Wordmark and Logo for A Jewelry Designer

[Art]

I would like some feedback for a branding wordmark and logo that I have been working on for a jewelry company. These will be used on a website, in print, and on product packaging. Right now the main focus of the company is bridal jewelry, so the audience are in their 20’s and 30’s, both male and female, all over the world, who want to get married or buy jewelry for a special purpose.
I am not a professional designer, but I do a lot of research, and design is something I care deeply about. That is why I value and appreciate all of your feedback for this project.

I am aiming for a high end luxury feel. I didn’t want to do anything cliche like a diamond shape or crown etc., and I didn’t want to go with clear initials for a logo. This is not a well known brand, and I understand that people may not have a past reference when they see the logo or wordmark. Before I explain my thought process behind this design, I really would like to know your first impressions. This is a first draft, so I’m open to all your criticism!

[PrintDriver]

Did you intentionally not center the sticks on the circles?
Either do it or don’t. Make it too subtle and it looks like a mistake.

[Smurf2]

I think it’s supposed to say “beautiful Petra” - if so - then offset them to look more like a ‘b’ and a ‘p’.

[Designia]

I gotta say, I’m not hating this at all. I’d want to see it with the circles centered. I don’t think you need to be that literal with the forms. They look centered in the text.

[Steve_O]

On the positive side, you’re only using one color, there are no raster effects, and the logo would be easily reproducible in a wide variety of uses.

That said, I don’t think this hits the mark for several reasons.

I’m a believer in Frederic Goudy’s quote “Anyone who would letterspace lower case would steal sheep.” Point being, letterspaced lower case characters don’t look very good. With your letterspacing and tight word spacing, this almost looks like a line of characters rather than two separate words.

Looking at the logo by itself, I don’t see a bP. I see a couple of circles with lines through them. It looks more like a schematic or data plot points or something binary (1s and 0s).

Overall, this does not have a high end or luxury feel to it, in my opinion. Put together a mood board with high end and luxury brands and see how this stacks up. If you compare this to, for example, the Tiffany & Co. branding, it has a very home-spun feel to it.

[Just-B]

There’s something about the idea and the symbols that I really like, but I agree with the others about the not-quite centered or off-centered lines and the lowercase letter spacing. I think it’s an idea worth developing out a bit more, but the execution isn’t there yet.

[pluto]

How did you arrive at the circle with the line mark? I like the simplicity of the mark, but I’m with the others here - I don’t really get the impression that it’s a high-end, luxurious jeweller.

My guess is that you chose a geometric sans serif typeface so that it matches your mark? It feels more casual/chic than high-end and luxurious. Did you consider using a script or a serif or even a modern serif typeface and leaving the BP alone?

[PrintDriver]

I could see the mark itself going either high end or budget. It reminds me somewhat of a hobo mark while at the same time a computer/digital symbol.

[Art]

Thank You everyone for your feedback. You all confirmed all the things I don’t like about the design. As I mentioned, it did bother me that the lines and circles were not centered. Also, the letter spacing was off, and I intended to work on that more.

@PrintDriver Yes, I intentionally did not center the lines and circles. I wanted to, but I thought they would be indistinguishable as letters in the logo. I totally agree with you on it being too subtle. I am more in favor of them being centered because it seems more balanced, yet also more abstract.

@Smurf2 you are right, it says, “beautiful petra”.

I was trying to stay away from a distinct “b” and “p” in the logo, but I do want the wordmark to be legible. That was a conflict I was trying to resolve.

@Steve_O I agree with you on the letterspacing, and I tweaked it a little, but I still don’t think it’s 100%. I will take your suggestion and create a mood board with other luxury brands logos to compare.

@pluto I came up with the circle and line mark as I was doodling and drawing different ideas. I liked the idea of an abstract logo that had a broader meaning than just circles and lines. I gravitate toward symmetry and simplicity, so I thought it was an idea worth developing. I also wanted the wordmark to be more distinct and recognizable from all the other brands that “clutter” the industry. In my research, I found that a lot of jewelry companies use a serif font in all caps (or scrip). I considered doing the same for the wordmark and using the circles and lines (centered) for the logo. I decided on the Century Gothic font because it is very circular like the mark.

