On behalf of our board and staff, I am delighted to unveil the Tyler Clementi Foundation’s brand new logo! In response to our organization’s dramatic growth, which is in large part due to the support of our generous and loyal donors, we embarked on a journey to revise our logo. The final design, pictured above, incorporates Tyler at the center, just as he is at the heart of our story. In the past five years since Tyler’s passing, change has been the only constant in my life. I have embraced not only my own personal evolution, but also that of the organization that my husband Joseph and I founded in our son’s name. Our logo has been a growing process since our founding in 2010. Those of you who have supported our organization from the beginning may remember the Roman Handshake, our “Live = Let Live” tagline, and our teal and gold stripes. Throughout all of these, I always felt that something was lost in the translation. For me, our new logo is a strong statement of who we are, why we are, and what we do. The new logo communicates everything I have been trying to say in one iconic, youthful and universal symbol. The logo includes Tyler’s initials, held together in the form of the universal “Power On” button – a nod to our work to end online (as well as offline) bullying. We have retained the color gold to reflect the golden rule, which continues to guide our organization’s values.
There are many layers involved in the problems caused by bullying. Bullying involves a power imbalance between the target and the bully, the shame and stigma that prevents victims from reporting and seeking help, the silence of bystanders, and the brave actions of Upstanders. Both cyberbullying and in-person harassment continue to be major issues that we are working on changing. People are targeted for bullying due to their race, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or other difference; and no matter the reason we want to help!
Click the video above to listen to a recording of our online webinar where we explain more of the thought process behind the new design.
We also invite you to share your thoughts or to make a gift in celebration!
My son Tyler is the reason I, along with my husband Joseph and son James, have dedicated the last five years of our lives to sharing our personal tragedy with the world. The loss that we experienced in September 2010 devastated us and permanently transformed our family, our lives and our purposes. We could not go back in time and change the choice Tyler made, even though it was the only thing I wanted; the only thing that would be able to make me whole again. I have spent years learning to live with the loss and pain, and it continues to be a learning process. The one thing I know is that no family should have to endure a tragedy like ours.
As alone as Tyler must have felt in his final days, his experiences were one of many. Many people opened up to me about their experiences being bullied, and I began to see just how widespread and rampant a problem bullying is in our culture. When we began the Tyler Clementi Foundation our goal was to help as many people from as many diverse situations and backgrounds as possible. Inclusion and reaching through our differences to connect and support each other has been a fundamental goal of mine. I found that Tyler’s story had a universal quality that many people could relate to in some way. There was something about Tyler’s story that spoke to so many people I met. For this reason, we have decided to keep Tyler at the center of our mission, our programming and our identity as an organization.
One afternoon a few weeks ago, I was sitting down for a cup of coffee with a friend whose opinion I cherish, and I shared the new logo with her and awaited her thoughts. She immediately commented that the “C” in the initials looked to her like arms outstretched, embracing Tyler with a loving hug. I have since heard this interpretation from a number of sources. It was so interesting to me because this wasn’t our intention, and it never came up during the design process. I think this is another layer of meaning to our logo that makes it even richer and more heartfelt. I am excited to share this logo with the world, and look forward to seeing how it impacts even more people.