Well, many of you have probably noticed me referring to my "new business" which is currently in the works. It's all been taking much longer than expected. I'm trying to get everything in order before I open: logo, business cards, brochures, vehicle lettering, as well as trying to organize my little bitty shop and get all my supplies in order, all while I try to work full time and be a mom. Whew! It's exhausting, but it's coming along, slowly.
As you guys all know, the hardest thing to do is your own logo. I've had the name picked out for a while but have mentioned it to no one other than my fiance and my daughter. It might sound a little corny at first, but it's really grown on me. Guess it time to reveal it to my peers and get some real opinions.
Please don't hurt me. At least not too much
I have a couple of variations here. I'm not sure how I want to incorporate the light bulb, which is supposed to represent "ideas" or "innovation." Hopefully it doesn't make me look like an electric company...
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I favor the top version... the light bulb is a little more subtle and the lettering looks like it is lit from the top... very clever!
I wish you much success with your new venture!
-grampa dan
Posted by Suelynn Sedor (Member # 442) on :
I love it Tracie! Very clever name and tagline.
Suelynn
Posted by Stu Friesen (Member # 6358) on :
What Dan said. Excellent name, great treatment on the presentation.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Top one for sure. I love it Tracie. It suits your personality to a "T". The tag line is great too.
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
I think it looks great Tracie. I like the top version best.
It could be my monitor, but it seems like the colors could be a little more saturated. Boosting contrast would end up doing about the same thing.
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
Me too Tracie, top one. The best of luck to you. If you work it as hard as you did on the murals...No sweat. You'll do fine.
Jack
Posted by Steve Eisenreich (Member # 1444) on :
Top one for sure I like it.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
top one & I gotta say I love it... the name, the tag, the logo & everything... looks seasoned already!
Posted by kent moss (Member # 4295) on :
Tracie,the first thing that I noticed was your tag line,Big Ideas For Small Businesses!,maybe Bright Ideas For Your Business...
Bright would tie in w/the light bulb,Small Businesses,I think many clients would think U think they are small bus.
I like first design.Try having SIGNovations[SIGNcaps,a little space,then ovations,may read better w/ovations w/different font.also cartoon type White Glove hands claping,get it...ovations...instead of light bulb.
If U go for the Glove idea,go back 2 the word Big.
Have the tag line coming out of the area of the Gloves or Bulb on top of your layout,instead of the bottom area.
Good Luck in your new adventure in the sign game.
Kent Moss
Posted by kent moss (Member # 4295) on :
After looking at the design again,I just can't stop thinking Electrician Contractor. I just have lettered 2 many vans that the owners wanted a light bulb because they had it on there bus. card.
Many years ago I used the wording D-Zine in my logo, must of my Sign friends said it sounds stupid.
Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy (Member # 4459) on :
Like the top one-you go, Girl! Cat
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
I like the top one as it is. You did a wonderful job. It's refreshing to see something different here. The design also works in black and white. Aren't Arthur's alphabets great? They just naturally add "bounce" to a layout. love....Jill
Posted by John Duckett (Member # 4505) on :
The top one looks great!
Posted by Jonathan Androsky (Member # 2806) on :
Top one for sure I love Wade Grotesque!
Take it and run Tracie, good luck and well done!
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
#1!
Posted by Duncan Wilkie (Member # 132) on :
Really cool effect Tracie. I find the eye is really drawn to the area of the light bulb...Have you tried moving it over the "i" in Sign to really focus the attention on the word "sign" ...you may have to tilt it a bit more to the right. #1 for me too...that's a top notch idea and layout...sure to grab lots of attention...best of luck, honourary Canuck.
Posted by Stevo Chartrand (Member # 2094) on :
#1 here too. I'd like to see the contrast bumped up a tad more. I find the green on the bottom of the fade a little too dark for the black outline. But it does look good! Yup, Arthur's fonts are great!!!
Stevo
Posted by Sandy Baird (Member # 4773) on :
What if you where to move the light bulb over to the right above the "O". Give the inside of the O a cartoon face OR just a mouth type image of "Ive got it" type expression.
It would have the bright idea theme and really tie the bulb to the expression. Probably just a solid filled O with an slightly offset oval being an open mouth.
