The main focus of the non-governmental organization Amnesty International is human rights abuses. The organization insists that people should have a chance to get all the rights enshrined in international human rights declarations and other instruments. With the help of AI, people from different countries make common cause to generate pressure on governments.
The Amnesty International logo is a visual representation of the proverb “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” The proverb came to us from ancient China.
The barbed wire is an apparent symbol of jail. Here, it symbolizes the injustice and violation of human rights that prisoners often suffer. The candle, in its turn, represents the action that is taken by charity organizations in order to protect the rights of prisoners and other people whose rights are abused.
While the proverb gives a comprehensive explanation of the logo, you don’t need to know it to understand the logo. This is because the picture is based on universal symbols. If this logo could speak, it would say “hope for prisoners.”
According to the explanation on the organization’s website, the design was inspired by Benenson’s belief that their work would cast a light in the darkest of places where human rights violations go unnoticed. The organization’s acting secretary Kate Gilmore stated that it also represents “optimism over repression” and alludes to “our collective ability to change the world.” Another formula is “the wire of oppression” vs “the light of hope.”
The name of the organization is placed to the left of the emblem. It is set in an austere sans. The only feature that sets it apart from the majority of other typefaces is that the letters are slightly more elongated than average.
What is Amnesty International
Amnesty International (AI) is a non-governmental organization focusing on human rights. It was founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a lawyer from London. Amnesty is headquartered in the UK.
The designer behind the Amnesty International logo is Diana Redhouse. She was educated at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. One day, she read an article by Benenson, which told about the plight of political prisoners. As a result, she decided to create a branch of Amnesty in Hampstead. Prior to it, she was involved with several anti-fascist groups.
Back in 1963, Benenson was looking for a symbol for Amnesty’s first-ever Christmas card. Having seen the work of Diane Redhouse, he chose it for the purpose. Eventually, it became the organization’s logo.
In 2000, the emblem was updated by Simon Endres. He is a sculptor and a graphic artist, who was born in New Zealand but lives in New York, as of 2021. The list of his clients includes Target, Sony, Tommy Hilfiger, Citibank, and Royal New Zealand Ballet.
The logo is either used in black-in-white or features black over the yellow background.
The simplicity of the type used for the wordmark offers at least two main benefits. Firstly, it doesn’t overshadow the candle, and thus it doesn’t interfere with the main symbolic message. Also, it provides adequate legibility. The name of the type is Amnesty Trade Gothic. It was created especially for Amnesty.
The vivid and clear yellow hue seen in the Amnesty International logo is associated with optimism and youthfulness.