Antiguan resident Tonilia Eli, is the winner of the Caribbean Institute for Sustainable Island Living’s (CISIL) Logo Competition.
In May, the team at CISIL threw out the challenge to designers in the Caribbean to produce a logo to represent the organization whose mission is ‘To empower Caribbean people to LIVE WELL in harmony with our environment.’
CISIL received nine strong entries which impressed directors with their creativity. However, Ms. Eli stood tall with her thorough and professional design.
A virtual award ceremony was held recently via zoom to celebrate Tonilia’s triumph and unveil the new logo. The 22-year-old said she has always been fascinated with creativity, colour and design.
This led her to develop a passion for branding and assisting organizations in expressing their authentic self through their brands. Eli says the logo design was inspired by CISIL’s mission to promote human harmony with the environment as well as the Caribbean bounty of natural resources and talent.
Therefore, it focused on the words live well, environment, empowerment, capital and community. The iconic mark of the design displays four leaf like shapes connected with varying shades of green and a circle between the connecting points of the shapes. The leaf like shapes represent the environment, the connected shapes reflect empowerment and strength in unity and the circles are abstract elements representing community.
Eli also cleverly placed an infinity sign in the design of the acronym CISIL, which she says is a constant reminder of the key role health and wellness play in our lives. For her winning logo, the self-taught designer who began her career in 2017, received an award certificate and prize of US$300.
Expressing her gratitude to CISIL, the young designer said: “I feel exhilarated and vindicated. This win has restored my faith in my work.” Institute Director, Interventional Cardiologist Dr Triston Smith congratulated Tonilia saying: “The passion for your work is very evident and your personal journey is inspiring.”
Speaking of the inspiration behind the competition, CISIL Founder Dr. Valma Jessamy said: “As the world changes and issues with climate change and health crises become more pressing, I felt the need to reinvigorate and revamp the work of the Institute. I am thankful to everyone who is lending their expertise to this process as we work to make our region a better place.”
The team at CISIL thanks all designers who participated in the competition.
