Weston Woods Studios, the American production company known for adapting children’s picture books into animated films and audiobooks, has used a tree-based visual identity for decades. The company was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near his home.[1]
Design and History
The most enduring element of Weston Woods’s visual identity is a mark consisting of three triangular-shaped evergreen trees that overlap slightly at each bottom corner to form the letter “W.”[2] This tree-and-W design was registered as a trademark in the United States on October 2, 1973, under registration number 0969824.[3] A Canadian trademark application for the “WESTON WOODS TREE DESIGN” was filed on April 13, 1973, and published for registration on March 7, 1975.[4]
A later trademark application, filed in 2021, describes the mark as “three triangular-shaped trees that overlap slightly at each bottom corner and form a W with the words Weston Woods written below.”[2] Another registration, issued in 2011, covers a mark consisting of the design of three trees for pre-recorded DVDs featuring stories for children.[5]
A related variant, filed in 2021, uses the same three-tree W design but adds a plus sign at the base of the third tree, for use with streaming and online video services.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The tree motif directly references the company’s name and origin: Weston Woods was named after the wooded area near founder Morton Schindel’s home in Weston, Connecticut.[1] The overlapping trees forming a “W” simultaneously evoke the natural setting that inspired the company name and the initial letter of the brand name itself.[2]
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