“The Flight of the Raven”

©2006 Fati Motuehitu

 

Our amazing logo was originally designed for Raven by Fati Motuehitu, a renowned tattoo artist from the island of Bora Bora in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Fati is now based in France.

The design interweaves three core elements: an anchor, a sailboat, and a bird. The anchor, which symbolizes safety and strength, forms the basis of the logo. The flukes of the anchor also form the hull of the sailboat as well as the wings of the bird. The shaft of the anchor forms the mast of the sailboat, and the two eye holes on the shank form the faces of two gods who watch over and safeguard the vessel.

The sailboat (Raven) is depicted sailing downwind on an even keel, mainsail out to port and a turtle on the sail (the turtle is the emissary of the sea gods). The shark represents Raven’s trials and tribulations, but the shark is fended off from the boat by the two gods looking out from the mast.

The keel of the boat is also a fish tail as well as the tail of the bird. The bird’s head at the foot of the mast combines with the flukes/wings/hull and tail/keel to complete the bird. Birds symbolize freedom, voyage and sometimes dreams.

The flukes of the anchor not only form the wings of the bird and the hull of the boat but, best of all, they also form a whale’s tail! The extended beak of the bird is the sword of a billfish. Inside the tail is the artist Fati’s signature.