Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Announces Logo Reimagination to Reflect Its Future

LOS ANGELES, CA January 22, 2025 — SCBWI, a global leader in fostering community among children’s book creators, is thrilled to unveil its new logo—a vibrant symbol of creativity, connection, and inspiration. The decision to update the logo comes after feedback from valued stakeholders who shared concerns about the owl as part of the previous design. The owl has negative connotations in some cultures around the world. While the original logo was created with thoughtful intent, the new logo design reflects SCBWI’s commitment to respect and positive engagement with its diverse community, striving to ensure its brand aligns with the values it upholds and the voices of those it serves.

“The new logo was crafted much in the way SCBWI members create their own work, by starting with a story. SCBWI has imagination, creativity, and community at its core, and these elements were part of the story that we wanted a new logo to illustrate,” commented Board of Directors President Laurent Linn, “Our children’s book community has many of the most talented illustrators in the world. To bring the narrative of SCBWI to life in our logo, we turned to John Hendrix, who, in addition to being one of the top illustrators and typographers in children’s books, is also a part of our SCBWI community. It was such a joy collaborating with John."

Award-winning and New York Times best-selling illustrator John Hendrix, who designed the logo, said, "It was so exciting to get the call…about the opportunity to redesign the SCBWI logo. Not only is SCBWI important to our industry, but I personally have had so many great experiences with them over many years of my career...[V]isualizing SCBWI in logotype form is...particularly challenging. With so many amazing different voices represented in the organization, we…started the process by trying a bunch of different options that highlighted the variety, quirk, and diversity...[We]...landed on a direction that retained...handmade charm but also felt polished and well-crafted. It is an honor to have contributed a small piece of the visual culture...[of] SCBWI. Thank you to the amazing art direction of Laurent [Linn] and Sarah [Baker]; without them, I couldn't have designed such unique and charismatic letterforms." 

SCBWI rolls out the logo today across all platforms and invites its members, partners, volunteers, and children’s book creators to celebrate this new chapter. “We are grateful to our community for their candid feedback and for holding us accountable to our mission of inclusivity and respect,” added Executive Director Sarah Baker. “Our new logo is hand-drawn, playful, and speaks to the creativity of our members. But this is more than a logo—it symbolizes our dedication to continuous improvement and collaboration.”