The Atlantic to the North - the Pacific to the South

Travel broadens the horizon, provides new inspiration and gives my creativity a fresh boost. In this blog article I would like to take you to two countries that I traveled to in March/April 2022 to recharge my batteries.

One of the two countries I visited, borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. How unusual! I’m talking about... Panama!

The Panama Canal, completed at the beginning of the 20th century, contributes around ten percent to the GDP in service-oriented Panama and charges several hundred thousand US dollars (depending on ship size and load) per crossing of the American continent, which is only about 80 km wide at this point.

As a corporate designer, my eyes immediately fell on the logo, of course. And I have to say, it fascinated me from the beginning - and still does today.

Looking at the map and shape as well as the flag of Panama, one might assume that the blue star represents the North American continent, the red star the South American continent, the blue area the Pacific Ocean, and the red area the Atlantic Ocean. At least that was my first association.

However, my research revealed that the flag is about something far less spectacular - the country's two major political players: blue representing the conservatives, red representing the liberals, white stands for peace (after all...) and the two stars represent the two political parties.

But back to the logo design of the Panama Canal. The colors and stars of Panama’s flag are used in the logo. Both stars are skillfully connected and yet separated by an offset transit road - a clever association with the transit between North and South America.

After a few days in Panama and the Bocas del Toro Islands in the Caribbean Sea, we went on to the natural paradise of Costa Rica. Immerse yourself in some beautiful images and recharge your batteries too!