posted
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...
-------------------- Tracie Johnson Signovations Ventura, California Posts: 444 | From: Ventura, California | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
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
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8740 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Top one for sure. I love it Tracie. It suits your personality to a "T". The tag line is great too.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
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
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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-------------------- Steve Eisenreich Dezine Signs PO BOX 6052 Stn Forces Cold Lake, Alberta T9M 2C5 Posts: 774 | From: Cold Lake | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
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
-------------------- Kent Moss Greg Moss Signs Posts: 363 | From: Wilbraham, MA / Charleston,SC | Registered: Nov 2003
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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.
-------------------- Kent Moss Greg Moss Signs Posts: 363 | From: Wilbraham, MA / Charleston,SC | Registered: Nov 2003
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-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
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
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
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
#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
-------------------- Stevo Design Illustration Logos Sign Design Clip Art www.stevo-design.com Posts: 1680 | From: Edmonton Ab Canada EH! | Registered: May 2001
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posted
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.
-------------------- Sandy "Monk" Baird Windwalker Sign Studio Port Colborne, Ontario L3K 4H9 Posts: 442 | From: Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
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!
-------------------- Phil Swanson Lake George Lettering 151 New Hague Rd. Hague, NY 12836 lakegeorgelettering@yahoo.com Posts: 24 | From: 151 New Hague Rd. Hague, NY 12836 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
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.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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...
-------------------- Tracie Johnson Signovations Ventura, California Posts: 444 | From: Ventura, California | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
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
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?
-------------------- Tracie Johnson Signovations Ventura, California Posts: 444 | From: Ventura, California | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
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.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5095 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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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
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8740 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
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!
-------------------- Tracie Johnson Signovations Ventura, California Posts: 444 | From: Ventura, California | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
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.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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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.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6453 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
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.
-------------------- Tracie Johnson Signovations Ventura, California Posts: 444 | From: Ventura, California | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
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.
-------------------- Cynthia Pack 246 Diamondview Loop Galax, Va. 24333 Posts: 659 | From: Galax, Virginia USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
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!!
-------------------- Jon Jantz Snappysign.com jjantz21@gmail.com http://www.allcw.com Posts: 3395 | From: Atmore, AL | Registered: Nov 2005
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Remember what the late Mike Stevens said...
Excessive use of casual lettering causes warts.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6453 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
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!
-------------------- Arthur Vanson Bucks Signs Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England arthur@buckssigns.co.uk -------------------- Posts: 805 | From: Chesham, Bucks, England | Registered: Mar 2002
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![[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.
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