Need feedback on logo design, for upcoming studio!

[Rasmusbp]

Hi Everybody.

I'm about to start up my own design studio with a friend of mine. We decides to call the studio Yellow Graphics, which is meant to symbolize peace and harmony. We're seeking a modern and professionel look for the studio, but still we want to appear creative and playful. We designed a bunch of logos, trying to capture our needs, and this is our favourite so far. Please give us your feedback. Any advice and criticism are useful to us.

http://www.bp-art.dk/showcases/yellow-logo.jpg

Thanks for your help.
Best regards from the upcoming Yellow Graphics.

[Jam]

I like it - looks like a pantone swatch - which has been done before but this looks a little different.

How does it look with yellow inside the yellow box?
The shape of the yellow box looks like it should come from a pantone book, especially with the hole in the bottom right, what about fan-ing the yellow box out. Just a thought - the font works well with the playful aspects of your company.

[apondesign]

Peace & Harmony indeeeed ... I believe the background colour won't change according to where its gonna be put on because white is correct one but on the other hand needs some shading boundaries along the yellow part to avoid stupid black contours if u know what i meen

[Rasmusbp]

TO JAM-> Thank you for your quick respond. Actually the yellow box was originally meant to associate the viewer with a Pantone Swatch, for those who are familiar with them, so I'm glad to hear that it worked :-). I'm not sure if I fully understand your suggestion of fading the box (assuming that is what you meant?)? Thanks again.

TO APONDESIGN-> Thanks to you too. I agree with you on the issue about the shading boundaries, but the logo will most likely always be seen on a white background, so the problem will hopefully never be an issue.

TO EVERYONE ELSE-> We hope to get more advices and criticism, so don't hesitage to apply your post.

[apondesign]

I finish my job at 17pm today and I am in GMT area - Dublin. I you'd like me to show you what i mean just reply and todayor even tomorrow i might send you one quick render using your logo. Anyway have a good weekend and I hope I could help you with dat' shading thing...:)

[Rasmusbp]

That would be great if you could do that. I'm based in Copenhagen, so I think I'm an hour behind you. But we most certanly could use any help we can get. I'll check in later to review your reply. Thanks again and a good weekend to you too.

[apondesign]

fine meenwhile check my little abstract portfolio at www.aleks.webd.pl

[Drazan]

Actaully it reminded me of the BestBuy company.
http://www.bestbuy.com/

But it is different enough to still be a unique symbol. I can see it working for you. I love logos that are simple and memorable. To many companies are going with so much graphics or effects that a person gets overwhelmed with those effects and don't remember the company name.

Jade

[Ben Kessler]

It looks cool. I'd like to see the type somehow integrated into the yellow box.

[apondesign]

I still need your e-mail address... need to leave later but you can expect that today

[Zendada]

I like it. Its got that web 2.0 look. Good job.

[Rasmusbp]

I just wanted to thanks everyone who posted on this topic. I sense that the ocean is split, regarding whether the logo is the way to go or not. I posted the logo on several forums on the internet, and by summing up the replies, 50% says it is a "good" logo, and 50% says it is a "bad" logo. And as I've always been told: It takes to parties to start a debate. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, that if our logo in this fresh stage of development can start a debate it's on the right way to become memorable and branded. A good logo isn't a logo that appeals to everyone it passes. A good logo is a logo from which opinions submerges and welcomes critique and debates. In that way the logo ensure that it is always kept in mind.

Thanks again for your replies... All aspects from your replies will be considered in the future development of the Yellow Graphic logo and identity.

[Two-Toe Tom]

hey, i like your logo, so that 50%+1 for "good". i would maybe try moving the text down so the baseline aligns with the bottom of the swatch. I think that might create a bit more energy than having it vertically centered.

[Drorain]

Cooper is a great font, I really love the shapes and boldness of it, very easy to read.

And that’s my problem.

The font choice makes me think of youthful and fun rather than peace and harmony. This immediately brought a child’s book to mind or something that is similar to the sesame street instructional bits. They specifically choose big bold fonts like this because like children’s blocks they are quite recognizable. Consider this in your type choice as well.

