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Need honest Opinions on this logo

Fa7mac

Fa7mac

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 27, 2009
128
0
Macau
Please take your time to give me honest opinions on this logo I just finished designing in CS5

Situation:
I'm graduating next year and I want to follow the path of Graphic Design, more focus on DTP in my country (CV) when I go back. Of Course I've been training and planning how I can do that right in order to succeed. In my mind my imaginary company is called Layout&Design, I'm gonna do layout of magazines and such and graphic design too, so I decided to start getting things on going, I'm planning to finish designing my website and my logo as soon as possible.

I started first on the logo
I attached a screenshot of my first attempt

PLEASE give honest opinions of what you guys think of it: Design, Shape, Light, Font, Contents everything, help me improve

cheers :D
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot.jpg
    Screenshot.jpg
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It's readable at that size, but let's say you eventually had to put in the corner of a site, or print it at small sizes. How readable would the text be then? Just something to think about.
 
Definitely not legible at a smaller size ie. a business card, letterhead, invoice, footer, website, etc. etc. etc.

Far too detailed and the best logos are not 3 or even 2 dimensional, think of the best brands of the world, "Nike", "McDonalds", "Walmart", "Coke", etc. it's very basic, simple...easy to remember, top of mind.

Start your design in black and white, it must work in black and white and be just as effective as in colour.

Also, what does your illustration say? A scroll and a calligraphy pen? Are you planning on sketching your designs on scrolls with this type of pen for the clients? If not, then what does it say about your business? I get where you are coming from, something classic looking but I don't agree with this particular concept and approach if your design work is all going to be done digitally on a computer. Just my opinion.

I would visit the following links, study the logos and go back to the drawing board and work on some further concepts. Remember, it is always good to have 3 or 4 directions/concepts when looking for a critique and they should always be in black and white to begin with. Hope this helps and good luck.

Inspirational Links

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/50-creative-stunning-wordmark-logos/

http://designinstruct.com/visual-inspiration/logotypewordmark-logos-30-creative-examples/

http://logolounge.com/
 
That is less of a logo and more of a stock image with a word on it, y'knowhatimean?

Take Bluetooth's advice. Simplicity is key. Start in black & white and if you decide to use imagery, make sure it is relevant to your company. A calligraphy pen and a scroll convey a lot of different ideas, but "modern" and "design" ain't one of them.

You say to critique the "light" of your logo. I'm not sure what that means. A logo isn't something that would be need lighting.
 
Fa7mac said:
Please take your time to give me honest opinions on this logo I just finished designing in CS5
Click to expand...

First off, that's not a logo. It's more like a generic illustration that you could get from a clipart library. That's all I'm going to say about it.

Secondly, the fact that you designed in the computer makes it look like it was designed in the computer... and that is a bad thing. Get out the sketch pad and draw a few hundred thumbnails of different concepts based on research. What do you want to say about YOUR company? Do you know what a logo is and what it's purpose is?

I think in some ways you are trying to jump ahead. Instead of spending time designing your company brand - spend that time learning to design. From what I see, I don't think you're ready to go professional. Finish the next year at school and then evaluate where you are with your skills.
 
thank y'all for your inputs. This is exactly what I was after: constructive opinions. I can see that I miss a lot the target, Bluetooth thanks for the links, I'm reading the webpages now. There are many inspirational logos there,
simplicity is definitely the key
usclaenyj and THX1139 it is not a stock photo or something took from a clipart library I actually design each piece
anyways I'll try again
thanks again
 
Fa7mac said:
... and THX1139 it is not a stock photo or something took from a clipart library I actually design each piece
anyways I'll try again
thanks again
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that you used an actual stock image... I probably should have been more specific and wrote that your "logo" LOOKS like stock clip art (with bad type thrown on). Nevertheless, it's still not a logo and I'm glad you are starting over.
 
I'd just echo the other comments here...

