In fall 2024, the Association of Canadian Archivists launched an anniversary logo contest. The purpose of the contest was to kick off the 50th anniversary celebrations with members in a fun and engaging way. Four logos were submitted as part of the contest with 201 members voting for their favourite logo. Olivia White’s logo received the most votes and was declared the winner of the competition. This logo will be used by the ACA during its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2025.  

 

In this blog post, Olivia reflects on their logo submission and the ACA’s anniversary year. 
 
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself? 
I've been working in the archival field since 2017, beginning as an Archives Assistant at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections. This experience led me to pursue a Master of Information, specializing in Archives and Records Management, and a Master of Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to work at several archives and information institutions around Ontario. I am currently the Digital Preservation Archivist at the Simcoe County Archives. I find managing born-digital records and learning about their quirks to be a fun challenge, particularly as digital records become more prevalent in archives. I enjoy volunteering in the archival community, both with the Association of Canadian Archivists and more recently with the Archives Association of Ontario. Outside of work, I like visiting galleries and museums, playing video games, and baking. I am also a newly initiated dragon boater and enjoy drawing and sewing in my free time. 
 
Q: What inspired you to create your logo? 
I thought submitting a design would be a fun way to participate in the ACA’s 50th anniversary celebrations and it also gave me an opportunity to try my hand at digital art. I wanted to create a logo that was associated with the current branding of the ACA, but naturally something that acknowledged the 50-year milestone. Thinking along these lines, I was inspired by the connection between a golden anniversary and a gold medal. From there, the design started to take shape. 
 
Q: What tools did you use to create the logo? 
I started by sketching thumbnails using pencil and paper to play around with the ACA letters and the number 50. Once I had some ideas down, I created a few mock-ups using the design software 'Inkscape' and made adjustments until I was happy with a final design. 
 
Q: Are there any design elements in the logo that you would like to highlight? 
While I wanted to keep the design fairly simple, I felt that it was important to maintain a connection with the existing ACA branding. I thought a good way to do this was by pulling in the deep red colours from the current ACA logo along with the maple leaf, because of the significance of the ACA as a professional association on a national level. Again, I was attracted to the colour and shape of a gold medal which I felt complemented the 50-year anniversary. 
 
Q: Reflecting on the ACA’s 50th anniversary, what are your hopes for the association over next 50 years? 
I hope the Association continues to strive to be a welcoming space for informational professionals, at any stage of their careers, to form important connections and gain valuable experience. I believe the archival community is stronger when we can collaborate and rely upon one another for support, and I think the ACA can be a great way to cultivate these connections on a national level. 
 
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share? 
I'm very grateful that my design resonated with the ACA membership. Happy 50th Anniversary to the ACA, and here's to 50 more! 

Amanda Oliver 

Amanda Oliver is a Director at Large for the Association of Canadian Archivists. 

Call for Participation  

The ACA blog team is launching a special interview series to celebrate the Association of Canadian Archivists' 50th anniversary! Starting in May and running throughout the summer, this series will highlight the voices, experiences, and insights of the Association’s members, past and present. We invite you to take part, either as an interviewee sharing your own reflections or as an interviewer learning about the experiences of more seasoned archivists. If you're interested in participating or have someone in mind, please contact the blog team at blog@archivists.ca. Let’s celebrate this milestone together!