Posted by Philip Swanson (Member # 6097) on :
Well it looks like no.1 will be the fovorite and I fully agree.Although I would consider what Kent said about the phrase "small business".First, there are many larger companys that use banners,small signs, and truck lettering and you wouldn't want to have companies think you can't handle thier needs just because they see the phrase "small business".2nd., a small company is usually considered to be about 50 employees or less, although I have done work for construction companies that only have 10 or 20 employees but considered themselves a large company. Just my opinion. Your off to a great start, your logo looks awsome, you will do well in this business!
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
I agree with the comments on the lack of contrast. Stevo is on to something about tying the light bulb into the "I've got it" mode. Maybe Betty Boop's Grandfather off to one side would do it.
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
Thanks for all your comments, everybody!
Russ, I'm not sure what happened to the colors; the blue is actually a periwinkle blue and the rest of the colors faded a bit when I posted it. They looked fine on my screen in photoshop, then as soon as I posted them, they muted just a bit. The blue won't always be in the background. My van is white, but I'll incorporate the blue on there somewhere, maybe for my phone number or behind my web address. The background of my cards will be a periwinkle.
The "Big Ideas for Small Business" is a tagline that I've been chewing on since I first came up with my name, back in November. The reason I wanted to start my business is because I really want to help small businesses find an identity. Very few have them in this area, and honestly there are very few big businesses around here. I'm in a fairly small beach town of about 70,000+ people, surrounded by a couple of other small towns, so besides the base (Port Hueneme), a few large chains, and some packing companies in Oxnard, small business is the "big" business around here. I will play a bit more with the "big and small" idea throughout my marketing. I intend to exploit my cute little chihuahua who I plan to put on door of my van with a little thought bubble above her that says, "Think Big." She'll probably appear in a corner of my card as well as somewhere in my brochure, not as part of my logo, more of my mascot.
Duncan, I actually had the light bulb on the other "i" to begin with but it made everything look to "left-heavy" so I moved it which helped the overall balance.
Stevo, I'll definitely lighten the green a bit. I'll still be doing a few final tweaks to the design, I'm not even sure how I'm going to do the glow on the bulb when I put it on different colored backgrounds. I'll probably need to do it on clear (maybe an edgeprint?), or maybe I'll just spray that part. Still trying to figure all that out.
Anyway, keep the comments and suggestions coming; I'm really going to need them when I try to letter my van. I'm having a hard time laying it out to my satisfaction. It's a Dodge Caravan, half windows, which I'd like to ignore, but it's not working out quite like I thought...
Posted by Dusty Campbell (Member # 4601) on :
Lookin' good. I like the top one better. I like the cleverness of bright ideas for your business since you have a light bulb in your logo, but you seem to have your customers targeted. Good work!
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
I have the light bulb there to represent "Ideas," in general, you know, like in the cartoons when someone has an idea they have a light bulb over their head.
Is that not coming across correctly?
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Over the top (one), Tracie. Great idea and tag line. I enjoyed working with you in Lodi. With your talent, tenacity, and work ethic, you will do well.
Posted by jake snow (Member # 5889) on :
Top one. Very nice!
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Tracie
I think the lightbulb is obviously about creative ideas... its a universal symbol in my mind. The top logo uses the lightbulb efectively and works better as a design I think.
-grampa dan
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
Thanks Dan, I definitely respect your opinion. That was my thinking about the light bulb as well, but it's important that the general public gets it.
And the top one it is! There really was a general consensus on that!
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
Tracie you hit a home run babydoll; this is awesome. I like the top one best, of course. If you change the bottom green to lighter I think you should go the same tinting with the upper green also. When I look at it it's as if the light bulb is casting it's light on the tops of the letters. The tagline is totally fresh. PLEASE put "TM" on that!!!, every place you use it; that's so good that somebody, somewhere is going to try and rip that off so protect yourself.
Posted by Deri Russell (Member # 119) on :
#1 looks GREAT! Run girl run!
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
I like the first one, too. Like Ricky said, you hit a homerun with that one.
Just tweak the contrast a bit and you've nailed it.
.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Yep, top one. I'd run with it.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
I like the top one.
The letterstyle on the name is great. Casual yet a bit dignified and fun at the same time.
I feel that you shouldn't have the tagline in script because mixing a casual display letterstyle and script together is a graphic no-no. I think a tight, upright, and compact letterstyle would be better.
