IALC Logo and Badges

The history of the Lyceum badge and its logo is related in its entirety in the book on the history of the International Lyceum Club of Helsinki (2010, ISBN 978-952-92-8214-2). The publication, in Finnish and Swedish, is written by the recent Secretary of the Club, Mrs. Aulikki Sauramo.

On 24 May, 1932, only three weeks after the founding of the Helsinki Club, Board member Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo accepted the commission to design the badge. However, more urgent matters delayed the planning. Only in the spring of 1942 did Mrs. Ivalo present the first sketches for a club badge, followed by a few sketches in March 1943. New suggestions were again presented in the autumn of 1943. The Board selection of a jury was then followed by a long silence for a decade or so concerning the badge project. In early 1952, the board took up the question of the club badge again, and the decision was made to have a competition for a badge design. An announcement was posted on the notice board of the club premises, inviting members to design a badge for the Club.

The posting included the following conditions: The badge should be fastened as a brooch; the design should be suitable for a stamp; the material should be gold, silver, tombak (brass) and, in addition, enamel. The stamp should be made of a different material. The competition designs should be signed with a pseudonym and the designer’s name provided in a closed envelope.

Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo had been entrusted with outlining the invitation to the competition. She was assisted by Mr. J. Hurme, Rector of the School for Goldsmiths at the Central School for Arts and Crafts. The goal was that he would also function as an expert later.

There is no documentation as to whether the competition actually ever took place.

Quite unexpectedly, as Mrs. Aulikki Sauramo writes in her book, a proposition of the Lyceum Clubs of Athens and Rome to choose a badge is mentioned in the minutes of the 13th International Congress of the IALC in Bern (27 May–1June, 1956). The then International President expressed the regret of the members not having a common shared international badge, saying that the Clubs had been asked for suggestions. During the meeting the designs received were circulated between the delegates, who were asked to give their opinion. The Finnish design was chosen. It was made by Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo, member of the ILC Helsinki, and was drawn as a letter L within two circles of gold.

The Bureau Central International (BCI) minutes of 8 September 1957 tell us that Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo created the design of the badge for free and suggested making it in silver, with the capital letter L in gold. However, the general wish was a gold-plated badge. At that time there were proposals from manufacturers from Florence, Italy and Le Locle, Switzerland; the Florence manufacturer was chosen. The price of the badge at that time was around 3 Swiss Francs. The BCI minutes of 2 September 1958 reveal that 5000 badges were ordered and 3000 were already sold. In February 1958, the Bulletin of the Swiss Lyceum Clubs was decorated with the new Logo for the first time.

There are two kinds of badges: silver and gold. New members receive the silver badge with the Lyceum L in gold on blue enamel, within two circles of silver. To celebrate 25 years of membership the gold badge, with two circles of gold, is awarded.

In the past, there have been differing opinions on who designed the Lyceum badge/logo. After the 2010 publication of the history of the Helsinki Lyceum Club, and after thorough searches discovering the original sketches of Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo in the archives of the IALC in Zurich, the circle is complete. From now on the name of Mrs. Ellinor Ivalo will always be linked to the design of the beautiful and unique badge and logo of our international organization!