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Logo Design - Please Critique


B

Barb Schaarschmidt

Active Member
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Hi all! This is my first commercial logo design. I've included two options. I could sure use a critique - specific suggestions and areas for improvement would be most appreciated!

logov1.jpglogov2.jpg
The logo is for a site that will be offering a list of atv parks in the Northeast US.
 
That's so funny. I did the second one because I pretty much hated the font on the first. But everyone is liking the first better. I guess that's why we ask other people. :) Any other suggestions?
 
well take it from me ( all though it is still only my opinion)

When you meet somebody for the 1st time you make an impression and first impressions go a long way.

The same goes for design the first thing people notice of any significance on a website, Business car, letter head etc is the Logo

That logo needs to tell people what your company is about with the most minimal effort from the viewer. If the viewer can not read your logo in an instant then your logo is bad and not doing its job properly.

So I guess the rule from a design point of view k.i.s.s Keep it simple stupid and that means make it be bold clear and easily readable.

The way design is leading now there are many modern logos that are just nice type text and possibly a coloured shape of some sort.

Minimal design is in at the moment and finally people are coming around to my thinking lol.
 
That's great advice. As much as I'm learning about website design, there is no class in my course for logo design, which is driving me a little batty. This is a first effort, and I see that it needs work, but I'm not sure what it needs.

Are the colors okay? The whole thing looks a little amateur to me, but I'm not sure why.
 
Honestly if you make it vector it will look better everything looks soft.

You are usually limited to what your client wants Trust me I have just spent several weeks Designing logos and website for 1 client making it all nice fully interactive site video, graphics animation and audio It looked good Sent it to them this morning they needed to update there browsers to view it So I get instructions back to make a simple HTML site instead as they dont want there site visitors having to update browsers etc.

So Yes if that is what the client wants you have to stick to it as a primary design but there is nothing stopping you from also sending a couple of ideas of your own and say You feel it would look better like this etc.


You will find many clients really do not know what they want and have no idea about design and more often than not they will like your idea better, You are the designer after all. And they want the best product for there business So they will be happy to hear your suggestions and if you can actual give them a visual of what you prefer they will probably like it more.

I get employed because people like my style that is why they employ me so what sense does it make when someone pays for you but not have your input.
 
The good news here is that I am actually the client. This is a site that I've really wished existed (for my own use)...so I figured I'd do the site, hope maybe to make some pennies off of it, but more importantly have a great product on the web that a lot of people want and something good to go in my portfolio. I'm really confident in my website design skills, and my photoshop skills are really coming along, but I haven't the first about how to approach a logo design.
 
Hi Barb, I agree that the second is the better.

My other critique has mainly to do with color. Blue and orange are complementary. Your brown ATV plate is reddish but I think would work better if it were a bit closer to the iridescence of the blue, like a bronzier tone with a hint of copper (lol). I would also make the dark blue a shade darker. I think the distinction is too subtle.

Then the text is oriented slightly wrong and the logo is set up on the page wrong which makes it harder to balance if you don't have a great eye for this.When you designed this logo, you set up a center and marked off the outside boundaries. You just need to do the same for the text. I also think the text could go up higher. Here is the imbalance:

ATV.PNG

Here is my suggestion. I don't have the text so I can only manipulate it with warp but it's just to demonstrate:

ATV2.PNG
I hope you don't think I'm being too intrusive with my critique. :mrgreen:

Oh, btw, it's a really delightful ATV design you created.
 
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Hey,
Be careful including text as a proportional part of the logo as it will shrink faster than the rest of the logo when you reduce the size of the logo. Also the "ATV" text is not contrasting enough. Hope this helps. Keep up the good work.
 
They look like advertisements that would be in s children's magazine.

Why not use some actual ATV parts or an actual ATV. I am sure the guy you are making this for can supply you with photos.
 
MotoChief said:
They look like advertisements that would be in s children's magazine.

Why not use some actual ATV parts or an actual ATV. I am sure the guy you are making this for can supply you with photos.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree with you on that one. If anything, I would say, make it more abstract, not more real. Nice to see hand drawn art in an environment where so much is done with photography. On the other hand, I don't think your idea should be ruled out either. I just like this.
 
Claire: your suggestions are never intrusive. That's why I come here...to talk to people who know more than I do. The suggestions on the text are great. I have trouble with alignment still, but this will help a lot. As for the color, I actually changed it altogether. The blue seemed to be very childlike (primary colors, I've been warned before) and it also clashed with the site really badly. So I went with green. Once I've worked on it some more, I'll post an update. Thanks again for your help.
 
the taoiseach said:
Hey,
Be careful including text as a proportional part of the logo as it will shrink faster than the rest of the logo when you reduce the size of the logo.
Click to expand...

Is this still true if the text has been changed to vector graphics? I traced and painted the text to avoid some problems that are probably imaginary anyway. Do you think I'll still have the same problem?
 
MotoChief said:
They look like advertisements that would be in s children's magazine.

Why not use some actual ATV parts or an actual ATV. I am sure the guy you are making this for can supply you with photos.
Click to expand...

I've been warned time and again in school to avoid primary colors. I think this may be the problem. When I switched color scheme it didn't look quite so childlike. Once I work this some more I'll put up my revisions and you can let me know what you think.
 
Better. I still think you are being too bland with the color combination. Consider making the ATV plate a brilliant purple or lavendar type color or a version of red or gold. The brown just seems muddy.

For example:

ATV.jpg

anyway, just a thought.
 
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ibclare said:
Totally disagree with you on that one. If anything, I would say, make it more abstract, not more real. Nice to see hand drawn art in an environment where so much is done with photography. On the other hand, I don't think your idea should be ruled out either. I just like this.
Click to expand...


I ride and have raced Motocross (hence the name MotoChief)and have many friends that do the same. I only say that because I know what works in this specific industry. Motoheads like real stuff more than artistic.
 
whatever - these are "sketches" and will be used mostly for web applications any way - My workflow is faster for me in PS to sketch and get lots of ideas out there... as it reveals what web assets would look like without the cumbersome discovery and styling transition process that illustrator has. Once I get an approved look, this wil be built entirely in Illustrator and transitioned into all Identity exposures.

it would be so nic if you could actually comment on the work and not how it was made.

thanks,
 
LeylaBahria said:
it would be so nic if you could actually comment on the work and not how it was made.

thanks,
Click to expand...

LOL, don't let it worry you Leyla. Some people feel strongly about their points and don't intend any insult. You'll get lots of different critiques on the forum. Most members mean well. But I agree; it's critique of the design aspects that you want, not a judgment of what works for your purpose.

:mrgreen:
 
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