Every business needs a logo, right? Collaborating on the design was a fun process and we are really, really happy with the end result. We turned to my cousin Emily, a freelance graphic designer, who is creative in a way that always leaves me in awe of her talent. I’m sure that when she reads this post she’ll blush and say “aw geez, you guys…” She’s always humble about her work. And she is very funny.
I need to share an exchange that we had during the design process. By way of background, we sought feedback from some friends on a couple versions of the logo and received lots of great constructive input. The thing that raised the most questions was the image of the airplane flying over the barn. I relayed this to Emily and this was her response:
“But why is there an airplane in the logo for Skylight Farms? I never thought to ask because it was just in your request from the beginning…! I mean, I love knitting, and I love ultimate frisbee, and I love Scrabble. But I don’t depict any of those things in my company logo… Just as you guys love your kids but don’t have them in the logo.”
Love it. After reading this Jonathan said, “I can really tell that you’re related.” I take that as a compliment.
So…. why IS there an airplane in the logo???
The short answer is that the farm is right by Harvey Field, a small airport that harkens back to the early days of general aviation. Think vintage planes, tiny trainers, homebuilts, hot air balloons and sky divers. No business jets at Harvey, thank you very much. When you visit us you will almost certainly see a small plane or two flying overhead, and there’s a decent chance it will be a vintage tail dragger like on our logo. Plus, Jonathan is a private pilot and loves small, vintage airplanes.
The slightly longer answer is that little planes are a part of our farm’s history. The previous owner was a Boeing engineer who built, restored and flew small planes, sometimes taking off and landing right from the fields. We inherited with the farm his library of vintage airplane books, engineering plans, and photos, as well as an assortment of tools, hardware and machinery. In the process we became the proud owners of a 1930s-era Taylorcraft airplane. Or at least the components for the better part of one. When Jonathan first told me there was a disassembled plane in the barn, I thought he was joking. How many times in your life do you get to buy both a farm and an airplane at the same time? I’m not sure how many people could appreciate this as much as Jonathan. Maybe we’ll even put it together one day when we have more time on our hands. (Ha!)
Love it! The airplane is the perfect touch. And as one who has been lucky enough to fly in a plane with Jonathan (when he needed to log hours for the license), I can say I am sure he will someday have that pile of scraps in the barn up and flying!
Aw geez, you guys… ha! It was a pleasure to work on your logo with you, and I’m so excited to see you grow and develop the farm, and get it off the ground. Pun intended! CONGRATS!