There is the old saying that “it takes a village.” Generally, this is in regard to raising a child but the same applies to a website like DAPS MAGIC. Through the years, there have been lots of people who have helped come up with concepts, ideas, content, videos, graphics, coding, and so much more. Today, one of those people are retiring from their professional life.
Going back 16 years to when DAPS MAGIC was first coming together, there was a small handful of people that were a part of its inception. Quite often I’ve told the story of the original members of our group and how my brother helped with making a website and figuring out the logistics/coding of how that works. One other person who was there contributing, back in the day, was my dad. However, his contribution goes back to before the starting of DAPS MAGIC.
Growing up, we didn’t live in Southern California. Visiting Disneyland was a big deal. Dad would bring us to California while he attended work conferences. We would camp at the Disneyland Vacationland Campground and experience the magic that could be found in a campground in the middle of Orange County and also the magic of the Disneyland Hotel which we had access too while staying there. This became a highlight of the trip. You could hear the Mark Twain and the Train whistles. At the Disneyland Hotel, you could see the Monorail! Sometimes, you could even pay to ride on it! The Disneyland Hotel was also a magical place with boats that could be driven and a marina in the middle of the hotel itself! Then, for one day of the trip, we’d get to visit Disneyland.
At Disneyland, Dad would quite often point out what Disneyland was doing to make the experience so fantastic. He would look at how they focused on details of making for great customer experiences. He also noticed how things were maintained and polished to make for a comfortable environment for vacationers. Another thing he would notice is the colors that went into different experiences to help represent whatever the experience was trying to convey. All of these things would leave an impression on me that would come back when starting DAPS MAGIC.
Fast forward to the mid-2000s and we have started up a website. It is ugly. It has clip art galore. It is really just a hodgepodge of ideas and dreams splattered on a single webpage. It was time to start organizing and figuring out where things would go for what would become DAPS MAGIC (originally it was DAPs for Disney Magic). This began a conversation between me, Dad, and my brother about what would make sense and what it should be. The core values were articulated in a clearer fashion. A mission statement came out of those conversations. A logo came out of this as well. We crammed around a computer while dad helped create the daps logo.
The daps logo that came out of those conversations and the creative sessions really has a lot of meaning behind it. The entire logo is supposed to be fun. The red and black letters are a nod towards Mickey Mouse. The green in the logo references Disney’s innovative nature that leads to growth/new life. The blue is a nod to blue skies and the positivity that comes with them, along with new ideas as well. All of these are on the daps letters that are at different heights that recognize the ups and downs that are gone through when creating anything. All of this came together through these brainstorming creative sessions and then were actually made into a logo by dad.
Finally, one of the things we’ve always endeavored to do is to continually be better. Another lesson that comes from Dad through the years. DAPS MAGIC is always striving to make things better and be better. This is one of many contributions that come from Dad.
So on June 1, 2020, we take a moment to look at the legacy of a man who is retiring. While he never was a member of the writing staff or officially a member of the team for DAPS MAGIC, he has contributed a lot. Thanks Dad for all you’ve done. Enjoy retirement!
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