New Logo

Overbearing and underdesigned.

I made a couple of snarky comments in this thread, and I apologize. Mea culpa.

Iā€™m generally happy to help anyone who asks if I can contribute, but I do really like to know the context. If the question is super brief, then our helpful answers may be way off the mark. If the requestor provides some details, I feel we can give them more targeted answers.

1 Like

No worries. Asking for context is absolutely appropriate, it helps garner better feedback. We just try to keep folks from piling on too much. As Kool said, we were all newbies once upon a time. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

You are just rude

Sorry. I shouldnā€™t have responded on this thread. Maybe youā€™ll find it in your heart to forgive me.

what can we fix

Adrian,
You can surely get the help you need here, but it would be a lot easier for us to offer appropriate resonses if someone from your class would answer the questions I posted here:
https://www.graphicdesignforum.org/t/i-would-like-some-feedback-for-my-assignment-for-a-project/1615/9?u=hotbutton
Can you help out with that?

@Adrian301 The short answer to ā€œwhat can we fixā€ is start over. Way back I posted to sketch ideas out ā€¦ which really does help. And not just 1 or 2 ā€¦ but 40 or 50 minimum.

Even as a student, its worth understanding that graphic design is not something like math, where there is a right or wrong answer, where one of us can point out that you miscalculated a number, or left off some part of an equation, etc. Its straight up ā€œproblem solvingā€ but in a true sense of figuring out how to get something to work.

The first thing that comes to mind is this short clip form the Apollo 13 movie. Now, while its true that logo design or most graphic design is not a life and death situation, the problem solving aspect of this scene is a decent metaphor for design. So, when you post a single logo and ask ā€œwhat you can do to fix itā€, there wonā€™t just be a 3 step simple process.

My best bit of advice, even as a student is to look at other logos, create a mood board (collection of images, sketches, color swatches, etc.) that you feel are the general vein of what you are wanting to communicate. And start sketching and coming up with ideas.

Right now your logo doesnā€™t look like a solution to a logo ā€œproblemā€, instead it looks like the restaurant name in a randomly selected font, in a circle, with some rudimentary chopstick element.

At the least give us your thought process, give us sketches, give us your ideas and then we will be able to weigh in to offer you advice, but at the end of the day the solution will have to be yours.

2 Likes

Did you read the link I posted earlier in this discussion? About what makes a good logo?

The JUST Creative article is great. Now, after finalizing a logo design, there is more work to do. You want to avoid these 10 logo design mistakes.

Hi, Creativeboost. Welcome to the forum. Itā€™s great having you here to share your insight.

You might want to read through the forum rules, however. The very first rule is one about advertising.

Iā€™m definitely not advertising (or selling) anything. If sharing a link to my own content that helps others is considered advertising, then Iā€™m really confused.

A link to a portfolio is fine, but your site is more than a portfolio. And yes, the information on your site is fantastic. But it does seem youā€™re engaging in an effort to drive traffic there, which amounts to advertising as weā€™ve always defined it here. Iā€™ll admit, though, Iā€™m torn on this one.

My intention was certainly not to break any of your rules. Iā€™m not sure how sharing a link to my own content is different than my sharing a link to someone elseā€™s content because Iā€™m not making money off this. (I have a separate client-based design business for that, and thatā€™s where my work is displayed.) However, I respect whatever your decision is.

I recently started creating this content to speak to aspiring designers after having done client work for 21 years (15 years and counting being successfully self-employed doing so). I have lived the struggles and continue to see them in others. I see good designers who need guidance on how to make a living, I see some designers needing to hone their skills. I see designers trying to compete with sites like Fiverr. I want to address all of this so designers gain confidence in their skills and can sell their services without undervaluing their work.

Thatā€™s the difference, and that also speaks to the conundrum of why Iā€™m torn on this.

Personally, Iā€™m in favor of allowing forum members to link to their own material if itā€™s quality material, which yours is. Unfortunately, that creates a problem when we have to decide whatā€™s worthwhile and what isnā€™t.

