We Went in Circles, Then Our Logo Took Shape

When we started designing the ForumSpace logo as part of our bigger brand launch, I thought it would be a fun creative process. A few brainstorms here and there, some smart metaphors, a mood board or two. We would find a nice-looking mark, call it a day, and move on to the next item on the launch checklist.

That’s not what happened.

We went in circles, literally and figuratively. Everything we tried looked clean and professional, but none of it meant anything to any of us. They were just shapes. Circles, spirals, linked dots, clever symbols of connection. Nice, but empty.

A Forum isn’t static. It isn’t a logo, a meeting, or a structure. It’s almost like a living organism. It changes as the people in it change. It grows when things go well, and sometimes it grows because they don’t. Somewhere in the middle of one of those long, “what are we even trying to say here?” conversations, an image came up: a tree. Not the branches or the leaves, but the heart of the tree, its rings. That image stuck with me through all our ramblings. It brought back a surprising number of memories, both personal and from the company’s journey. There was just something about it that felt right. The more we explored other ideas, the more I kept coming back to it.

When we started designing the ForumSpace logo as part of our bigger brand launch, I thought it would be a fun creative process. A few brainstorms here and there, some smart metaphors, a mood board or two. We would find a nice-looking mark, call it a day, and move on to the next item on the launch checklist.

That’s not what happened.

We went in circles, literally and figuratively. Everything we tried looked clean and professional, but none of it meant anything to any of us. They were just shapes. Circles, spirals, linked dots, clever symbols of connection. Nice, but empty.

A Forum isn’t static. It isn’t a logo, a meeting, or a structure. It’s almost like a living organism. It changes as the people in it change. It grows when things go well, and sometimes it grows because they don’t. Somewhere in the middle of one of those long, “what are we even trying to say here?” conversations, an image came up: a tree. Not the branches or the leaves, but the heart of the tree, its rings. That image stuck with me through all our ramblings. It brought back a surprising number of memories, both personal and from the company’s journey. There was just something about it that felt right. The more we explored other ideas, the more I kept coming back to it.

Why Trees?

Tree rings tell the story of time. Each ring marks a year lived. Some are smooth and wide, born of easy seasons. Others are narrow or uneven, shaped by storms, drought, or harsh winds. Yet, every ring stays connected to the rest, forming a pattern that shows both strength and endurance.

That’s exactly what happens in a Forum. Every year, members add another ring to their shared journey. They get closer. They learn more. They adapt to whatever life throws their way. Each season adds its own mark, sometimes gentle, sometimes rough, but always meaningful.

Tree rings also carry a quiet truth: they rarely grow in perfect circles. Nature shapes them. Environment, circumstance, and time, all leave traces. Similarly, no Forum year is identical to the one before it. The group’s composition changes. Someone new joins, someone steps away, the chemistry shifts. But like a tree, the Forum adapts, keeping its structure and strength, even as its shape evolves.

Once that metaphor took root, everything about the design started to fall into place. The outer ring became bold, like the strong trunk of a tree. Inside, the lines grew finer and more delicate, moving toward a near-perfect center, balanced but not symmetrical. The natural imperfections made it feel alive.

When we saw the animated version for the first time, the idea came full circle. The rings appeared one by one, forming slowly, unevenly, almost breathing. It reminded us that real growth never happens in straight lines or perfect curves. It is steady, organic, and shaped by experience.

The more we looked at it, the more possibilities we saw. This wasn’t just a static mark. It was a system that could evolve with us. We imagined adding rings to celebrate milestones, or adapting the color and texture to reflect seasons and moments in time: a frosted look for winter, a carved heart for Valentine’s, rainbow rings for Pride, and red-white-blue when Holland finally wins the World Cup. The logo itself could grow, just like the Forums do, always connected to its roots, but open to change.

Working on this logo made me realize how much of what we call growth is really about adaptability. The moments when things don’t line up perfectly, when you have to adapt, when something unexpected happens, or when things change faster than you’d like. That’s where depth gets built. That’s where the next ring forms.

Why Trees?

Tree rings tell the story of time. Each ring marks a year lived. Some are smooth and wide, born of easy seasons. Others are narrow or uneven, shaped by storms, drought, or harsh winds. Yet, every ring stays connected to the rest, forming a pattern that shows both strength and endurance.

That’s exactly what happens in a Forum. Every year, members add another ring to their shared journey. They get closer. They learn more. They adapt to whatever life throws their way. Each season adds its own mark, sometimes gentle, sometimes rough, but always meaningful.

Tree rings also carry a quiet truth: they rarely grow in perfect circles. Nature shapes them. Environment, circumstance, and time, all leave traces. Similarly, no Forum year is identical to the one before it. The group’s composition changes. Someone new joins, someone steps away, the chemistry shifts. But like a tree, the Forum adapts, keeping its structure and strength, even as its shape evolves.

Once that metaphor took root, everything about the design started to fall into place. The outer ring became bold, like the strong trunk of a tree. Inside, the lines grew finer and more delicate, moving toward a near-perfect center, balanced but not symmetrical. The natural imperfections made it feel alive.

When we saw the animated version for the first time, the idea came full circle. The rings appeared one by one, forming slowly, unevenly, almost breathing. It reminded us that real growth never happens in straight lines or perfect curves. It is steady, organic, and shaped by experience.

The more we looked at it, the more possibilities we saw. This wasn’t just a static mark. It was a system that could evolve with us. We imagined adding rings to celebrate milestones, or adapting the color and texture to reflect seasons and moments in time: a frosted look for winter, a carved heart for Valentine’s, rainbow rings for Pride, and red-white-blue when Holland finally wins the World Cup. The logo itself could grow, just like the Forums do, always connected to its roots, but open to change.

Working on this logo made me realize how much of what we call growth is really about adaptability. The moments when things don’t line up perfectly, when you have to adapt, when something unexpected happens, or when things change faster than you’d like. That’s where depth gets built. That’s where the next ring forms.

Finding a Way to Show Growth

Our new logo isn’t just a mark. It isn’t just a way for people to recognize us or see what we’re about. It’s a reminder. Every Forum carries its own pattern. Every group has its tight years and its wide-open ones. Over time, the layers add up into something strong enough to last.

Showing internal growth is about more than what you see on the outside. It’s about what you build over time.

Like the rings of a tree, what shapes us builds up over time. Experiences, people, difficult moments, good ones. Forum becomes part of that story, another layer that stays with us.

That’s what ForumSpace is about. We don’t grow because things are perfect; we grow because they’re not.

About the Author:

Bart de Vocht leads the Revenue team at ForumSpace, working across growth, brand, and the development of new experiences for the ForumSpace community.