LOGO STORY

 

The CASAYOJA naming and logo is very dear to my personal and professional transformation and work.

CASA means house in Spanish, my first learned language. With CASAYOJA I am housing my personal path, all of me. Everything of mine—my craft, my vision, my creativity, my values, my spirituality, my body, my healing—is merging together in one place, under one roof, in one house. 

 As a woman I'm finally able to hold it all in one container in an honest and grounded way; to walk my talk. 

 YOJA (joh’hæ) is me! It's the way my friends back home in Puerto Rico started to call me in my late teens. The spelling, which came from my dear friend Wilka Roig, comes from the phonetics of Joha (short for Johanna) in Spanish.

The logo design and symbolism are also very personal and speak to many aspects of my life. Most importantly it is grounded in my spiritual path, which is associated with my Taino Afro-Caribbean ancestry and the indigenous cultures of the Americas from Alaska to Patagonia. 

The roots of the logo can be found in my original product line, Yojita. This was a side business that started in 1999, when I was designing, making and selling handbags to friends and family. The business grew and flourished while I was working fulltime in the production end of the fashion industry. I chose the butterfly as the logo for Yojita because it represented my creative evolution as a woman and fashion designer.

Moving into a new phase in my growth as designer and artisan, it was important to express this evolution with a new name and logo for my brand. The Yojita butterfly will always be a part of my essence, as my design aesthetic and personal journey continue to morph. Keeping it prominent was essential in this rebranding process. 

 In the new logo, you find the center body, antennae and wings of the butterfly present. Other aspects of my growth were important to incorporate into the logo. 

 The next, very important symbol is the Arrow. The tip of the arrow is inverted (V), representing the inward journey. It symbolizes my target point and a reminder that brings me back to focus when I get sidetracked by life. Also related to my rising sign, Sagittarius, and to the orixa Oxossi (Yoruba, Umbanda spirituality), symbolisms that have inspired my direction this past year. The arrow represents a full focus on inner intentions and goals. 

 The next symbol, the (Y), is what is housed in the uterus - issues with her and healing her. It's the place where life, and creativity, is held. Since I've never had children, in many ways CASAYOJA is my child. From conception to birth, this process has been an integral part of who I am. 

 In the symbolism of the uterus in the (Y), the divine feminine is receiving from above, receiving healing and welcoming in the divine masculine, the (V).

 These aspects are internal and also depicted in the base of the wings. 

 Ōmeteōtl—the coming together in balance of the Divide Duality—is a teaching that has been a great influence in my life the past 8 years. Ōmeteōtl is a word from the Nahuatl language from central Mexico. OME - means two; TEOTL - divinity or god. This understanding guides us to embody a wholesome balance within and all around us.

The icon that is the new logo as a whole has two other important symbols represented. The first is that of a deconstructed teepee, a place of prayer that I honor and respect. The second is the Ceiba Tree, a huge millenary tree that can be found in my native Borike (Puerto Rico). The trees are our teachers, and I contemplate their way of being as an example of how to live. My roots are anchored into our Mother Earth (Bibi Atabey), deeply in touch with her, while my rising branches reach to the sky (Yaya Gua Turey), reaching for the light, to the source of all Creation and possibilities.  

 And so, this logo truly represents where I am in my life right now, what I am aiming for along my life path, and what I offer to you: healing, spiritual growth and self-discovery through my artisanal work.

 I pray that my creative expression inspires and enhances the lives of others, and that together we continue to Walk in Beauty in all our words, actions and relations.