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logo critique #99999999

liptonlover said:
<_< sometimes copyrights get sooo annoying...

So I need something either I draw myself, or something not copyrighted. It needs to reflect software/software development, and possibly apple.
Click to expand...

It doesn't need to reflect apple. You can simply mention that you specialise in Apple/OSX on your website etc.

You could just go with some nice type like Microsoft's logo. However working in app development it often pays dividends to have some form of icon that can be used within your apps and app icons for quick links to your website or updates for example. An icon can be used in smaller spaces and communicate more than just a name. Like they say, a picture paints a thousand words.

Keep at it and good luck. :)
 
I'm working on the banner right now because that's the one with the most space to fill, and it's easier to downsize than to upsize. But I can easily make a small square image with just the tree and company name on top as well. Nice an simple, no quote, just tree and text.

I think I have it now. The color gold symbolizes quality, to be short. So now all I need is something I can MAKE gold. I don't want the text to be gold, gold on white doesn't work too well. It has to be something over the tree.

If I register my name at creativecommons, will it be officially registered/copyrighted? I'm not quite sure how that works and I can't find anything on it anywhere, even on the website under faq.
 
MacboobsPro said:
This example incorporates iPhone apps in a very simplistic way.
Click to expand...

I have to say I really like that concept. The tree could be seen as an arrow which dictates direction and flow. Nice :cool:

And you refrained from the use of the "bad" fonts (e.g. Comic Sans and Papyrus). :D
 
design-is said:
Yup... In a roundabout kinda way. You could say he 'asked for it' lol
Click to expand...

If a client asked me to use Comic Sans I would flatly refuse, and yes I have done it in the past. I did loose a contract but they gained a god-awful logo with Comic Sans font, drop shadows, lens flare and the good old rainbow gradient to finish it off. And thankfully I had nothing to do with it.
 
Aaah, unfortunately I'm in no position to turn down clients or risk annoying them. One day (soon?) though, I too will be able to stand up for good design lol

Anywho, I fear we digress.

Any developments on the logo liptonlover?
 
Im currently working on a project (newspaper) where the client has asked me to incorporate circles into every aspect of the design (picture boxes, icons, and all kinds of crap). He sent me a document of what his previous designer had done and I honestly could not make out what I was looking at. He has explained it to me and I still can't figure it out. In response to his request I spent a day critiquing the current document and why it would not work under any circumstances. The guy had used HTML colours for fecks sake. Needless to say it was a pile of poo.

I sent the unsolicited critique to the guy and I heard no response. I wasn't worried because I knew if he had the slightest bit of sense he would come back asking me to do the job. 3 weeks later he wanted to hire me. I accepted and have subsequently blown him away with my take on his requests and not a circle to be seen.

Stand up for design. It will prevail!
 
take5.jpg


I kept the font/fontsize that no one had a problem with. The statement underneath is just times new roman. The evergreen tree goes with my name, and it represents consistency. The star represents Achievement. I could have done without the star, except that I needed something gold because gold symbolizes power, strength and perfection. I think it worked out nicely but I'm always willing to change it if you guys don't like it. And thanks again for all your help :)
Nate
 
That's no times new romans :eek:

I think you're struggling because you think you are designing a logo, but you are designing a banner. I know, you've even said you're designing a banner ("that's what you need right now"), but you don't realize you aren't actually making a logo - you are just making a banner.

A logo should be established in one phase, and than designing the header to your website should be done in another. For instance, your little creative commons button has no business in a logo. Really, slogans probably have no business there, either - look at other software devs like Delicious Monster, Panic, MacRabbit, The Escapers, Adobe, etc... They don't include slogans as part of their logo.

You are making design decisions that are still ignoring the good advice of previous posters because you are trying to make it fit in a banner format. Stop. You need a logo that will work everywhere, including (as has been mentioned) in tighter spaces where just a mark by itself is needed. Your slogan (which doesn't need to be in a logo) is much to small to reduce to business card size. Try to think about just the logo concept, and plan on the slogan being placed somewhere on your site.

Also, I understand your reasoning for wanting gold, but right now it almost just looks like a christmas tree ornament instead of a teacher's achievement star. If you were going for that, then maybe try to play it up a bit more.

I'm honestly trying to encourage you to keep honing your skill and design - not trying to tear you down. Like has been said, logo design is a long an hard process. If you want your customers to think your apps truly are quality, nothing will first convince them like the impact of a good logo/site design. Quality is often in the details.
 
Indeed - you want a graphic, logotype (graphic with text, e.g. name of company), and finally a banner with whatever other information you want to display that supports the logo.

Jumping straight into creating a banner leads to all sorts of problems down the line.
 
So a banner can't have a slogan either?

What size should I shoot for for the logo?

Sorry I've gotten so many great replies it's hard to keep track of all the advice lol. I really really really appreciate all of this :)

Would a gold circle look good instead of the star? That would symbolize continuity or something like that, just like the tree. And it probably won't look so much like an ornament.

If you don't mind me asking, what would moving the star up a bit do to make it look less like an ornament?

And the cc isn't even legit, I just forgot to take it out I was playing around.
 
Fundamentally, cursive fonts like Lucida Handwriting should never be used as all caps.
The typewriter text below header is not a complementary font for a cursive header.
The tree graphic resembles a construction paper Christmas card; IMO, forget about the tree graphic, and focus on what you are actually trying to convey.

It is essential to begin any creative project with a design brief.
A design brief is simply a set of constraints for the project; the elimination of variables, and all data required for the project.
This is the metaphorical "box", within which the logo is designed.

