While we loved our old logo of a Linden tree with an open ring around it symbolizing the Bruderhof’s open door for everyone and openness to new inspiration it was too complex and difficult to reproduce for an ever-increasing variety of applications and platforms.

So we looked back to our beginnings in Germany in the 1920s and were intrigued to find a symbol that had been used by the community in those early days even appearing on the cover of the first book they published: a cross encircled by a fiery sun.

Christ’s cross is at the center of our life together. Without Jesus we human beings are selfish and divided, unfit for life together. The sun’s rays represent the warmth of his love radiating out to all.

The original symbol was designed by the noted calligrapher and type designer Rudolf Koch, a close friend of the Bruderhof.

It took many iterations of changing the original symbol until we had one that could reduce small and still be easily recognized. We ended up with a different but similar sun with the cross, but it is one that can easily reduced, digitized and recognized.

We’re still the Bruderhof. We hope our new logo will serve for years to come reminding us and everyone we meet to look to Jesus, follow him, and spread his love to others.