Color choice, yellow is bright, fun, warm and imaginative. It’s not used to often and so will be recognizable. You may run into reproduction issues on collateral though, in four color printing this may lose some of it’s luster On business cards and letterhead and such you’ll be fine, but when it comes to brochures and flyers you’ll need to spec out the pantone color or suffer with CMYK. Your choice may be made by cost or how important this is to you. Maybe choose a yellow that is lower on the scale and easier for reproduction.

Also consider how you want to show it in black and white, will this be just a filled version of your logo or outline or something else?

You came up with a bunch of options, mind sharing some more of them, I’d like to see some of the creative process. I’m not trying to bring you down in the creative process, but rather accelerate it. You’ve asked for a critique, I hope this has helped.

[Rasmusbp]

Hi Drorain

Thank you for your reply. When I designed the logo, my goal was to combine the professional and modern look with the playful and creative look, smashed together in a peaceful and harmonic way. So i guess a consequense of doing this, is that it may appear childish or sesame streetish :). I felt the same way about it at first. But I do like the cooper font though, so I went along with it anyway.

Regarding the issue about the choice of color, I actually could use some legal advice :). I'm a designer, but not a Print Professional, so I am not that comfortable with the issues about the choice of colors vs. perfect printing. As it is now the yellow in the logo is a pure yellow: C=0, M=0, Y=100, K=0. But I recon that it could be an issue once we're set to publish the logo in brochures etc.
What would you recommend that we use for CMYK color aswell as Pantone??

I'll be happy to post our other logo suggestions that we considered during the brainstorm, the ones I have, though, are very similar to the one posted here. But I'll have them posted in this thread when I return from work (in about 2-3 hours).

[Rasmusbp]

Hi everybody.

As promised here are some other logo variations that I've been working on:
http://www.bp-art.dk/showcases/logo-leg.jpg

[Ben Kessler]

The bottom right is your original idea, right? I still like it the best of the lot, with the one on the upper left a close second.

[tZ]

Still… the entire concept of the design revolves around color. I'm not so sure I would call that a well thought out logo design since, a logo should communicate regardless of color- highest form of contrast(black and white). In that respect your design is simular to the google logo. In that both use color to drive the identity which based on traditional logo design is the wrong way to go about designing a logo. I would recommend using object or object(s) in the design that would immediately communicate the color yellow without the color implied rather then using something that has no visual correspondence to yellow. Another idea would be to get away from yellow all together and look in the negative space. Yeah… we know the name is yellow- it says that. However, what if your design related to something that wasn't normally yellow and created a connection. That would be more unique and memorable then just a yellow placed next to a yellow tag.

[budafist]

I like bottom left.

I think TZ is right about the colour thing though. What are you going to do for black and white stationery like faxes?

[amadeupword]

that really is a fantastic point tZ.
My first thought after reading was BANANA.
...Playful and could be coupled with or incorporated into a professional-looking typeface.
But the original idea is still great.

[Rasmusbp]

...what if your design related to something that wasn't normally yellow and created a connection. That would be more unique and memorable then just a yellow placed next to a yellow tag.
Excelent suggestion... I like that thought... Think I'll work with that thought while sketching a few logo suggestions, however I think that I'll work with objects that usually are yellow, to avoid to much confusion... Thanks.

I'll upload the new suggestions on this thread as soon as I finish..

[Rasmusbp]

...What are you going to do for black and white stationery like faxes?
See that's why I have you creative folks to help me on the right track :). Because I must admit that I actually didn't thought about that until now.
What would you recommend?
To my excuse the logo is still in the pool learning to swim, so that it can survive in the big sea:).

[budafist]

I guess it's time to brainstorm a whole bunch of yellow or non yellow or sometimes yellow things. Keep in mind that your logo needs to be able to be reproduced in a range of ways (print, web, fax, small for somethings, big for others) and in colour or black and white.

Brain fart is a go!
Banana, lemon, daisy, egg, sun, ear wax, wee, lightbulb, custard, apple juice, mello yello, sunflower, chick, duckling, sombrero, taco, nacho, cheese, corn, hokey pokey icecream, rubber duckie, pineapple, raincoats, rainhats, yellow roses = friendship, kowhai flowers, daffodill, honey, bee, wasp, McDonalds, yellow submarine, dandelion, Big Bird, Bert (& Ernie), sand, beach, shells, curry, labrador, blonde, lion, angelfish.