  • IMO, the font used for this logotype should be clean and simple.
  • Work initially in black and white; no grays, gradients, or raster effects.
  • Use a vector application such as Illustrator or Freehand; no Photoshop.
  • Use primary and secondary colors; avoid >= tertiary colors, unless the design is absolutely screaming for them.
    Use of color in marketing is never arbitrary; it's a science.
  • Symbolism should be simple; clever; subtle. Otherwise forget it.
  • Collect professionally designed examples of what you are trying to achieve; this can be a very helpful reference.
  • Consider "borrowing" from the current web 2.0* design trends; consumers tend to subconsciously associate credibility with recognition.
    ie: if it looks like duck, walks like a duck...
    In this case, your logo design becomes a tool for creating a sense of credibility, rather than strict brand recognition, per se.
    *"web 2.0" often means shiny graphics, simple fonts, rounded rectangles etc...

GL
 

Attachments

  • eversoft.png
    eversoft.png
    3.4 KB · Views: 282
liptonlover said:
So a banner can't have a slogan either
Click to expand...

It can. But you shouldn't be designing a banner until you have a logo, and the "banner" design should be informed by the logo, and also by the site you are designing.

May I ask, what exactly do you even mean by banner? As in an ad to go on other people's sites? Or do you mean just the general top of your company website?
What size should I shoot for for the logo?
Click to expand...

I'd design it to roughly fill a 5x5" document. That doesn't mean the logo needs to be square, but that is the print size you should work from. From there, blow it up to see if it still works on a poster, and shrink it down to see if the details still hold together the size it would be on a business card. Or better yet, the small size you see those "awards" icons on designer sites - about 20x20 pixels or less.

Would a gold circle look good instead of the star? That would symbolize continuity or something like that, just like the tree. And it probably won't look so much like an ornament.
Click to expand...

No. I think a circle will look even more like a christmas ornament.

If you don't mind me asking, what would moving the star up a bit do to make it look less like an ornament?
Click to expand...

Moving it up will make it look more like the star on top of a christmas tree.

I agree with snickelfritz about needing a simpler font. You need to try to simplify what you are trying to fit in there. In photoshop, or whatever you are using, go ahead and resize the document to 30x30 pixels and see what it looks like. Probably indiscernible. Try to find something that can hold together when it is reduced that much, and is still recognizable and representative of your company.
 
mind if I ask where you got that cool shape from?
Custom shapes look good, and it gives you uniqueness. But how do you just come up with one? And is it better than symbolism?

photoshop is all I have... unfortunately.

The banner would be for my website. I can't afford to pay to get it on other websites, so it's unlikely it ever WOULD end up there.

30x30 seems pretty darn small... I can't think of where something that small would be unless I decided to use my logo as an icon, which I wouldn't do...
 
liptonlover said:
mind if I ask where you got that cool shape from?
Custom shapes look good, and it gives you uniqueness. But how do you just come up with one? And is it better than symbolism?

photoshop is all I have... unfortunately.

The banner would be for my website. I can't afford to pay to get it on other websites, so it's unlikely it ever WOULD end up there.

30x30 seems pretty darn small... I can't think of where something that small would be unless I decided to use my logo as an icon, which I wouldn't do...
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you're referring to the symbol I posted.
I made it in Illustrator.
It's essentially three rectangles subtracted from a square to form the subtle "E" and "S" combination, for EverSoft. (Look at it again carefully, in case you missed it)

Photoshop can be used to design logos, but it's not the ideal tool for the job.
In Photoshop, draw the logo using the path and pen tools.
Once it is complete, convert the text layers to shapes, and save the entire object as a custom shape.
This way you have quick access to a scalable vector logo, in the custom shape tool list.
 
I wish I could come up with that... I fail miserably in the creativeness department. If I can't come up with something, do I have permission to use it? With credit given to you, of course. I hope I can come up with something but it's really not likely lol.

Thanks!
 
liptonlover said:
I wish I could come up with that... I fail miserably in the creativeness department. If I can't come up with something, do I have permission to use it? With credit given to you, of course. I hope I can come up with something but it's really not likely lol.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Go ahead and use it if you like.
Illustrator file is attached.
File > Place to place this into your Photoshop document.
 

Attachments

  • ESSymbol.ai.zip
    943.5 KB · Views: 68
so I have a whopping huge 5x5 canvas. I have an awesome black symbol thanks to snickelfritz that I will use at least for now, what next? If I do text over image I need to introduce a third color, as the symbol is black and the background is white. Should I do a cool inverted black and white thing with the text so it always shows up?
 
liptonlover said:
so I have a whopping huge 5x5 canvas. I have an awesome black symbol thanks to snickelfritz that I will use at least for now, what next? If I do text over image I need to introduce a third color, as the symbol is black and the background is white. Should I do a cool inverted black and white thing with the text so it always shows up?
Click to expand...

No. Don't do Text over the symbol. No one has advised you to do that. Why not just go with Snickelfritz' suggestion? If you want to try to do the typography yourself, look at the examples that have been given. Pick a nice sarif or san-sarif font and don't do anything crazy with it. You already have a memorable mark - try to subdue your typography.
 
I had fun doing the inversion.... oh well.
I'm reading back I don't see any suggestions on where to put the text...

why is that a hated symbol, and I don't think it's too close to comfort... though I may change my mind when I find out what enron is.
 
This is approximately what I would do with it.
ESHeader.jpg

Place your site navigation along/just below the bottom edge of the colored header.

GL
 
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