Logo
Background
The Weipa Parish does not have a logo. The logo for St Joseph’s Parish School was developed in conjunction with a steering group that comprised members of the local Parish, parent representatives, Catholic Education Services representatives and the services of a graphic designer. The final stages of the logo’s evolution involved the newly appointed Principal, Rosie Harrison, to whom the steering committee entrusted the final logo choice.
The logo went through several iterations, starting with a more conservative model and then gradually evolving into the logo as seen above. The steering committee progressed a view that it wanted a simple elegant logo rather than a ‘busy’ traditional style. They saw this as a reflection of their community but more importantly a statement that St Joseph’s was a modern Catholic school – a school for families in the 21st Century.
The images that resonated most with the steering group were the fish and the cross and the Weipa colours of the sunset orange (also of bauxite) and the blue of the sea and the sky in the dry season. As such the steering group feels the logo represents a modern-day anchoring of the Catholic tradition within the day-to-day experience of the Weipa community.
Logo elements
Fish
The Greek word for fish is ichthys. As early as the first century, Christians made an acrostic from this word: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. The fish has a theological context as well, for Christ fed the multitude with two fishes and five loaves and called his disciples “fishers of men.”
The steering group identified the two colours of the fish. The upper line, in orange, is the colour of bauxite, but it is also the colour of the sunset. Weipa sunsets are one of the defining features of the community, one of a few Queensland communities that enjoys the sun setting over water. It is a potent symbol the working day is over, it is time for rest and for families. The bottom line, in blue, is the colour of the Gulf waters and represents water, the giver of life, the water of baptism.
The fish symbol has additional resonance for Weipa as a coastal community. For these residents the waters of the Gulf are a place of escape and relaxation away from the pressures and demands of a hard-working mining town.
Members of the local steering group also identified some local symbolism in the fish, overlaying the shape on an aerial photo of Weipa. In this interpretation the broken blue line embracing the Cross symbolises the opening of Albatross Bay, the top line of the tail is the Mission River, the bottom line is the Embley River, the tail is the Weipa Peninsula which is the location of the school. In this interpretation, the fish is swimming from the school towards Jesus in the form of the Cross.
Cross
The cross unambiguously identifies St Joseph’s as a Catholic school, together with the school’s name. The incorporation of the word ‘Parish’ is acknowledgement and recognition of the hard-working Parish members who worked tirelessly towards the school’s establishment. The cross is slightly angled within the logo, suggestive of the Southern Cross constellation. Being at the ‘eye’ of the fish, it symbolises the focus on Christ in all that the school does.
Text
The text is simply the name of the school and the location, Weipa. The committee chose a clean, easy-to-read sans-serif font. The school motto was kept separate to the logo and added instead to branding and design elements, partly to keep the logo simple and also to allow the school community the space and time to explore its own charism.
Colours
Blue (two shades) – the colour of the sea and the dry season sky. The colour of water, the giver of life, the water of baptism.
Sunset Orange – the colour of the glorious Weipa sunset, the colour of the mined bauxite which is integral to the life of the community.
Green – the colour of the lush wet season landscapes. Although not represented in the logo, it is used in other design elements.
Motto
The school motto – Bringing Faith and Learning to Life – expresses the interconnectedness of an education founded on the values and morals of our Catholic faith tradition.