If you don’t know about our Economic Rights Movement, you can read more here. Any movement needs art to represent it. We designed this crest to symbolize our values and represent us on products. Many families and other businesses have crests of their own–if you’d like to learn how to create yours, read on for resources and tips. If you’d prefer to listen to this article, visit our youtube video with the same content.
What is an Emblem?
Here are some early medieval examples of crests. They were used to denote victories and family professions. Most people had one they would use in seals and official documents. Those original crests began to evolve into something more modern. Rather than being full color, many people began drawing flat black and white versions of them. Modern brands eventually began to appropriate the crest style for use and logos. It’s a great way to signify authority in an area: you’re the best of the best in your field.
As we said before, emblems often represent brands and families. However, the symbols within them are used to represent abstract concepts such as bravery, trust, and honor. Porsche is a great example of an enduring crest–theirs has remained the same since its creation. It is used to represent characteristics of the company’s origin city.
Emblems represent history but also abstract values. And you don’t have to pick random symbols and hope people understand what you mean. There are certain objects that are universally understood to mean certain things. For example, a heart represents the abstract concept of love. Ancient crests often made use of the same symbols and historians have recorded what they were said to me. For example, in medieval times, an open book in a crest was said to represent the pursuit of knowledge. Harvard makes use of this symbol in their craft.
Here are some more examples of symbols and their meanings.
A bear means protection. A harp denotes Irish origin, and the sun represents glory.
The Lily represents purity, prosperity, and good luck. They’re often used in weddings to symbolize well wishes. The ouroboros symbolizes rebirth. It is an ancient eternal cycle. We see it as a reminder to work with what we have and learn from our predecessors. The nightingale is the voice of the natural world. They’re known for their clear prevailing song is associated with poetic creativity. The ivy plant is evergreen and symbolizes fidelity. It represents strength and endurance the ability to stick to our values.
Using this info, I created the first iteration of our crest. I chose to modernize it with clean sharp lines rather than the detailed illustrations many crests have. At the top you see the letters ERM, which stands for Economic Rights Movement.
ERM is dedicated to helping normal people achieve generational wealth despite barriers. We are the voice of many as shown in the nightingale. We do not yield, as shown in the ivy. We learned from the past so as not to create the same mistakes as shown in the ouroboros. And finally, the lily is a well wish for good luck, prosperity and pure intentions.
Many crests have a motto that sums up their values.
They’re often written in Latin. “Always forward” is based on a quote that reminds us to dream about the future and make it happen, so that we’ll never dream backward at what we could have done.
If you would like to create your own crest, check out these resources I’ve provided.