I agree with @Just-B and Craig. Still, I have seen logos with interlocking letters which are visually nice.
You could explore and stylize just the letter C and skip D and M letters.
Or create something different, apart from using letters in the logomark.
I see it’s a job posted on a design contest website.
Participating in logo design contests is a complete waste of time of time, since the chances of winning such a contest are very slim.
HI Sir, Hope this message finds you well. concerning your suggestion, I gave myself another try to design this again. Your kind ideas will mak
e me perform better. Thanks
Yes, you’re absolutely right. It’s a design contest website. I’ve spent a lot of time promoting my freelance gigs and services on social media and other platforms, engaging with followers and clients. While I’ve seen some positive results at times, I’m currently working as a solopreneur.
What would be your advice if participating in contest websites turns out to be a complete waste of time?
Too complicated. Refer to my earlier statement.
I have already read the forum rules, I understood that crowdsourcing contests and spec work are completely a waste of time. In any of the above posts, I didn’t try to promote or advocate any crowdsourcing website by pointing to their name or links, but I am trying to enhance my expertise. I just need your feedback, if I don’t participate there, then where should I be?
It really has nothing to do with the crit of this piece. If you win share the prize with all of us…
That’s what I saw too.
The latest one will look great on the stem of a freebie promotional pen (well, so will all of them).
I’ll cut that last one in vinyl and let YOU weed it.
Thanks, Stevee, for your kind feedback. That’s why I changed my mind and designed another sample to recheck. I think it will work or…
I didn’t participate yet anywhere bro. I only want to check whether I can do that after kind feedback.
That’s exactly what it will be.
The kind of clients who entrust their business to competition sites are not the kind of clients you want to be working for. The kind of clients you do want to be working for are not going to be using the kind of designers who participate in competition sites.
Neither party knows what they are doing.
It’s a viscous spiral down into the mud.
How to break out of this?
Education. Get yourself a formal education from a decent university (not online). The entrance process itself will determine if you have the requisite ability and talent. From what I can see, you have not been through this process. Your work has far too many basic errors and the fact you are even deigning logos in isolation exposes the reason you are not where you want to be.
Please don’t take this as malicious criticism. I know it seems harsh, but it is intended to help nudge you in the right direction. Those of us who have been doing this for years can immediately see the holes in the bottom of the boat, letting in water.
The fact you are even attempting to design logos in isolation from briefs which don’t give you anywhere near enough information – and, moreover, you haven’t gone back to ask them, again exposes the reason this dollar shop approach to design is fundamentally flawed.
A logo is only ever part of a wider brand identity. It’s not about looking pretty in the top corner of a letterhead.
It is far too big a subject to explain in a few sentences here, which is why there are degrees that teach it.
The original brief for that was so woefully inadequate, they are never going to get something to do the job they need. Sometimes, it is a designer’s job to explain where a client is going wrong and what information is required. If the designer themselves doesn’t know what they need to know, there’s little hope of a successful solution to the problem at hand.
Again please take this the way it’s intended. The fact that, in your own words, you have been ‘designing for many years’ and have got nowhere near where you want to be must show you that something is not right.
Perhaps you could put more of your work up on this forum for an honest critique,. Be prepared though and put a thick coat on; it can be brutally honest sometimes.
Good luck
I appreciate that you’re open to feedback and trying to improve.
Again - keep it simple - something I’ve already said, yet the logo keeps coming back more complicated.
A strong logo works even in black and white, at small sizes, and without excessive detail. Ask yourself what’s the absolute minimum needed to communicate the message?
You didn’t understand the brief.
A logo isn’t just about looking good; it needs to reflect the brand’s identity. Have you answered the questions? What are the company’s values? Who is their target audience? If a brief is vague, it’s the designer’s job to dig deeper.
If you’re looking to build a career in design, contests and spec work aren’t the way forward. Instead:
Work on real-world projects, even if they’re self-initiated.
Connect with small businesses that actually need branding.
Build a portfolio that shows your process, not just final logos.
Keep learning if you’re still struggling to get where you want, consider working on the fundamentals, ypography, composition, and brand strategy. A strong foundation will help you create better designs and attract better clients.
Competitions or Spec work
You’re working for free with no guarantee of payment. How much work will you have to do before you get paid? A real client wouldn’t expect a builders to compete to construct a house before deciding which one they like and how much they’ll pay for it.
When Jobs was asked what it was like to work with Rand, he said, “I asked him if he would come up with a few options, and he said, ‘No, I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options go talk to other people.’”
Clients who use contest sites often don’t value good design. They’re looking for something cheap and fast, not something strategic or well-crafted.
These contests rarely lead to real career growth. Instead of helping you build long-term relationships with clients, you end up stuck in a cycle of competing for low-value projects.
Most winning entries are chosen based on personal taste, not good design principles. Even if you win, it doesn’t mean your work was strong it just means it was the one they liked at the time.
Yes, this is what will help me get out from the quagmire. I knew that just a 3-month online course or certification is not quite enough for any field than a physical institute or university, but can be an initial stage of some awareness, especially as a graphic designer.
Your “EDUCATION” section defines me well. The reality was, I didn’t have the resources for physical university, that’s why I took this way to make it possible for me to get some passive income. Empty pocket ruins everything. I think I need to break it into slices and then digest it one by one.
Now I’m dam sure that with the help of your honest critique and expert advice, help me to straighten my way, it doesn’t matter what types of critique come from. It will enhance my expertise.
I’m highly grateful to you for your deep, and honest feedback
Hey @whaghb786, I totally get it - I myself had to figure out a different way to go about learning design because of the lack of resources for a traditional design education.
Below is a quote from myself in which I shared my thoughts on this topic with another GDF member - hope the info. helps you too.
To add another learning resource that isn’t too expensive but is more comprehensive than Baseline, you could look at the Briefbox course, which also has a community component and an option to for 1-on-1 mentoring sessions.
Thanks, bro, I am grateful to you for your kind advice, and course references.
Looks ‘MCD’ to me
With everything said above, I still see this as a decent exercise for both creating a legible logo that works at any scale.
As to the design, I like the cube concept, it’s just far too busy, unless you want to start getting into specific version usage scenarios (ask me how I know that’s a total $#!tfight you don’t want)
I’d simplify the cube faces to flat planes with just a couple simple divisions to make it look like a block of blocks (think Rubick’s cube, but maybe just 2x2x2). that should give it the “modular” feel
As to the typography in your last version, I have a personal aversion to underscores that meet round glyphs like C, O, G, U etc, I tend to raise them to the x-height, or go with a complete, unbroken stroke separating the acronym from the by line.