January 19, 2017

When the idea of creating an adventure travel agency in Indonésie took shape in my mind, I recall quickly visualizing the logo and slogan of this emerging venture. The first step was to choose the agency's name—a term that would align with the spirit of adventure I envisioned. After some exchanges with colleagues and family, the choice quickly fell on Azimuth Adventure Travel Ltd.

First, because it's a word beginning with an "A" (in the late '90s, Google had barely been founded, and directories like Yahoo dominated the search engine landscape). Moreover, "Azimuth," with one letter variation, is a universal term that denotes direction on a compass. It's therefore understood in nearly every language (I already had ambitious plans to offer our itineraries to the world!). Finally, I wanted to place the phrase "Don't Lose Your Way," as it was a subtle nod to my roots in northern France.

In short, I had the agency name and slogan. What remained was to create a logo—an image that not only reflected who I am but also bridged the concepts of adventure and Indonésie. As a photographer by training and original profession, I decided to examine all the photographs (transparencies) I had taken since my first assignment in 1992 (see the account "Traces" on www.chroniquesindonésie.com) and was intrigued by one photograph (taken in a small village near the erotic temple of Sukuh, in central Java).

This image depicts a child who, upon seeing the camera pointed at him, decides to "show off" by striking an "acrobatic," even "adventurous" pose. I had found my reference image, especially since the shape of his bent legs could also suggest an "A"—which indeed influenced my choice of typeface, so that the "A" in Azimuth would align perfectly with the "A" formed by his legs. I genuinely loved this photograph because it had a dynamic and graphic quality that well represented my photographic work at that time.

The most complicated aspect of logo design, ultimately, was ensuring that this "A" stood out clearly from the background. I must admit that in early drafts, many people to whom we showed the mockup didn't necessarily distinguish it and thought our agency would be called "Zimuth"…

This is precisely why we first attempted to color this "A" in white (while the other letters remained in red), but a three-color scheme didn't feel very aesthetic to me. Ultimately, we decided to stick with two colors (red for the fire of volcanoes, and green as a reference to nature), while enhancing the shadow of the "A".

The Azimuth Adventure Travel Ltd logo is far more than a simple logo. It needed to be a symbol representing my passion for Indonésie, its nature and cultures, which began with portraits of children*. This photograph of a young boy "daring" to clown around was therefore meant to be, and it continues today to spark curiosity (I've lost count of how many people have turned this logo every which way to understand its meaning!).

Dominique Clarisse

* Scoop: a book of portraits of Indonesian children is in the works.

Charlène Nomadays

As an early SEO writer at Nomadays, now content manager and head of communications, Charlène has accompanied the adventure since its inception with passion and loyalty. After spending seven years in Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea—she has made travel a way of being in the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensible, committed, and responsible vision of tourism. For her, every article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.