For almost 50 years our logo was a swan, taken from a woodcut by engraver Thomas Bewick. It was arbitrarily chosen by John Westwood, an editor of the Society’s then newsletter and its use has become increasingly outdated as swans have not been found in Dulwich waters for at least twenty years. Apart from the dearth of Dulwich swans, the intricate lines of the image, especially as they have been copied and recopied many times, did not translate well to modern use, causing our logo to look increasingly forlorn, especially online. So we commissioned a new logo to better reflect our identity.
James Alexander of Jade Design has designed a logo that will help carry us forward for the next 60 years. James grew up in Dulwich and knows the area and the Society well. His company has been involved in many local projects, notably the design of the beautiful ‘Dulwich 400’, the history book produced to mark the quatercentenary of the foundation of Dulwich College.
For our new logo, James has used as inspiration ‘Two Forms (Divided Circle)’, the much loved and sadly missed Barbara Hepworth statue that was displayed in Dulwich Park for 40 years until it was stolen in 2011. The symbol in our new logo uses the Hepworth sculpture to inform the ‘D’ of ‘Dulwich’ and gives us a fresh, clean image which works well in all formats both print and digital, from our popular quarterly journal through to our social media. The Hepworth Estate were complimentary about the design and touched that we were remembering the lost work. Equally, the Friends of Dulwich Park are supportive of its use and think it is a wonderful link between the statue, the Park and the Society.
Of course, the logo needs to work for those who don’t know the sculpture and we believe it stands alone as a clear reference to the ‘D’ of Dulwich. It points the way to our future as a society that works to foster and safeguard the amenities of Dulwich, both in the interests of its residents and the wider local community.