‘Honoring Our Heritage, Positioning for the Future’

When people are asked what visual image comes to mind when speaking about The Collectors Club, our iconic building façade is usually front and center (no pun intended). However, when asked what our current conjoined ‘CC’ logo conveys, many are less certain.

Ideally, one’s logo expresses a sense of purpose along with a distinct identity. It is the public manifestation of what we are distilled into a succinct package. One glance should serve to both identify an entity and convey its mission or key purpose. Though having served us for many years, our current ‘CC’ falls short in conveying a sense of purpose.

As noted in earlier letters, we unearthed several iconographic items from our past during the most recent renovation, which included various documents and building fixtures. The first fruits of these discoveries were the recently distributed membership certificates, whose central globe image is mirrored in the recently recovered and remounted center hall light fixture near the meeting room entrance.

During this period the Board was actively exploring various ideas to connect with our heritage, convey our mission, and present a uniform image across all platforms. We noted that with time there has been a gradual divergence of image between print, electronic, and other outreaching efforts, due in part to a continued evolution of technology and communications not even anticipated when the current logo was first employed.

These goals, to create an updated image of who and what we are and to unify our message across platforms, involve a process which, in an ideal world, would seem straightforward, but which actually isn’t. After Board approval, this important project was spearheaded by Matthew Healey. A series of working sessions in conjunction with past Governor (and design specialist) Niko Courtelis produced, after much discussion, a globe image representing the worlds of collecting and knowledge. Work on unifying design elements continues–compare the visual appearance of this journal issue with those from a few years ago.

Our new logo will be formally introduced at the 2019 Annual Dinner on May 8th. It is only fitting that as we honor our awardees we also look forward to our approaching 125th anniversary in 2021. Over time the web site, stationery, outreach materials, and branded items (ties, pins, other items) will reflect the design that we will proudly present in May. We expect this image to convey what we are about and to unify our message throughout the CCP, the website, and outreach materials, with our ultimate goal being to exceed member expectations.

–Mark Banchik