From Leaf to Lake

When our team asked me to write about the change in our brand “from leaf to lake,” it gave me pause.  What did the leaf mean?  Why now the lake?

Since 2006, Nebo’s logo has featured two bright green-gold birch leaves and the simple name, “nebo” across the overlapping leaves.  The birch leaves symbolized my family’s old, well-loved Adirondack camp, The Birches, on Lake Nebo.  Serendipitously, birches also are a symbol of wholeness and wellbeing.  At the time that we chose the leaf logo, we were drawn to the double meaning of the name and the distinctive artwork of  Elizabeth Rosen, the Hudson River Valley artist who created our first logo and website art.  To us, the birch leaves evoked the natural world of Lake Nebo and a feeling of peace, enhanced by the gentle lowercase font of the name, “nebo.”

In 2017, we set out to update our website with one clear direction to Propeller, our brand strategist and website designer:  “Please don’t change the logo.”  But, after a few weeks of work, Laura Monger and Tom Kendzie came back with an idea.  “Just take a look,” they said.  “We think you might like it…”

We loved it.  The leaves have fallen away.  Our new logo refers directly to our namesake, Lake Nebo.  The ‘o’ swims in the lake itself, reflected in the shining waters.  Our new blue scheme offers visual peace and an invitation to serenity and inner balance.  Most importantly, our new brand makes the strong visual connection between our company’s name and our offer: to help leaders access their depths in service to the difference they want to make.  That little ‘o’ is an invitation to dive into your greatness — and a little reminder that self-reflection is the path to leadership excellence.

We encourage visitors to explore our new website and send us your thoughts at [email protected].