Rampant advertising posts have ruined other design forums, so the rather black and white forum rule against advertising is a measure to prevent that. Again, if it were entirely up to me as a moderator, Iā€™d relax the rules a bit on this matter even though it would make moderation decisions a bit more difficult.

The moderators have had quite a few discussions on this very subject, and the forum rules on advertising represent something of a compromise.

I respect that. Iā€™ve seen some posts in the forum I could provide a brief response to (and did), but there were others I could provide a wealth of information about from having taught design, worked with clients and run my own business. But some are better explained in my podcast or on my website (as I could otherwise type for hours and donā€™t have that kind of time). So I thought it better to share the link to explain it. Please let me know what you all decide.

BTW, thanks for the compliment on my content.

I totally understand what youā€™re saying, and am sympathetic to your arguments.

This forumā€™s viability is tied to having experienced designers, like yourself, as regular contributors who share their experiences and insight.

Personally, Iā€™m fine with professional designers linking to their own off-site materials if and when itā€™s relevant and furthers the objectives of building a vibrant and useful community. The cross-pollination could be a win-win situation for everyone ā€” despite the difficulties in judgment calls we would need to make when differentiating between a good off-site link to personal material and irrelevant or spammy advertising.

As a moderator here, though, itā€™s not entirely up to me. In all fairness, the are still good reasons for taking harder line on keeping the advertising posts at bay that have destroyed other design forums ā€” the old HOW forum being a good example.

By the way, thanks for your patience.

1 Like

Thatā€™s one of the reasons I decided not to become a cop. Iā€™m supposed to write tickets to people who are speeding when I speed everywhere I go? (except school zones/parking lots/constructions zones). And Iā€™m supposed to arrest people for pot, when most people I know smoke it?

I agree with you, though. Thereā€™s a big difference if someone creates something and tries to sell it by spamming it in every post or trying to shoehorn their content anywhere possible than linking a helpful article they wrote. If they were a bit more shady, they could have said someone else wrote it and they thought it was helpful.

But Iā€™m okay either way. Like the no salary or pricing discussions here. I think if salary discussions were more open, it would have a positive effect on the field as a whole. Sure, there are going to be some significant variations because of peopleā€™s luck, experience, duties, but I think as adults- we should be able to consider that. Then again I see how people might get their feelings hurt.

1 Like

Hi Adrian301,

As others have mentioned I would need more context to provide feedback but Iā€™ll take a stab at it purely based off design principals, process and aesthestics.

  • Research and figure out what you want to achieve, what is the end goal?
    i.e. Do you want a logo that is modern vs traditional? Is this for packaging? A restaurant? Who is the target audience etc.

  • Sketch ideas and translate to the computer later

  • Complete multiple different variations, slightly different size relationships and positioning. i.e. chopsticks closer or farther apart/moved down/shorter in length, decrease/increase scale of chopsticks, different type choices, different sizes for the type, perhaps the type can follow the contour of the circle or be centered horizontally underneath, try ā€œGolden Chopstixā€ stacked on 2 lines vs 1, different color pallets, different border weights (thickness), no borders etc. Explore all possible options and lay out on one page!

  • Center the circles

  • The values of the red and grey are almost equal, try a lighter grey or darker red for contrast, unless you did this intentionally

  • Try a different typeface, the one you chose is not strong. If you are looking for modern try a san serif (without feet) like Futura (Just an example). If you are looking for more traditional try a serif like Baskerville. There are tons more on dafont.com, urbanfonts.com etc.

  • The descender of the ā€˜pā€™ is hidden under the chopstick. This muddles the message and looks unfinished, try another solution.

  • Respect margins. Right now ā€œGolden Chopstixā€ is way too close to the red circle edge.

Hope this helps! If you are a beginner starting out, you honestly did a great job. There are a lot of people who wouldnā€™t know where to start, the important thing is that you did. It will take time to grow as a designer and see the difference but you will get there. Keep at it, familiarize yourself with good designers, (AIGA, Communication Arts etc.) and read all of the links members have posted!

Post your progress and tag me in it if youā€™d like.

Best,
Kaila