October has been a month of 14th birthday celebrations.
We’ve used it as a time to reflect back with gratitude on the journey of Wriggle and Rhyme from October 2008 to now.
Every journey is an adventure. And every adventure has heroes.
This week the focus is on another one of our behind-the-scenes creative heroes – Carl Gordon.
Let’s start at the very beginning …
Carl is married to Heather. Heather and I met as teenagers on a youth camp. We reconnected properly again in 2007 when my family and I returned to Fish Hoek from the UK.
When the concept for Wriggle and Rhyme was born, I chatted to Heather about it. At that stage, Carl was working as a freelance graphic designer. I remember him walking down the stairs of their home and me sharing that I’d love him to design a logo. We chatted through some ideas. Carl took those fledgling ideas and created something so special … and that’s how the Wriggle and Rhyme logo was born.
The Mascot
The central character in the logo is a little worm. This little chap has had so many different outfits over the years as the business has grown, and he’s taken on different roles.
Creating the characters
Wriggle and Rhyme’s beginning was really humble and finances were tight, so Carl and I did a “trade swap”. Heather would bring their little daughter, Hannah, to my classes and in exchange, Carl would do some graphic design work.
Carl also built a fantastic website for Wriggle and Rhyme, which helped to launch the business more broadly. Over the years, the website has had several make-overs by him too.
A huge volume of work
Carl is one of those extraordinary, multi-talented people. He’s a rock-star graphic designer but also an incredible “coder”. He is able to integrate design and functionality in the most incredible way.
Once the logo and website were built, we moved onto creating some characters to go with the unique Wriggle and Rhyme programmes.
Over the years, Carl has designed dozens and dozens of characters to bring our musical adventures to life.
A treasure trove of teaching aids
In 2012 when I decided to License the BABY / TODDLER programmes, Carl designed all the training manuals for me. He designed theme posters for the programmes and other teaching aids. He designed CD covers as new CDs were released. When COVID hit, he designed the visual elements for our YOUTUBE episodes.
The volume of gorgeous teaching aids feels endless.
Looking through them now is like unearthing a beautiful chest of treasures!
Carl took my vision for Wriggle and Rhyme to the next level. He brought the brand to life visually, and continues to do extraordinary work.
All about the bass
When Wriggle and Rhyme celebrated its 10th birthday four years ago, we had a little party at my home with some of the W&R alumni. Hannah Gordon (Carl’s daughter) was there and she played a little piece for us on the piano to showcase her musical journey.
Carl supported her by accompanying her on the bass guitar. This gives a glimpse of the kind of dad Carl is too. Incredibly supportive and passionate about his wife and daughters.
You can watch their little performance here:
I’m incredibly grateful to have had the privilege of working with Carl over the past 14 years.
Thank you for sharing your talent!
As we celebrate our 14th birthday and the heroes in our own musical adventure, I’m saying a huge thank you to Carl Gordon.
Carl – you’re a legend! I’m grateful for everything you’ve done and continue to do for Wriggle and Rhyme.
If you’d like to enjoy our fun episodes on YOUTUBE, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaeKQl8ZF4w&t=143s
To find out more about joining our team, click here: http://wriggleandrhyme.co.za/join-the-team