Last month Lektor launched a new, special event, which is the International Day of the ATC Instructor. The launch was received quite enthusiastically around the world and we got way over one hundred individual participating as Founders of this day.

We created a Wall of Champions showcasing the names of each Founder and this Wall is accessible on our website. Later down the line, we will create a physical plaque as well and set it up in our headquarter office.

This, however is not quite enough, we thought. Let’s take it further and create an icon for it. Something that reminds us of the work ATC Instructors do and that reminds us of this day. It could be something you can carry or wear to show the world your heart pumps for these heroes.

A moment all instructors really live and work for is to see students learning. Some call this moment as epiphany, some as penny dropping, some as pieces clicking together. It is something sudden and fast, and brings a big change. We at Lektor, like to think of this moment as a lightbulb moment. It is the second, when student realises how something works, what something means, or how to do something.

Often learning is a slow process and it takes time to get one’s head around new things, but sometimes it can come to you suddenly like a flash. A light comes on and illuminates the things that have been hidden in the dark. It reveals the path for someone who did not know where to go before. It also brings warmth and a feeling of safety to something that was cold, dark and scary. When the light is switched on, the learners “see” things differently. They experience feeling of being safe because they are not lost anymore. Learning has happened.

This post introduces the new icon for ATC Instructors in the form of logo with more symbolism, than in a Kubrick movie. It shows an Instructor’s headphone wired up to a lightbulb, which has the glowing filaments forming the letters ATC. The headphone represents the instructor who is connected to the learner, represented by the bulb, which feeds from the knowledge of the instructor. The light and heat come from within the learner, not from the instructor. This tells about the inner processes of the learner. ATC is the vehicle of light and heat representing the context of work and learning.

As you see, the icon has many levels and possible explanations. I ask you to send your own “readings” into this logo as a comment on this post or on our LinkedIn update about this. In the meantime, we have updated the look of the Wall of Champions to include this new logo.

Happy analysing and don’t forget to elbow bump an ATC Instructor when you see one.