The Meaning Behind Our Logo: A Symbol of Life, Light, and Legacy

At first glance, our logo may seem like a simple image—but look a little closer, and you’ll discover layers of meaning woven into every curve and color.

We designed this logo to reflect the spirit of our work: honoring life, connecting with nature, and offering a sense of peace and purpose. Here’s what each element represents:

Sketch by Chris Alonso.

✍️ It Started with a Sketch

The design began with a simple sketch by co-founder Chris Alonso, a lifelong artist and professional landscape architect. Chris has always moved fluidly between creative disciplines—sketching, sculpting, designing with plants and stone—bringing an artist’s eye and a deep sensitivity to the land.

While flipping through one of his early notebooks, we came across a drawing—rough but radiant—that captured the emotional core of what we were building together. It reflected themes of life emerging, light breaking through, and something sacred held in the natural world.

From that sketch, the logo evolved into a true collaboration between Chris and Lauren Robie, also a co-founder of Hope Eternal Gardens and a designer with an extensive background in visual studies, art history, and branding. Together, they refined the symbolism of the early concept, shaping the logo into a mark that speaks to the deeper meaning of what we do.

🌼 The Coreopsis Flower

At the heart of our logo is the coreopsis, the Florida state wildflower. You’ll find this golden bloom growing freely across our property, dotting the landscape with its warmth and resilience.

Beyond its beauty, the negative space between the petals forms the shape of sun rays, suggesting illumination, clarity, and renewal.

🌱 A Tiny Bud, A New Beginning

To the right the central flower is a small flower bud. It’s a quiet detail—but a meaningful one. It signifies new life, beginnings, and the potential that arises even in the wake of loss. This speaks to the cycles of ecological succession and renewal that our landscape is built to support.

🕊 A Bird in Flight

At the center of the design is a bird, wings spread in motion, ascending into the sky. Its form is intentionally open to interpretation. Some may see a dove—a universal symbol of peace and release. Others may recognize the graceful lines of a bird native to Southwest Florida, the swallow-tailed kite, soaring with elegance through the treetops. Each reading is valid. The bird represents uplift, memory, and taking flight.

⭕ A Circle Without End

The circular shape around the logo symbolizes eternity—life’s ongoing nature, without beginning or end. It reflects the rhythms of the natural world and the cycles we all pass through.

🌈 Inspired by Stained Glass

The visual language of the logo draws inspiration from stained glass—bold lines, strong contrast, and luminous color. It reflects the intersection of light, nature, and story.

📏 Thoughtful Proportions

The inner ring of the coreopsis flower became a key design unit. We repeated its width throughout the logo to create a sense of consistency and quiet structure. It’s one of the many ways we honored balance, proportion, and unity in the design.

🎨 Color with Meaning

Each color was chosen for its emotional and symbolic weight:

• Navy Blue – the vast sky above, and a dark field that allows other colors to glow

• Yellow & Orange – the coreopsis and the sun: light, energy, and life

• Green – growth, grounding, and the presence of nature

• White – purity, clarity, peace

This logo isn’t just a mark. It’s a story—A story that began with a sketch, shaped through collaboration, and grounded in a shared vision of remembrance, beauty, and renewal.

Rooted in Florida’s landscape, lifted by love, and carried forward by everyone who becomes part of our community.

Hope Eternal Gardens co-founders Chris and Lauren with the logo.