Recently, WorldStrides Explorica invited students to design an emblem for the official WorldStrides Explorica commemorative sweater, to be worn by over a thousand Canadian students in the Netherlands for the events honouring the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands.
Students across Canada doodled, drew and designed – and submitted some wonderful pieces! Along with their creative entries, we asked them to describe what attending the commemorative events in Europe this Spring means to them, along with what inspired their design.
Allison’s winning entry!
The winner, Allison K. from Ontario, was inspired by the unique cultures of both Canada and the Netherlands. Allison explained, “Before creating this logo, I started with research to learn about the culture of the Netherlands. It took lots of thought and consideration before designing it. Both [Canada and the Netherlands] are unique and special in their own ways. I wanted this to show in the logo with each [country] standing out uniquely. I thought about how the Netherlands was held against their will, unable to be their own country. This was a big inspiration when creating this logo. I decided to have two people standing tall representing their countries and how they continue to stand strong now.”
Allison also shared more about the inspiration behind the shape of the design, having chosen to create a round logo: “Another key inspiration for my design was thinking about our connection with the [Earth] as humans. Even though we are separated by land, we connect by being human. Thinking about all the connections is what brought me to have a large ring around the picture. It shows unification and endless love in the world. Just like a circle, it never stops… I am super excited to experience this trip and believe it will be an amazing learning experience. I am happy to have an opportunity like this and feel honoured to have my artwork chosen for this logo.”
Just like Allison, we’re looking forward to commemorating the 75th anniversary of VE Day this coming spring, and can’t wait to see hundreds of Canadian students honouring this special event in the Netherlands and wearing sweaters with her design!