A Brief History Lesson and The Story Behind My Monogram-Logo Mashup

During my recent studies on the ancient history of architecture, Egyptian pyramids stood out to me in an incredible way. Not only did the sheer accomplishment of actually building such a structure in ancient times blow me away, but also the spirituality behind it. I discovered that Pyramids were purposefully built into a point as a way to connect the earthly beings with the celestial. The morning sun would touch the tip of the pyramid first, before anything else, allowing the pharaoh who was buried within to join Ra, the god of the Sun, on his daily trip across the sky.

Going a bit deeper, I studied Marcus Vitruvius - a Roman Architect who wrote The Ten Books on Architecture in 20 - 30 BC. It is the only text pertaining to Architecture to survive antiquity and one of the first texts in history to point out a connection between the architecture of the body and that of a building. Its a rather long-winded, but incredible manuscript that you can read a translation of here.

In his writings, Vitruvius describes that if a structure is to create a sense of eurythmia - a graceful and agreeable atmosphere - it is essential that it mirrors the absolute perfection of the body’s symmetry and proportions, and follows the natural laws of harmony and beauty. Every building, therefore, must have three key ingredients - often pictured in the shape of a pyramid - Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas.

Firmitas - strength, structural stability - Will it fall down? How strong is it? Will it stand the test of time?

Utilitas - Utility, Function - How are people going to move throughout the space? How do the different parts of the structure work together? What is the flow from room to room?

Venustas - Beauty, Delight - That indescribable feeling you get when you enter a space. The spiritual connection to a structure. Will it take my breath away?

Using these ideals as the foundation from which to launch all my work, I decided on a golden pyramid as a symbolic reminder of the aspects I want to bring into each and every environment I create. I will integrate all of the knowledge above into the core values and fabric of my brand and this symbol will remind me of that. If you look closely, you’ll even see my initials “JL” forming the spine of the pyramid. This is my promise that as I grow, I will lead with these ideals.

My dream is that my work will have the same precision and awe-inspiring wonder that the world of Ancient Architecture brings us, and that it will connect with the human spirit in a memorable way.

I hope you stick around for my journey because I'm just getting started!.

Additional reading on Vitruvius with bonus material on Leonardo DaVince can be found here.

Photos: http://www.ibtimes.com/

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