Real Estate Development and Consulting Firm

[Brodie]

These are five comps for a Toronto-based firm. You can tell me if I need to go back to the drawing board—I don't show them for a week. Their main competition are companies like BCG and Accenture. They wanted something fresh and clean-cut, but classy and signifying growth.

Obviously I'll be adding colour later and I'll scan my sketches and post 'em in a sec.

http://i46.tinypic.com/fm2ucy.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/j7tc3o.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/2ex6d8i.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/eio852.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/29y9v6.jpg

Thanks.

[Shiruken]

This could just be me, but I read 1 and 2 from the top down (so I get DS rather than SD). I really like where you are going with them though. 5 reminds me of the mastercard logo, and I kind of get CD rather than SD.

1 and 2 are my favorites by far though.

[garricks]

I agree with Shiruken on the DS/SD and CD/SD issues, "Developments" will be lost on a business card with all of them. In #1 I get the sprouting plant, but I think using type weakens it.

SuLu is only appropriate (to me) if it's, say Susie and Lucy going in together to create the business. I think you have the seeds of some good ideas, just dig deeper.

[covax]

My favorite is 2, but I agree with everyone else that it reads DS.

[aegraphic]

I really like #1. I think it could be improved upon to look and function a little better (the "sulu" and "developments" don't look aligned on the right, and "developments" disappears in a smaller size. Perhaps a different font?)
IMO it doesn't matter whether you read "sd" or "ds". I think it incorporates everything you were requested to incorporate, and it works as a logo.

To me, #2 is a little too rigid looking (I don't really see the growth in it, either), and I don't think the font below works with the symbol.

the rest are really not very interesting/unique.

[KoolMikeSki]

I would keep working the first one. I like the concept see if you can do something about the DS reading instead of SD as it should. With "Developments" maybe a condensed sans-serif font so you can enlarge it more? I think your on the right track though.

[Brodie]

Thanks for responding Shiruken, garricks, covax, aegraphic, and KoolMikeSki.

I see what everyone is saying about the 'SD/DS' problems. It didn't seem like an issue when doing it but I'll look at trying to fix it.

Good point about losing 'Developments' on the card, garricks. Why do you think using type weakens the monogram/illustration? Is it looking more like type then a plant?

[garricks]

Brodie, I'm not a fan of turning type/monograms into illustrations. I'm an old fart, I guess. :) It does look more like type than a plant, but remember, it's only my opinion. With that and $5 you can buy a Venti at Starbucks! LOL

[daisy542]

I would keep working the first one. I like the concept see if you can do something about the DS reading instead of SD as it should. With "Developments" maybe a condensed sans-serif font so you can enlarge it more? I think your on the right track though.
I would use a flyer paper. It is a photo paper like they print house for sale info on. Prints out nice photos but is a better weight for chipboard albums than traditional photo paper... Hope that helps you.

[Brodie]

http://i49.tinypic.com/256ww2r.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2gub138.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/2nuh9om.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/2m6jvwm.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/2hcg3yt.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/117us8j.jpg

[aegraphic]

Brodie, it's really awesome that you posted your sketches! could you post a little description of what some of the ideas were? I think it would make a fantastic and rare resource of the logo creation process.

[Brodie]

Hey, glad you enjoyed seeing them, aegraphic.

Is their any specific ones you want explained? A large number of them—and this is something I have to work on not doing so often—are about the initials. How do they relate themselves? What objects do they relate with? Some are puzzling (the faces in the 'S' one) and not related to the project—directly. aegraphic, I just put them their because they can be a stepping stone to something more appropriate.