Our Logo

Imagine pale green leaves emerging on a tree in spring, developing into a robust canopy in the summer, then turning brilliant shades of autumn colors before falling to the ground to decompose over winter and continue the cycle the following year.

 

You may think of the seasons as turning full circle. In fact, preparation for spring is taking place underground even as the autumn leaves are still falling. The Two Loops model recognizes the overlap in growth and decline:

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In other words, a new cycle begins before the other fully ends.

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Unlike the obvious change of seasons, we humans may be lulled into thinking our "systems" – meaning our ways of doing things and ways of living – can go on forever. In reality, our laws, policies, and systems also grow and decline. That process can be inspiring and daunting, invigorating and terrifying, hopeful and heartbreaking all at once.

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Like all human systems to date, current systems serve some people well while others are served less well, at best, or deeply harmed, at worst.

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Those who are well served, particularly those who built the current system or are leaders within it, may be deeply invested in maintaining the current system, whether or not they recognize harms it has caused.

 

Other groups are eager for something new to emerge with hope the next system will support thriving for everyone, without exception.

 

Put another way, some people easily see the need for change and join together in building the next loop, while others spend their energy tending to a system in decline, not realizing that trying to stop this cycle is like trying to stop the change of seasons.

 

Meanwhile, those open to change have already begun to imagine the next iteration even before the old system has ended.

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In our logo, the arch on the left is the first “loop,” representing the initial growth and subsequent decline of an existing system. The arch on the right, the second “loop,” is the next generation of that system.

 

The logo captures the fact that change isn't linear; the two systems aren't connected by a clear set of steps from the old to the new. Instead, there is a jump, and crossing that chasm requires courage. 

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That space in between requires bravery.

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And we are currently in such a space.

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In this space between loops, we have the power to determine how sustainable the next loop will be. Will it last for many seasons or soon give way to yet another version?

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History shows us that, like the elements of decomposing leaves support life in the next seasons, all resources eventually move to the new system. Along the way, we navigate how to let go of the old system with dignity, how to build the new system with intentionality, and how to accept that change can be deeply uncomfortable, whether one welcomes it or not.

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Even as we recognize global change underway, as a U.S.-based organization, our logo nods to the two major U.S. political parties converging in the current loop. Some may argue the two have rarely been further apart than at any point in our country’s history, but we know our shared future is linked.

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At Stories Change Power, we want this next loop to be the one where advocates are so effective they achieve their goals of laws, policies, and systems that work for everyone. That’s why our second loop is a hopeful yellow and broadens as more people - including you - join in building it.

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Together, these three primary colors of painting can combine to form every color under the sun, recognizing that no matter how many ways we humans seek to divide ourselves, the system that will last is the one that provides a just and peaceful future for everyone - without exception.