As illustration goes, the scroll and the pen show some promise but do look very like clip art. You can clearly draw with a computer but you need to work on the style to make it look less generic.

As far as it being a logo goes - nil point I'm afraid...for the same reasons others have stated above.

I'd also rethink the name - Layout and Design is more of a descriptive supporting line than a name/brand in and of itself.
 
It's too complex for a logo and looks very "stockish".

The font you've chosen it by far too intricate and fine, it simply wont replicate well while the actual font itself screams folk art and caligraphy which I am unsure is what you're specifically aiming for.

As logos go there just isn't enough contrast either.
 
spiritlevel said:
I'd just echo the other comments here...

As illustration goes, the scroll and the pen show some promise but do look very like clip art. You can clearly draw with a computer but you need to work on the style to make it look less generic.

As far as it being a logo goes - nil point I'm afraid...for the same reasons others have stated above.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm working on making my draws look more generic

spiritlevel said:
I'd also rethink the name - Layout and Design is more of a descriptive supporting line than a name/brand in and of itself.
Click to expand...

That's another story
 
I like it :) Although I'm not sure on the font though, although I suppose it matches as it's a hand-written style.
 
Fa7mac said:
Thanks, I'm working on making my draws look more generic...
Click to expand...

You see... that's part of the problem. It's already too generic and that's why it looks like a stock image. I think the word you are looking for is "simplify".
 
THX1139 said:
You see... that's part of the problem. It's already too generic and that's why it looks like a stock image. I think the word you are looking for is "simplify".
Click to expand...

I meant to make them look more real, organic, natural :p
 
Hi Fa7mac, I agree with everything that bluetooth has said. A good logo must be able to work well in black and white. If you're particularly good in vector drawing, it helps a lot. Powerful logos can work even without types, but if you must put types, put them in an obvious and clear manner, where a mere glance of your logo from a distance allows your audience to easily remembers it. The shorter the word/sentence, the better it is. Design is subjective, but an example of what I'd do to 'simplify' this logo is to zoom in to the pen tip, removing the whole pen and paper from picture. A pen tip even on a blank background can automatically suggests a pen and paper (paper usually is blank).

This visual can make a good desktop icon, but in my opinion it has rooms for improvement as a logo.
 
Fa7mac said:
I meant to make them look more real, organic, natural :p
Click to expand...

Just because you meant to do something doesn't always make it right. But hey, if you're satisfied... then go for it. Maybe your target audience won't know the difference.
 
THX1139 said:
Just because you meant to do something doesn't always make it right. But hey, if you're satisfied... then go for it. Maybe your target audience won't know the difference.
Click to expand...

I meant to say that I meant to say that I'm working on making my designs more realistic, more organic and natural.
English problem :p

You know I just started Photoshop and Illustrator 2 weeks ago, I know I still have a loooooooooong way to go. Posting questions here on MR really help me a lot cause I want to improve, I want to be awesome in a near future problably as many as you guys here on MR :D
 
This is not a logo. This is an illustration. Eventually a blazon (but in this case, you need some additional elements and changes).
 
Try again

First off I agree with others in saying it looks like clip art.
Secondly I also agree this is not a logo. It's an illustration.

You need to think simpler and more memorable. This is pretty cliché and needs more development. It doesn't make me think, graphic design firm, or even graphic designer. The typeface, Apple Chancery I think, is awful and is hard to read since it is on an angle. You need to think about where this will be; business cards, letterheads, envelopes...it won't always be readable, espically on a business card when it has to be shrunk down. And I'm not sure many people would know what it was when it was sized down either. You need to effectively communcate what your company is about so that people will know what you do and trust you based on the strength of your brand.

You have something there with the pen though. I would try to flesh out some ideas with the old style pen, try maybe just stylizing the tip and working in some logo type. That is another thing, try to integrate the type with the logo in a clever way so it doesn't look like it was tacked on or an after thought. Try to always think about this design rule I abide by...KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid.
 
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