Turtle Island Institute
When we first met with Melanie for the Turtle Island Institute website and branding, we were so excited. To incorporate a Turtle into a logo was a lot of fun, in that it can be interpreted in many ways depending on culture and language. For the Turtle Island Institute logo, we designed many amazing options, from Woodlands style to the logo you see above, and it was an interesting way to think about Turtles, Turtle Island, and how what they represent can be visually explored through a variety of different expressions.
Turtle Island Institute (TII) is an Indigenous start-up currently supported by the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience (WISIR) based out of the University of Waterloo. Lead by Melanie Goodchild (Anishinaabe) and Terrellyn Fearn (Mi’kmaq) the TII honours a conscious need to reframe social innovation and complexity by drawing on Anishinaabe Gikendaasowin (our original ways of knowing). They strive to support the application of decolonized systems, thinking, concepts and processes. This organization holds a niche space to connect the hearts and minds of those who hope to shift systems and support the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.