Journey of a Logo
This year we honor 25 years of TriYoga in Central Pennsylvania, 2000-2025. As part of this anniversary, our series Celebrate 25 Years highlights important gifts and milestones of the organization as told by our founding director, Theresa Shay. Read more here.
Refinement comes with time, and I’ve got logos to prove it. The story of this organization’s transformation over the past 25 years can be told through visuals in the evolution of the logo.
2000
When I began offering classes in Central Pennsylvania, I created the first logo on an iMac at the school where I was teaching. I used this logo on paper flyers to advertise classes held in downtown State College. With literal “cut and paste” technique, every eight weeks I moved the logo from one flyer to the next, made copies, and went on my flyer-hanging circuit. My homemade logo included a triangle as was found in the official TriYoga® logo and a shading feature in the outlining circle, of which I was very proud. This shading was to symbolize the “enlightening” journey we take through the practice of TriYoga.
2005
For a few years in the early 2000’s we used TriYoga International’s logo, which looked much more professional than my cut and paste version. Then I struck up a trade with a student’s husband: website and new logo for his wife’s classes. The url PennsylvaniaYoga.com was purchased, inspired by my dad’s yoga teacher who owned TexasYoga.com. For images, we met in the couple’s basement in State College to take pictures, and my Triangle became the figure for the new logo which included the url along with my name.
2011
Our community became an official TriYoga Center and organized chapter of TriYoga International in 2011, requiring a logo to announce TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania, our chosen name. While most of the TriYoga Centers are followed by the name of the city (or country) where they are located, we had two locations at the time and needed a name broad enough to include both our State College and Penns Valley locations. Calligrapher Nancy Cleaver was hired to create lettering to sit below the TriYoga triangle.
2013
As I worked with Nancy’s art, it became clear I needed a digital logo that I could quickly resize, reshape, and adjust for promotional material. A local graphic artist created a digital logo, banner, and business card layout to use in this way. The logo was highly functional when I set out to make flyers and brochures, but I didn’t love it.
2015
Within short order, updates were again required. The organization prepared to open its third studio in Bellefonte, and we needed a logo specifically for that location. TriYoga student and graphic designer Carly Dreibelbis stepped forward to help. She created a main logo for the organization as well as one for each of the locations using Philosopher font. Carly and I met after Thursday night yoga in Spring Mills to go over letter spacing and heights for each of the location logos and the organization’s logo. I loved the clarity that emerged with her help. This logo is the basis for the one currently in use.
2023
Carly’s logo remained untouched for many years and saw us through the pandemic. In fact, a 20th anniversary logo was released in 2020, primarily seen on screens since the pandemic arrived just weeks after it was created.
In 2023, the organization moved through a major transformation, closing the last of the physical studios and shifting the offerings. Once again, this called for a new website, new brand colors, and new logo. Carly revised the logo to match the new sparkling vision. The gold logo, inspired by friends at TriYoga Bad Tölz in Germany, speaks to the quieter, calmer, intentionally rich offerings of the organization honoring TriYoga®. This has brought us where we are today.
2025
And for a little spark of joy, a burst of celebration for 2025.
Thanks for being here for this amazing journey.
Theresa Shay is the founding director of TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania, where she teaches weekly yoga and meditation online and trains others to teach TriYoga®. Each week, she shares wisdom cultivated from decades of TriYoga study and practice.
Learn more about her here. Theresa can be reached at Theresa@PennsylvaniaYoga.com. Find her on Instagram @theresa_of_triyoga for more inspiration and light.