A lot of people have been asking where our name “Sun Dot” came from. When our company was founded in 1964 by Dorsey Miller, she had a fascination with Egypt and its hieroglyphics. You probably never would have thought that a Fish Flag company would have anything to do with Egypt, but the inspiration for our logo in fact came from one of the oldest civilizations on Earth!
The ancient Egyptians had numerous hieroglyphics to represent the Sun. We could dive deep into trying to explain them all but for now we will just give you a brief description of The Egyptian Sun Glyph.
Examples of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics
The Egyptian Sun Glyph, also know as "Ra" was one of the most commonly used symbols as it represented units of time. It was used to describe a year, month, day, week or a season and was simply a circle with a “dot” in the middle.
The circle on the outside was said to depict orbit and on one level symbolizes the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. The dot in the center of the circle symbolizes the Sun.
Our Sundot Marine logo was developed from this hieroglyphic and simplified to be a complete circle and filled with orange (often the color used to represent the Sun in ancient Egyptian times).
Sunset at Waialea Bay, Big Island
Sun Dot through the palm trees, Kawaihae, Big Island
Each person has their own interpretations of the Sun and its importance for life, joy, warmth and beauty. Today we also like to think that “Sun Dot” represents the actual Sun. Particularly at sunset. If you have witnessed the sun setting in Kailua-Kona or anywhere on the west side of the Hawaiian Islands, you know what a beautiful sight it can be.
Vibrant Sun Dot at Mauna Kea Beach, Big Island
We are captivated by the colors of the sky as the Sun gets ready to dip below the horizon. We watch that "Sun Dot" anxiously as it disappears to give way to night.
Most locals advise that if you are driving and the sun is about to set, you should always stop and pull over to watch it. A sunset is never the same. It is always incredible.
Sunset near Mauna Lani, Big Island of Hawaii
At Sundot Marine we strive to represent the energy and beauty of the Sun in everything we do. And what’s in a name? Well, we like to think a whole lot of meaning, history and inspiration. Now get out and enjoy every Sun Dot!
Aloha.