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
Uh oh, Bruce! Thought I was done, well, almost. I started out with a plain sans serif font, but after looking at it for a couple of weeks or so, I wasn't really happy with it. I understand your point though. I was thinking that Wade Grotesque, though somewhat casual, still has a tight, clean, roman feel and I could still get away with the script. I bought both fonts directly for my logo after literally weeks of looking for the perfect ones.
Maybe Arthur could chime in, as it is his font and tell me what he thinks.
By the way, the other font is Bob Behounek's Heading Script from Sign DNA.
Posted by Cpack (Member # 2011) on :
Like everyone else I like the top one. How about changing tagline to "Bright Ideas for Small Businesses"? Just kidding. I thought of that when everyone was talking about the light bulb. Sorry. I just had to say it.
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
I like the top one too, Tracie, & yea, that font looks so nice too! Good luck!
Posted by Jon Jantz (Member # 6137) on :
I really like it, Tracey. I like them both but like the top one better. To me it has a very finished and balanced look to it. Very pleasant and easy on the eyes.
I even like the typeface of the tagline, but I'm not an authority on typeface combinations.
Also congratulations on getting the .com domain name that matches business name. I think that is something to consider when picking out a name... will look forward to seeing your website!
Good luck on your new business venture!!
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Remember what the late Mike Stevens said...
Excessive use of casual lettering causes warts.
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
I don't want warts!
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Tracie, first, let me thank you for buying the fonts. It’s always a thrill to see mine pop up on these posts.
My first impression on seeing the designs was what a smashing job you’ve made of them. Having read the replies and analysed the drawings further, I still think so.
I had reservations; not enough space at the bottom, the blue ground too dominant, Stevo’s point about the green and black. However, you’ve addressed them all and explained they are not necessarily fixed elements.
I’ve never heard Bruce’s rule expressed in the words he uses but I suspect it springs from the same source as my own version, which is that you shouldn’t use feature styles on a design without countering them with a plain sans serif face.
The reasoning here being that all feature is no feature – it’s the wave theory: You cannot have peaks without troughs or you have flat calm. Similarly you can’t have good people without having bad people. Good or bad, without the opposite, is average.
Returning to the point while I do think Bruce’s rule of thumb is sound, in this case I rather like the two fonts together and think they compliment each other. Possibly because the very necessary counterpoint required, is achieved with a contrast in weight rather than style.
Based purely on looks, I prefer the lower design, but as already mentioned, it’s hard to think of it in any other role than that of an electrical contractor’s sign so, would have to choose the first.
Thanks again and watch out for those warts!
Posted by Tracie Johnson (Member # 6117) on :
Thank YOU, Arthur.
The master has spoken; I am at peace.
I do have one kerning issue, if you happen to grace my post again, maybe you can address it. The space between the "v" and the "a" there's an odd sliver between them that makes the black outline seem inconsistent. If I place them closer they look too close, and moving them apart leaves an odd space. My alternative, I think would be to either tweak the left portion of the "a" a bit or make the "v" angle out more just a hair, so they actually do touch; I don't want to mess up the letter form though...
Any other kerning obsessed people are welcome to add suggestions.
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
The master!? Well, If you are just going to take the mickey!
Would this be a solution?
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Great name Tracie...and I like the first one too...the small illuminated bulb with the "inovations" goes well together - - great visual.
I think it'll do you well.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Very nice, Tracie!! 1st class all the way!
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
Hi Tracy. Do the squint test yourself to see how "readable" it is. In the casual font, the secondary copy disappears. Id suggest a "stronger' all cap style. Also, the value of the background color is way too dark for the black secondary copy, and further hurts readability.
...The design in all in "cold" colors lokks plain, and IMHO you could really liven it up by addind a "warm" element. Like perhaps a RED or ORANGE horizontal line to seperate the two lines of copy, and perhaps outline the light bulb in the same warm color too..
Posted by nicola mcintosh (Member # 5371) on :
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
At least not too much ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I love Wade Grotesque! ![[Applause]](graemlins/applause.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
while I do think Bruce’s rule of thumb is sound, in this case I rather like the two fonts together and think they compliment each other. Possibly because the very necessary counterpoint required, is achieved with a contrast in weight rather than style.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
