The St. Louis Chinese Culture Center needed a new mark that conveyed the many different cultures and path coming together to learn and celebrate the culture of China. The new mark represents unity through the use of a circle. The four converging rectangular pairs within the circle and the white space between them represent the different paths taken to learn, and in this case the integration of different cultures coming together. These “paths” ultimately meet in the center of the circle to represent fulfillment of knowledge and fusion. 

As a square typically represents laws or boundaries in Chinese culture, the use of a strong square shape at the center represents discipline through education. Finally, the ring surrounding the circle reinforces the idea of one mind and the potential of enlightenment through education. I strived to create a mark that could represent non-Chinese learners as well as helping Chinese people feel familiar and at home. Stepping away from the mainstream iconography that typically represents China and its vast culture, I decided to create a mark that was abstract with the idea that that both Chinese and non-Chinese will come to associate this mark and the St. Louis Chinese Culture Center.