From the Deputy …
My Brethren:
The final proposed amendment for this year that your Deputy was charged with communicating is to approve the new Ontario Masons Brand that would be added as a new Section 3.2 of the Constitution. The Branding Team of the Community Outreach Pillar has put together a Brand Standards Manual with guidelines for the use of our name and symbols for which we stand, and we are excited to introduce them to you here.
The Brand Standards govern the intended use of the Name, Logo, Symbol, Wordmark and styles of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario, its Districts and Lodges, their Officers and members as well as the Square and Compasses within our Grand Jurisdiction.
The Standard Logo remains the official logo of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario and is defined in the Book of Constitution under section 3.1, that being the ornate Square and Compasses. This Logo is a registered trademark of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario and shall not be modified or embellished in any manner whatsoever.
The new Ontario Masons Brand that would be added as a new Section 3.2 of the Constitution, is not replacing the current 3.1 standard formal logo of Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario. The new Ontario Masons Brand consists of two distinct elements – the Symbol and the Wordmark as below and will be communicated in the revised Communications Strategy Policy and Standards publication.
The Symbol consists of an adapted version of the trademarked 3.1 Square and Compasses from the Book of Constitution. The Square and Compasses has now been optimized and simplified with a Canadian maple leaf as its background. The Wordmark quickly identifies who we are without the burdensome moniker of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario.
Branding with Symbol and Wordmark (maple leaf and Ontario Masons) would be used for any public facing documents, whereas the Logo should be used where the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario is being mentioned.
The idea behind this amendment is to have a bold, forward-looking image in materials that non-Masons will see and over time we will build consistent messaging.
We are continuing to take this opportunity to socialize the proposed Constitutional amendments now before voting day when you have them all in front of you at once for your decision. We want to ease this stress and make sure everyone has every question answered long before the vote. Your responsibility is to be a well-informed voter.
If you have any questions related to these proposed amendments, please send me an e-mail at office@grandlodge.on.ca and I will endeavor to make you more comfortable with the amendments and the process going forward.
Thomas W. Hogeboom
Deputy Grand Master