Confusing company logo!?!

[beano]

I'm trying to come up with a logo for a company that does Pest Control and Industrial Cleaning.. I can come up with ideas for one or the other, but how do you combine the two!?! And how do you guy's do this full time, it's driving me nuts!!! :rolleyes:

The company's name is Bio-Kleen, which doesn't give me any inspiration either!?! So far i've only managed to come up with one concept, and that gives them departmentalised logos, which they might not want!?!

The only thing that really comes to mind is a rat being sucked up by an industrial vacuum cleaner, but that seems a little too comic book!?!

[D-Zine]

Can you show us the ideas that you have for both? Then maybe someone will see different ways to combine the two. Or show us the concept you have come up with maybe.

[defjoe]

cleaning a bug?

[uncle carbunkle]

don't be literal. start thinking of images, colours and symbols that evoke 'clean' and 'environment'.

start posting a list of all those things - catagorise them if you like. once you do that, people will add to it and help you narrow it down. i'll bet you $5.

[1984]

I think a comic book approach is a great way to do this. Killing animals isn't the easiest topic for anyone and most people do want the pests out of their lives, they just don't want to think about them being hurt too. So if you make it funny, or comic, it seems to make it all ok.
superhero?

[Mickey]

I think an image of a broom sweeping a bug somehow would be pretty cool.

[uncle carbunkle]

but cleaning a bug with a broom isn't overly pratical, and implying that a factory or warehouse has bugs (when they're only hiring bio-kleen for maintenance purposes) might not be superawesome. (<-yes, that is one word).

[uncle carbunkle]

UNLESS either the broom or the bug is wearing a cape and underpants.

[1984]

You might also want to think about how many people are going to need both services at once. They might need an exterminator or a cleaner. How bout splitting the logo into both parts. say a circle type thing with bug shit on one side and cleaning stuff on the other.

[beano]

Thanks for all the reply's everyone... ;)

This is what i've started with, although they definitely would need some refining hehe!

[uncle carbunkle]

well, i still think that you should start by writing stuff down. it might then be easier for you to get a grip on your imagery.

[beano]

Yeah i agree, i do tend to get too literal... I'll have a sit down this afternoon with a pencil and see what i can come up with.

I'm avoiding colours at the moment though, i don't even want to think about the colours until i have something down in b&w, in fact a few somethings... hehe!

[imagemaker]

I did some thumbnails a while ago for a 'bug' man who wanted to put froth that he didn't 'destroy' or 'eliminate', but rather that he 'provided' clean, healthy living spaces.

Perhaps something that implies 'clean', not cleaning. Puffy while clouds in an azure blue field. Kelley Green field and bright yellow or orange foliagewith thick black outlines. Perhaps in a stained glass type of style.

No poison, no pests.

Purity.

I might emphasize the image and not the name.

Just some ideas.

[beano]

Nice idea... I hadn't thought of purity at all, wasn't one of the words that sprung to mind fo some reason!?!

So far word wise, these are what i've come up with:

Protection, Barrier, Shield, Clean, Clear, Natural, Aura, Sanitary, Removal, Disposal, Vermin, Prevention, Biological, Chemical, and now Purity.....

No Particular order there, just some words that popped into my head, and others which basically derived from those.

[Rocketpig]

One small tip, a little off-topic.

Don't use Comic Sans or anything that resembles Comic Sans.

Comic Sans was sent to Earth by Satan himself to drive designers to suicide. He hates us.

[Keyare]

Amen brother.

[mancroft]

What about a bug with a broom through it's heart?

[uncle carbunkle]

Bio: earth, globe, trees, environment, harmony, smell, moss, plants, green, air, earth, fire, water...

kleen (clean): white, water, sunshine, purity, bleach, rain, dove, sparkling, new, dew

i think you should focus less on the "kill, kill, scrub, scrub" side of things and present at least one tree-hugging option.
:D

[beano]

One idea that came to mind was to have a thistle (the company's Scottish) inside a cirlcle, the circle being a barrier to protect the thistle... I chose the thistle because it is well recognised as Scottish, but would it be appropriate, as it is effectively a weed (although i believe it is their national flower)!?!

[mancroft]

I chose the thistle because it is well recognised as Scottish, but would it be appropriate, as it is effectively a weed (although i believe it is their national flower)!?!

Hey, Jimmy. The thistle is nay a weed. Watch your lip unless you want men in blue kilts knocking at your door...

[Creative]

[Company Name]
[........Line.......]
[.....Services....]

Example: (Please keep in mind the limited potential styling of the following using this forum and its tools.)
Bio-Kleen
INDUSTRIAL CLEANING AND PEST CONTROL

In a situation such as this, I would not try to illustrate the companies purpose(s), as this could cause a conflict of interest. However, you should spend a good amount of time finding the right font combination. You might even consider altering one or more of the letters, providing for a defining style.

