporting hands around her are present and attentive – but it is the woman who births her own baby, and the hands do not interfere. All these elements had to be designed into a cohesive, harmonious whole, which itself resembles a womb, as childbirth also gives birth to a new mother. It is also a mandala, which grows outward in a circular fashion, as the ripple effects of this life-changing event move out into the world along with the new baby.
For me it was a dream assignment, as I was at the tail end of my own childbearing years – a period in my art that gave birth to dozens of images of fertility, pregnancy, and birth, and of mothering, fathering, and family – two whole sections of my website gallery. As in life, so in art – that was my motto, as art grows directly out of life experience. Motherhood is so archetypal, and yet so uniquely personal, it naturally generates images of bearing new life and nurturing the pure soul that emerges from our earthly flesh. Here is a place where mystery and biology merge, as surely as sperm and egg. The possibilities for artistic expression are as limitless as the potential of a newborn baby.
For the sake of graphic simplicity and boldness, logos are usually restricted to one or two colors, but in this case I brought in some other hues. The greenish-yellow foliage and lavender umbilical cord are opposite on the color wheel, creating a bit of tension to offset the earth tones. The white channels in between allow the whole design to breathe. The birthing mother, we hope, looks like she could be of any ethnic origin. In a way, she is the earth, with skin the color of soil.
I had midwives and doulas assisting when all three of my babies were born, and I'm extremely grateful for the expertise and skill of all such women, as well as their warmth and compassion. Bravo to Birth Arts International for training these professionals in a way that honors the needs of mothers, fathers, and older siblings. I was honored to create this logo for them, and I'm pleased to see that fourteen years later, it's still in use. The client purchased the copyright to the logo too, allowing her exclusive, unlimited rights to use it any way she pleases.
Very few logo commissions have come my way since the recession of 2008. These days, people pour their resources into building websites instead. QR codes have replaced business cards with catchy logos. Rarely do businesses prioritize art enough to commission something original. Times have changed – and the babies first born into the guiding hands trained by Birth Arts have all grown up.
A good week to all!