About our logo

Our Logo: A Blend of Georgian Heritage and Philosophy

Dear Clients, allow us to explain the background of the Splendid Tours Georgia logo. We believe sharing our experience would be interesting. From the very beginning, the company's founder decided to avoid typical travel symbols like the sun, sailors, mountains, and airplanes, which are often found in ready-made graphic catalogs. We felt that simply choosing from a pre-made list didn't reflect our enthusiasm, love, and dedication to our work or our country.

The Search for a Unique Symbol

We needed a symbol that would showcase one of Georgia's greatest assets: its architecture and medieval design. Georgian churches are a major draw for many tourists, as they are an integral part of our local history, religion, cultural heritage, and national identity. Initially, we started our search through old books and photos to find inspiration that aligned with our philosophy.

Inspiration from Jvari Monastery and Cultural Philosophy

The second stage involved considering a famous Georgian ornament from the tympanum of Jvari Monastery (6th–7th centuries AD, a UNESCO World Heritage site), which depicts the "raising of the cross by angels." The church and its composition are truly masterpieces of early Georgian Christian art.

However, we soon realized that Georgia has a vast array of churches and unique designs. We decided it would be better to use several ornaments to represent this diversity. We also wanted to be mindful that a strong emphasis on religious symbols might lead clients to believe we only cater to Christians. In Georgia, the philosophy is that "a guest is sent by God," which means a guest's beliefs are not a factor—the guest themselves is a treasure. We knew our logo needed to reflect this welcoming spirit.

From Jvari to Tsughrughasheni

Based on this, we focused on architectural ornaments from two key periods of Georgia's golden age: the early Christian period (4th–7th centuries AD) and the high point of feudalism (second half of the 10th century to the 13th–14th centuries). Although we aimed to reduce overt religious symbolism, we still wanted to maintain a connection to our religion, rich history and culture. During our continued search, we discovered the ornaments of Tsughrughasheni Church (13th century) and were particularly drawn to the central window on its eastern facade. After many attempts, we realized the window needed an additional artistic frame. We decided to use floral elements from the Jvari Monastery tympanum composition and place them on all four sides of the window as an extra decorative border.

The Final Design and Color Palette

We faced other challenges, such as designing the main frame for the entire composition, choosing its color and shape, and simplifying the overall look. We decided the frame should match the color of the floral elements—a brown sandstone color. By carefully replicating this authentic color in a computer program, we gave the frame a more genuine feel. Finally, we opted for a round shape instead of a square.

Integrating the Name

For the last stage, we needed to add the company name without compromising the authenticity of the architectural ornaments. We didn't want words like "travel" or "tour" to clash with the medieval design. After much thought, we decided to place the first two words, "Splendid Tours," above the window frame, and the last word, "Georgia," inside the window where the glass would typically be. Today, our company logo combines elements from Jvari Monastery (6th–7th centuries) and Tsughrughasheni Church (13th century). Their warm colors—brown, reddish (like Rosé wine), bluish, and greenish—have become our company's official colors.