If the company or you want a complementary illustration, I would recommend a shape or shapes of some sort (circle(s), square(s), etc.). Often times the right shapes make the better impression.

Regardless of the suggestions you reject or adhere to, good luck in your journey to complete the final draft.

[steve-o]

I agree completely with Uncle and Creative. The focus should be on the final result -- a clean, safe, healthy environment. Not the process -- a messy or bloody confrontation with a cockroach or toxic waste spill.

Yes. Use simple abstract imagery if you need some sort of illustration.

Let us know how it turns out!

[uncle carbunkle]

mmmmmmmm...perhaps the 'sterility' or 'purity' that we've stumbled onto comes across as a nice, clean logotype...

clean logotyyyyype

*ahem*

[jamodu]

^^ great advice as always from these guys....here's my two-pence :)

Stick with the logotype/logoblock idea, but distinguish between the two words - possibly have 'BIO' in a light typeface with KLEEN in a black/heavy font. Helvetica or swis721 come to mind, but experiment and find something you like.

As far as colours are concerned - blue is seen throughout the medical world as being a sterile/clean colour so perhaps you could try that.

If you do need a symbol to go with the logotype, keep it simple - maybe a bug in a circle with a line through it? - to me, that kinda says clean, and pest control at the same time.

Just keep experimenting and I'm sure you'll come up with something great :)

[beano]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I decided to get away from it for the weekend, but i'll have a play with some of your suggestions tomorrow night (gotta go earn some money tomorrow lol!)... ;)

lol Mancroft.. It's a weed in England... *goes to lock doors and windows* :D

[beano]

I've made some time, although what i've dome doesn't really feel like my work as i've basically plagiarised (sp!?!) Creative, I would like your opinions on the colours etc...

I will be trying some different fonts and ideas, but i won't get time now to have a thorough look through my fonts until tomorrow evening.

Thanks for all the input so far! ;)

[Creative]

As far as colors are concerned, you want something that will be bold, and visible -- but steer clear of distasteful colors, especially when dealing with a respectable company, or one that will be dealing with other respectable companies.

Recommendations: I can see this logo work well with black and a regular-toned blue. Lighter colors (such as yellow) would probably not do well. And I would not use red, unless it was going to be the color-fill for a shape, if in fact you decided to use one.

No matter what color(s) you choose, play around with different colors in different places, to see what color goes best where. Put different logo variations side-by-side, and sit back and just look at them. Whichever is more appealing to your eyes, use that to show to the company, and go from there.

[beano]

Oh! sorry Creative my attachment seems to have vanished from the previous post!?!

Let me post em again:

Quality might not be great, as i had to save it at 70% to make the file small enough!?! ;)

[Creative]

Good work. I must say, I am intrigued by logo version B. The colors work well together. Though I had to tilt my laptop screen a little to see the lighter color. But that should not affect how it prints, you know?

I would say it comes down to A and B, with version B's color usage. I like the fonts you used for this logo, as well. You might try repositioning and/or resizing the circle (ex. center it on the dash, or the "o" in "Bio;" having it complete the circle on the left side, while keeping it open to the logo on the right side; etc.).

I think you're on the right track, and the logo looks good. Just don't sell yourself on one strict logo, until you are absolutely sure you are satisfied with the design. As a designer, I'm sure you'll know when the absolute right one comes along. Keep up the good work.

[CatintheHat1]

What about a raindrop somehow incorporated into the word? Maybe the "o" in Bio. I'm keen on simplistic.

[beano]

Thanks guy's, some great ideas there... ;)

I showed them these, but told them it was just one concept and i was working on some more ideas; they love B, but they want it in the green!?!

I think i'll do a set of comps based on B, in the two colours. I agree about the circle, looking off centre (i'm having problems with aligning at the moment lol!), so i'll definitely have a play with that! ;)

[uncle carbunkle]

who said focus on 'bio'? who? wha- oh! was that me? wow...i guess it was....

*golf clap*

...ahhhhthankyouverymuch...
;)

[beano]

hehe! It was at that... Thanks Uncle! ;)

[uncle carbunkle]

lol! i'm just being a goof.:P

show us more comps when you have them.

[beano]

lol! i'm just being a goof.:P

Me too lol!

That and procrastinating again... :D

[Rocketpig]

Oh! sorry Creative my attachment seems to have vanished from the previous post!?!

Let me post em again:

Quality might not be great, as i had to save it at 70% to make the file small enough!?! ;)

I like B quite a bit. The use of blue (as previous posters mentioned, a "clean" color) and the use of a circle (could be considered a "do it all, all-encompassing solution" company) is nice.

Though thickening the circle just a tad for better viewing on small logos might be needed IMO.

[Rocketpig]

Thanks guy's, some great ideas there... ;)

I showed them these, but told them it was just one concept and i was working on some more ideas; they love B, but they want it in the green!?!

