Stop and Look Around
To the thousands of safety professionals currently attending the American Society of Safety Engineers' Safety 2009 conference and expo, symbols are valuable tools. At the job site, symbols can warn workers of imminent danger, advise them about proper PPE, or convey the quickest egress route during an emergency.
In historic San Antonio, symbols play just as important a role. Based on the Quatrefoil--a four-lobed geometric shape whose French name stands for "four leaves"--the city has embraced a new “corazon red” quatrefoil logo, the four sides of which allude to the famed gabled roof of the historic Alamo, site of the March 6, 1836, battle where 189 Texans held the mission against 4,000 Mexican troops for 13 days.
According San Antonio's Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city chose the logo to convey a sense of its people, pride, passion, and promise.
The mark was inspired by the gracious and ornate "Rose's Window" at Mission San Jose, one of the 18th century Spanish Colonial missions that helped claim the region for New Spain. It now can be found across the city in historic, commercial, and artistic applications.
So, as you head to the Henry G. Gonzales Convention Center or tour around the city, be on the lookout for this important symbol; you'll find it hidden among the very fabric of the city. For more information, go to www.visitsanantonio.com.