LOGO

Have you ever wondered how Yirra Yaakin got its name and logo?

It all started back in 1993 when a fledgling new Aboriginal theatre company was developed as an offshoot of Barking Gecko Theatre Company.

The new company needed branding, so a series of visual arts workshops were held. Some of the young people involved drew stick figures representing different people at the workshop and they looked so good, it was decided to develop them and use them as the new Yirra Yaakin logo. As for our name, well initially there was a long list of potential new names, but Yirra Yaakin stood out from the pack, because it was felt the meaning – stand tall - perfectly reflected what this new company wanted to do. It was also a fitting tribute to the Noongar nation on which the company stands. The new name and stick figure logos were given to acclaimed Aboriginal artist Sally Morgan and the company’s first official logo was born.

Although the ‘Morgan’ logo was used from 1993-1995, the young people associated with Yirra Yaakin were still playing around the stick figures as branding for the company.

Those original stick figures seemed to take on a life of their own and those first drawings evolved into a series of different characters.

These figures communicated non-verbal signals and messages, which were easy identifiers within the Aboriginal Community. Some have a story behind them. Others are just common hand signals.

	This figure is crouching down in an informal way. This is a welcome sign. He’s saying hello.
	The second figure emerged after one of the original members of Yirra Yaakin won lotto and then promptly blew it all. This signal means ’I’m broke’, ’I’m open’ or ’I’ve got nothing’.
	This character is saying ’Let’s shoot through, let’s go’.
	The fourth figure is holding his hand up to his face and peering through his fingers, like looking through bars. This figure emerged around the time of Yirra Yaakin’s play about school, Headspace.
	Watch out! This figure is going to straighten you out with a smack upside the head!
	Our final figure is another welcome gesture. This woman is waving hello.

So now all you Wadjulas know the secrets behind our logo!