I think i'll do a set of comps based on B, in the two colours. I agree about the circle, looking off centre (i'm having problems with aligning at the moment lol!), so i'll definitely have a play with that! ;)

Green might not be bad, but I would make it a rich, earthy forest green to avoid making the logo look too obnoxious.

Maybe offset it with a lighter shade of green (with a bit of grey to dull it out)... I can't think of the color right now and I don't have a Pantone book handy.

[beano]

Thanks for the feedback Rocketpig. ;)

So you don't like my green then? :D j/k

I think you're right about the circle, i've actually sent them two sets of comps based on B. The second set is basically the same as the first but with a 4pt stroke on the circle... Great minds and all that hehe! ;)

I'll post em later, just gotta mess about with the files to get them to fit under the 39k limit!?! I may have to post the sets in seperate posts...

[beano]

Okay, just a couple of variations of B here, in both the blue and the green:

[beano]

And again with the thicker stroke:

[Creative]

But they all look so good! lol

I'll come back to this post, later on today. It's too early in the morning for me to be making and quality decisions, or what not. See, I can't even think of what to say, or how to say it?

Your train of thought is on the right track. At 5:30 a.m., mine is not.

Yeah, I need sleep, alright.

[vtwin_gary]

the circle in the background offset to the left kinda looks like a C. that would be great if it was bio-Clean but...

just my $.02 :confused:

[Creative]

I concur. But I'm still out of it.

I'll try back later.

[beano]

lol! Try lots of coffee Creative! (or beer) :D

The point about the C is a good one, i hadn't even noticed that!?!

I think i like 'C' with the thicker stroke on the circle...

[chriscrooz]

Since you were saying that the company wanted green I would say I like D the best. It's centered, clean and gets the point accross. I too have a hard time thinking things through too much and I don't just keep it simple stupid. Good work!!!

Chris

[beano]

Thanks Chris! ;)

[Creative]

I had two pots of coffee. I was wired, but still out of it, you know? At any rate, I have been studying these logos, even though it's not in my job description.

I cannot believe the company wants green. It just doesn't look good, especially compared to the blue, and that's not even because blue is my favorite color.

I like your idea of version C with a thicker stroke. Head down that road. I think you're almost to the final stage. Sometimes it takes a while. (No beer for me.)

[beano]

Damn there's another stage!?! :P

I'm kinda hoping they'll say "That's perfect" and i can just send it to em! lol! I think i need to work on my attention span, i get bored real quick! :D

[uncle carbunkle]

I cannot believe the company wants green. It just doesn't look good, especially compared to the blue, and that's not even because blue is my favorite color.

really? you can't believe it? typically, blue means 'fresh' or 'clean', where as green is more 'environment' or 'bio'. as their name is bio-kleen, i can totally see it.

now, that particular shade and hue of green...meh. :cool:

[beano]

now, that particular shade and hue of green...meh. :cool:

hehe! It was pretty random to be fair. :P I haven't heard back from them yet, so a revision may well be on the cards with regards to colour... We shall see! :D

[uncle carbunkle]

cool!

[chriscrooz]

I think the reason the green might not look as appealing as the blue is because of it being a bit flat. I'd recommend playing with the color green you're using and bring out the green a bit more so it is a bit fuller. That might just do the trick and make the green look better than it does right now. Keep up the awesome work.!!!

[Creative]

Hey, the environment has blue, too. Think of the sky; the ocean; and that slimy chemical stuff over there -- oh wait, scratch that. I can see green with some things, but I just don't think it's working with this logo.

But it comes down to that "box" -- you know, the one that the client puts you in. It's ultimately up to them. So for your sake, beano, I sure hope they like what you have now. Then there won't be another stage, and you can relax.

[uncle carbunkle]

the environment also has a lot of brown and puce, but i don't know if they say 'clean' or 'bio' to me.

[Creative]

lol okay, I am glad they do not want a brown logo. We'll settle: blue is clean; green is environmental. Together, they are environmentally clean.

There you go, beano! Incorporate both colors into one logo. It's called compromise. Maybe they will go for it. Who knows?

[beano]

lol!

I won't even bring brown up, coz you know they'll want to see it, then it'll be... "I love the brown, lets go with that!" :p

They liked 'F'!?! WTF!?!?!?!?!?! I'm trying to turn them around, because i really don't like F at all now ll!

[chriscrooz]

The thick lined version of F isn't all that bad and I can see why they might like it... it would slap on a business card better and bigger. Bringing out the green a bit more would also as a ton to the quality of the color and logo.

That's my two bits.

Chris



lol!

I won't even bring brown up, coz you know they'll want to see it, then it'll be... "I love the brown, lets go with that!" :p

They liked 'F'!?! WTF!?!?!?!?!?! I'm trying to turn them around, because i really don't like F at all now ll!

[uncle carbunkle]

LOL@beanz!

LOL@chriscooz! okay, okay...let's go with 'aqua' and call it a day...:D

[beano]

Damn! Don't tell the client about aqua for christs sake!!! :p