What makes a good logo?

A good logo captures the entity’s brand or personality as well as the product or services it offers. Some famous and ubiquitous logos immediately come to mind such as the swoosh, the golden arches, and an apple with a bite taken out of it. You get the idea.  

In creating a logo for JPEN, the desire is to convey our brand and our message; we are a Jesuit work of education in the prisons.  At the very core of Jesuit education is transformation. And, that transformation is mutual. In prison education, all involved come to the realization that we have a shared humanity.  

The JPEN logo is being described as clear and striking. At the center is an open book inscribed with the abbreviation AMDG, Ad majorem Dei Gloriam. The translation is: For the greater glory of God. However, it is not so much a dedication as it is a directive to choose the greater or more universal good, often called the Magis. Doing so helps all involved including the one making the choice. The AMDG abbreviation has been associated with Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits for close to 500 years. The book on which the directive is placed appears to be breaking or bending the bars.   

All Jesuit works are rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The purpose of the Exercises: “to help souls.” JPEN is about helping souls. This includes the souls of those teaching in the prisons as well as those taking the classes. JPEN is the pursuit of AMDG, the Magis – the more universal good. What is occurring in JPEN campuses is the same thing being pursued on all 180 Jesuit college campuses throughout the world. 

 Special thanks to Marcus Knodle and the MARCOM team of Regis U. for capturing the desires of the JPEN effort with the logo.