The AutismSTAR logo

SESA WARUBAN – The Symbol at the Centre of the Logo

 Also known as ‘Sesa Wo Suban’, this symbol was chosen from the Andinkra symbols of Ghana. It means “to change your life” and is  associated with transformation and new beginnings. It perfectly  encapsulates the focus of Autism STAR.

The Meaning of the Gold Star

A great deal of meaning and metaphor can be drawn from the gold star that occupies the centre of the logo. Gold as a colour is often associated with success and achievement, as too are stars. Stars also symbolise direction and navigation, which is why the star in the logo is shaped like a compass.

This part of the logo is designed to represent purpose, direction and success.

The Outer Circle and the Quadrants

Circles in symbology can be interpreted to mean unity and also infinity; a continual cycle of growth. A spiral, when viewed from the top, looks like a circle. Yet when the spiral is viewed from the side, it shows a ever increasing or decreasing change in elevation. The intent of the spiral metaphor for Autism STAR is for the upward spiral – continual improvement.

Each element of the ‘STAR’ acronym has been assigned a quadrant in the circle and a point of the star. The symbology is that while each aspect of Autism STAR is separate, they are all united within the circle and each element is dependant on the others for success. Therefore, autism spectrum is an essential element of success.

Why is ‘autism-STAR’ outside the circle?

The primary reason is that it looks better outside the circle at the top left quadrant. However, there is also symbology. The first and foremost meaning of the company name being outside the circle is that it represents unlimited potential; it is unbound by the circle.

Also, in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), if the circle represented a face looking out of the screen and the eyes of that person were to look up toward the top right, then that person would be accessing future possibilities or constructs. Therefore the positioning also represents the future.

The Colours of the Quadrants

Colours have meaning, as demonstrated in the above description of the gold star. In this logo, each colour has a meaning and purpose as follows:

• RED represents the start of the visible spectrum of light. It is also the colour of self awareness;
• BLUE is often associated with the mental or mind state and with knowledge, making it ideal for training and learning;
• ORANGE represents self respect, resourcefulness, confidence and creativity – attributes that any advocate will aim to instill in their clients;
• GREEN carries a lot of popular and spiritual meanings. The main focus for choosing green for recruitment is that it is widely recognised as the colour for GO. “Getting the green light” is a common metaphor used to represent this meaning. Green is also the colour of harmony and balance – both highly valuable attributes in a job.

Where is the Jigsaw Piece?

The jigsaw piece is recognised as the international symbol for autism. However, it is not universally accepted by members of the autistic community, a subset of whom take offence at being associated with a puzzle or a missing piece.

For this reason, Autism STAR has chosen to move away the common practice of including the jigsaw piece in the logo, instead adopting new symbology as described above.

Autism STAR represents and advocates for autistic clients first and foremost and will always endeavour to be as inclusive as possible to its primary client base.