CEBU CITY—What’s in a logo?
The globe-shaped logo splashed practically across everything connected to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings being held in the Philippines, bears so much significance that each shape and color represents a certain quality, a vision, or a characteristic that is uniquely Filipino.
Not to be confused with the official logo of Apec, the Apec 2015 Philippines hosting logo formed part of a long tradition wherein the member economy hosting the meetings for a particular year would have come up with its own emblem.
“Different logos have been used. What is unique about the development of the logos is that the Apec chair for the year decides on how they want to symbolize their [country]. But a key feature, that’s always in the development of the logo, is some kind of symbolism that will indicate membership,” said Ambassador Angie Sta. Catalina of the Apec National Organizing Committee, Conference Management Services.
“For example, there is a star-shaped Apec symbol that was used by Australia. That is actually 21 boomerangs put together in the shape of a star. The one used by Singapore was supposed to be fireworks, composed of 21 bursts. And if you look at the Apec logo of Indonesia, that is the symbol of the Garuda which is a mythical bird with the feathers symbolizing the economies. The last host, Beijing, has 21 lines outlining their symbol which was the tower of heaven,” Sta. Catalina explained in a briefing here.
Donated by the Inksurge Design Studio, the official Apec 2015 Philippine hosting logo reflected the vision espoused by the country in treading the path to a more progressive, more equitable Asia-Pacific: It is by “building inclusive economies that we build a better world.”
According to Sta. Catalina, the circular nature of the logo represented a more connected, more integrated, and more dynamic global community—a community whose direction for growth is increasingly shaped by the member economies of the Apec. These member economies, both advanced and emerging, have served in recent decades as key drivers for shared development.
The design also showed the common waters that link the various member-economies of Apec, in turn forming a geographic bloc of inclusive prosperity and meaningful opportunity for over 40 percent of the world’s population and the rest of the international community.
The triangles in blue, red, and yellow, meanwhile, represented the 21 member-economies of Apec. The triangle signified balance, and expresses the strong and stable economy borne of that quality, she explained.
Sta. Catalina further pointed out that the 21 triangles form an arrow pointed upward, which signaled the sustained and shared resurgence of the Apec member-economies.
The light blue shade of the arrow meanwhile represented a member economy’s promising development, which is a result of positive engagement with partners and adherence to sound macroeconomic fundamentals.
According to Sta. Catalina, the three colors used for the triangles represented the three pillars of Apec as identified in the 1994 Apec Summit in Indonesia. These pillars refer to the Bogor Goals, which puts emphasis on trade and investment liberalization; business facilitation through cost reduction and efficiency of business transactions; and economic and technical cooperation among Apec members.
“The Philippine hosting seeks to inspire greater confidence that, by pursuing the Bogor Goals and by working to realize the vision laid out by the host country, the Apec member economies can indeed build a truly vibrant, truly inclusive future for all peoples,” Sta. Catalina added.