Dream or vision? I think I’ll leave that to you to decide. At the end of the day, the idea is to be a part of the solution; and that is what started me on this journey in September 2020.
However, today I do not write to explain the history of the brand, but of what it represents. The logo by itself lays down clearly the overall goals and objectives of the brand. The colours chosen are not by accident, and neither is the shape.
If you’ve read books where there were knights and Kingdoms and each had a sigil of their house, this is similar. And who knows? Maybe by the end of this article even those gallant warriors will have rallied under our banner 😉
Duo-Bearings Africa. A unique name, no? Bearings here refer to both the ball bearings that enable a machine to move smoothly, and also to the “direction” or “placing” of an object in relation to location. Thus, the logo contains both the ball-bearing compartments as well as the pointy tip that resembles that of a compass.
Without bearings, there would be lots of friction between moving parts which would lead to corrosion and loss of efficiency of the machine. In the logo, the bearings represent more of the athletes than they do the sport. The athletes are the delicate instruments that keep the structure upright, and without them, the brand loses its form. In my races, I have always held that the most important persons are the participants, not the organisers or spectators, as they are the ones who make the race a reality. Wouldn’t you agree?
The bearings are contained in a space between two light blue boundaries against a white background. The arrangement of the bearings implies that without the athletes, the structure would collapse. Also, the athletes need each other just as we need the athletes. The white background signifies a clear, free space where the athletes are protected from the negative forces that would hinder their progress (grey area, coming to that in a bit).
The light blue represents the boundary between the grey area and the athletes, almost like a protective layer. For as long as the athlete is in the system, they can be well assured that they’ll be well taken care of. However, the light blue colour also stresses that the athletes have a responsibility and must try work hard in order to keep their place. If one was to be, for example, found doping or cheating in any way, they would sink through the light blue surface and back into the hungry grey area.
The grey area represents all the possible negative forces that would hinder the performance of an athlete: fear, anxiety, injury, unsupportive society,…….. In fact, this bit was particularly important to me because I realised that with all those retarding forces, one’s outcome was hindered and that only served to solidify the grey. And thus, you can begin to appreciate the significance of the white and grey backgrounds in the logo, separated by the light blue lines that seem to be rather permeable.
As mentioned earlier, one of the targeted meanings of bearings was location. And the idea is for the athlete to know where “they are” as far as their sport is concerned. And perhaps that would enable them to find ways of improving themselves so as to get better. Thus the significance of the pointy end (pointing North, haha).
But there’s another intended purpose for the triangular shape of the tip: to easily penetrate the grey area; clearing a path, hence the darker shade of blue. The tip must be hardy in order to effectively forge a path through the retarding forces, and when it does so, the entire “protective sack” moves smoothly against the grey while efficiently protecting its athletes from harm.
And thus our words: PIERCING THROUGH THE GREY FOR ULTIMATE SPORTS PERFORMANCE.
In one of our upcoming articles, we will get into detail on how we plan to achieve our goals. Nevertheless, I have already written about sport being a part of “culture”, and I think that once you read it, you’ll have a general idea of our intended purpose.
In case you would like to get in touch with us, you could email duobearingsafrica@gmail.com, IG: Duo-Bearings Africa, FB page: Duo-Bearings Africa, or contact +254 707 047 249.
I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and maybe even recommendations that you might have.
WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT? 
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