Proper Case vs lowercase in titles/logos

dcv · Nov 26, 2006

I'm thinking about fonts and logos for a website I'm supposed to be building for my sister's new company. I don't want to divulge the company name here but just wondering what your thoughts are on the use of proper vs lower case in the logo.

I've seen a few websites using lowercase type. I'm just wondering, is this a conscious decision made by the designer (if so, why? or has this already been dictated by the client?) or is it just part of the general internet/text-speak culture that non- proper case is more 'the norm' these days?

Do you think a logo looks less professional in lowercase?
Does it depend on the industry? (we're talking media/TV here)
Does it depend on the font you use?
(Does it really even matter?)

Having spoken to my sister earlier she suggested that maybe we should go with proper case "as it looks less wanky" (her words, not mine!) but neither of us are designers, so I'm just curious as to what some of you creatives out there think.

Comments, anyone?

spicyapple · Nov 26, 2006

I found this site to be helpful.

http://www.garysimon.net/logotutorial/

Just kidding.

Case usage depends on if it is part of logo or not. Web companies that have e's tend to be lowercase, as are i's and a's. This site has some excellent examples. And corporate identity logo trends.

Lau · Nov 26, 2006

Hmm. It's hard to say without seeing the name and the look of it. Personally, I prefer all lower case to all caps, but I wouldn't say I preferred lower case over title case or the other way round. And I think there's a place for all caps at times, so wouldn't entirely rule it out. There, that was helpful, wasn't it.

I would say that to me, a lowercase logo seems more friendly and modern, while a title case one seems more proper and traditional. However, the typeface you use might be an interesting twist to that — a traditional typeface in lowercase with some modern colours can look really fresh and modern, say, for example, lowercase Baskerville with some lime green.

I wouldn't say lower case looks less professional, as I would say the choice of the typeface and colours are more important for that. If it's in media or TV, I think lowercase certainly isn't a problem, as perhaps it might be for, say an accountants or something.

iMeowbot · Nov 26, 2006

dcv said:
Comments, anyone?

Gah, it it all so dependent on the kind of image you want to portray.

This is fine:

After all, it's derived from an earlier logo that was very much a product of the era when it first appeared. Back then, simple lowercase said things like "futuristic" but now it's mostly a familiarity thing.

This, on the other hand, would be Evil and Wrong:

The big blocky caps they use in real life get across the strong, slightly stodgy, businesslike image that works for them.

Applespider · Nov 26, 2006

I think one other reason that many websites go with lowercase logos is that if you're giving a URL then it looks odd to have a capital letter in there.

I think it depends on how much business you're doing online and how much offline. If it's online, then I think lowercase is better. Offline where the brand is going to appear more on physical products, then you've got more options.

Incidentally, if you look at the company I work for, you'll see exactly that. Both online and offline use a similar font (the offline is tweaked slightly) but while online is lowercase, the offline has proper capitals.

dmw007 · Nov 26, 2006

iMeowbot said:
Gah, it it all so dependent on the kind of image you want to portray.

This is fine:

After all, it's derived from an earlier logo that was very much a product of the era when it first appeared. Back then, simple lowercase said things like "futuristic" but now it's mostly a familiarity thing.

I agree that looks fine.

iMeowbot said:
This, on the other hand, would be Evil and Wrong:
View attachment 62770

That is most certainly both wrong and evil!

dcv · Nov 26, 2006

Thanks for your comments so far

spicyapple said:
I found this site to be helpful.

http://www.garysimon.net/logotutorial/

Just kidding.

Oh very good

spicyapple said:
Case usage depends on if it is part of logo or not. Web companies that have e's tend to be lowercase, as are i's and a's. This site has some excellent examples. And corporate identity logo trends.

Thanks for the links. We're not sure about what the overall "logo" should be or whether it's sufficient to have a type-only logo without a separate visual device. It's nice to be reminded that some well-known sites such as flickr have a type-only identity*.
*(sorry this isn't really my field, is there a term for the non-text part of a logo?

)

Lau said:
I wouldn't say lower case looks less professional, as I would say the choice of the typeface and colours are more important for that. If it's in media or TV, I think lowercase certainly isn't a problem, as perhaps it might be for, say an accountants or something.

Yeah I was thinking that too - if it were a more "serious" profession I'd go with proper case but as it's meedyah

I was thinking lowercase looks quite funky; however, as I already mentioned she doesn't want it looking too "wanky" and pretentious!

iMeowbot said:
Gah, it it all so dependent on the kind of image you want to portray.
...

Yes I agree with your examples too.

Am still kinda stuck though! As I said it's a media company so the image should be contemporary and professional but not too-serious/stuffy. The colour scheme we'll most likely be using is magenta/grey/black/white; this was suggested by a friend in advertising and we like that idea.

Blue Velvet · Nov 26, 2006

In your case, lower case.

That's the direction I'd be going for. Doesn't look wanky in the slightest.

iMeowbot · Nov 26, 2006

Okay, thinking of media companies (which is a huuuuuge universe all to itself, but hey).

Lowercase could say calm and casual, or artsy-fartsy, or obsequious, or LOOK AT US PRETENDING TO NOT CALL ATTENTION TO OURSELVES (wink wink)!

Some caps could say HEY LOOK AT ME! (without the complications) or confident, or proud, or a little traditional, or "that's just our name, whatever".

Some of those things might sound negative, but they're all good in the right context.

dcv · Nov 26, 2006

Blue Velvet said:
In your case, lower case.

That's the direction I'd be going for. Doesn't look wanky in the slightest.

Thanks, I appreciate your opinion.

wmmk · Nov 26, 2006

iMeowbot said:
Okay, thinking of media companies (which is a huuuuuge universe all to itself, but hey).

Lowercase could say calm and casual, or artsy-fartsy, or obsequious, or LOOK AT US PRETENDING TO NOT CALL ATTENTION TO OURSELVES (wink wink)!

Some caps could say HEY LOOK AT ME! (without the complications) or confident, or proud, or a little traditional, or "that's just our name, whatever".

Some of those things might sound negative, but they're all good in the right context.

best advice ever! lowercase could also say web 2.0 (if you have thin 3D white diagonal stripes going across the letters and a reflection and a gold star sying beta).

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