[Rasmusbp]

As promised some more result from a brief brainstorm...
Budafist-> yah... I thought of the duckling too so I tried to add it in a funny way... I know the tracing need some work, made it really quick just to illustrate the idea...

The idea behind the bubbles is "bright (yellow) ideas boiling in the company".

The "BRAND NEW DESIGN" is a result from me getting stucked in the same design with the Cooper font...

http://www.bp-art.dk/showcases/yellow-logo2.jpg

[Drazan]

Yell OW! Graphics is what the one in the circle says to me. heh, that may be an unintentional twist. ;)

TM is trademark in progress R is trademark registered (btw)

The duck and bubbles remind me of a soap brand. But I may be too litteral as I tend to be.

[kevincdg]

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/12259

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/12258

there are two different incorporations of a duck, maybe you'll get some inspiriation if you choose that logo...however, i agree with drazan, i thought or more a soap or bubble bath company. but then again, my aunt loves rubber ducks and collects them, so i may be more exposed then most.

:-x

[MadMike]

If i were you i would put a thin black outline around the yellow tag, so it will stand out more against the white background. But otherwise, it's awesome.

[viince]

I don't like the filled in counters. Out of these i like the one on the right the most. It looks clean. And a side note, the circles you put around the logos are distracting, I'd just leave them out next time.

[AlexNJ210]

I think the pantone tag idea works. After thinking a bit about what TZ said about negative space, i started to think Knockout text. perhaps you could use "yellow" and knockout the text from the Yellow tag. I suggest working with that color because pure yellow, CMYK or PANTONE, is VERY bright. There are lots of variations, pick up a swatch book and find a warmer version. A warmer version will coincide with your vision of peaceful and calm nature, and the knockout text woul convey an emotion of oneness or integration of word and design that i think will stregthen your motif. Work with that, one idea i had just now is to knock out "yell" next to the hole at the bottom right (which becomes the "o") and leave the "w" on the outside of the tag. That might get you working in another direction. Good luck.

Also using a mark of this nature will tranlsate perfectly into any color including black and white without any struggle. Possibly Rotate the logo so its got more of a "diamond" appearance. This position will convey a dynamic look also carrying as much solidarity as the block form you currently have.

[Rasmusbp]

I suggest working with that color because pure yellow, CMYK or PANTONE, is VERY bright. There are lots of variations, pick up a swatch book and find a warmer version.

Thank you for your reply Alex..
We now officially changed the pure yellow with a warmer version... :). We added 18% of magenta.. It really did the trick... Thanks guys.

/Rasmus bp

[Broacher]

I was also thinking along TZ's concept line: why state the obvious? Have you ever seen that 'perceptual illusion' where a list of colour names are set in colours different than their literal meaning on a card and you are asked to read out loud the colours down the sheet as they appear? Almost everyone messes this up. It's a weird feeling. But it's interactive too because it's engaging BOTH sides of your brain. If I was going for a colour name I'd explore that trick some. You can BET it would be a huge conversation starter-- which is exactly what you want as a freelance designer.

TZ, one minor correction. I've always understood that for sheer readability, the highest perceived degree of contrast in the widest range of lighting conditions exists in black and yellow contrast combinations. Hence wasps and bees, and emergency signage.

[wez312]

Quick off-topic comment to rasmusbp...have you read the book tellmewhy? You're last post with the 'BRAND NEW DESIGN!!!' on it just reminded me of it a lot...

[Rasmusbp]

Have you ever seen that 'perceptual illusion' where a list of colour names are set in colours different than their literal meaning on a card and you are asked to read out loud the colours down the sheet as they appear?
Yes, I know of these illusions sheets... actually they're quite funny :).. And I actually thought of this concept during the brainstorm phase.. But I concluded that the approach is risci due to the fact that not every potential client would get the obvious point, and may think of it as a flaw or sluppy designer work. And second, we intend to use the "swatch" as a single element in some of our work and if it were, say blue, people properly wouldn't link it with us, I think it would be too complex.... But perhaps I should reconsider this :), because frankly I personally like the idea...

[Rasmusbp]

have you read the book tellmewhy? You're last post with the 'BRAND NEW DESIGN!!!' on it just reminded me of it a lot...

No, I haven't read that book... So it must be a coincidence :).

[CkretAjint]

*sings* rubber ducky your the one. You make bath time so much fun!