As far as it feeling high-end or luxurious, that seems to be an interpretation based on past experiences. I feel the same way as you all about it because it doesn’t look like other luxury brand’s logos. The lower case “b” in beautiful and the upper case “P” in Petra actually bother me. The letterspacing and centering the lines can be adjusted, but the “b” is still lower case, so if I can’t reconcile that or accept it I may have to scrap the idea of using the logo in the wordmark. What do you all think? Do you all think I should try to keep some continuity in the wordmark and logo? If you do think I should separate the logo and the wordmark, do you have any font suggestions?

@PrintDriver It’s interesting that you associated the mark to hobo hieroglyphs. I don’t think the average 20-30 year old would make that connection unless they are really interested in history.

So, I said I was aiming for a high-end luxury feel, because that is the type of product the company makes. They are focused on quality and unique designs, so I thought that’s how the brand should be presented. In comparison to automobiles, the company could be comparable to Tesla, not Bugatti or Lamborghini.

[PrintDriver]

Or they maybe had a grandmother with one on her curb.
(She was a “nice lady that would give a sandwich,” but only at the back porch door.)

[pluto]

@Art

I also wanted the wordmark to be more distinct and recognizable from all the other brands that “clutter” the industry. In my research, I found that a lot of jewelry companies use a serif font in all caps (or scrip).

Do you think your client wants to stand out as quirky and a bit of an off beat? If so, then maybe continue your current design direction.

I think you should watch this, you only need to watch these 5 mins of it, because that is the part I think will be most valuable to you:

How To Charge More For A Logo— Deep Dive ep. 4

I fit your demographic and personally if I were looking for a wedding ring, I wouldn’t entertain going to place with branding like what you’ve presented - and that’s not to say that it’s bad, it just doesn’t appeal to me and I don’t know whether I would trust them with something worth $2,000.00+ for one of the most special ocassions of my life, because I feel like they will get it wrong and it will be a disaster.

However if your client sells cheap mass produced jewellery at the local Saturday morning market then it might be totally fine.

@Art

I decided on the Century Gothic font because it is very circular like the mark.

The typeface of the logo is hugely influencial in how the brand will feel, do you think this is a good enough reason to select a typeface that doesn’t hit the mark over something more appropriate?

@Art

Do you all think I should try to keep some continuity in the wordmark and logo? If you do think I should separate the logo and the wordmark, do you have any font suggestions?

If it were me - would definitely sperate the two. Would go for typeface with a luxury feel like Bodoni - all caps and wide letter spacing. Would probably drop the abstract mark and opt for something that’s more of a personal touch considering the bespoke nature of their product (like the jewellers signature?)

Good luck with your design

[Art]

@pluto

I really appreciate your perspective, and I did enjoy that video. That brought some clarity to this project.
Would you describe both the wordmark and the logo as “quirky” and “off beat”?
Do you get that feel from both marks or just one?

[pluto]

@Art

Do you get that feel from both marks or just one?

I think the wordmark is innappropriate and quirky.

And while the mark is cool, I’m not sure how it relates to jewellry. Like I say, would recommend finding something more personal and relevant to your clients business especially if they’re providing a service manufacturing bespoke goods for such an intimate and special occasion.

@Art

so the audience are in their 20’s and 30’s, both male and female, all over the world, who want to get married or buy jewelry for a special purpose.

Unless your client is producing something out of left-field, your thinking should revolve around how do I make it look like my client is a safe choice these people and how do I craft an amazing experience for these people?

[OVOAO]

@pluto

@Art

Do you get that feel from both marks or just one?

I think the wordmark is innappropriate and quirky.

And while the mark is cool, I’m not sure how it relates to jewellry.

I agree with @pluto that the wordmark is not hitting the mark.

As for the “bp” logo, to me it looks like a circular hair pin or shawl pin or brooch (see pictures below). Does that actually somehow relate to the products of the brand?

And while looking for the above images I also stumbled across an earring with a similar design:

[Art]

@OVOAO

Does that actually somehow relate to the products of the brand?

No the circles and lines, which are abstract letters, do not relate to the products. Maybe they could be interpreted as rings or something, but other than that I did not have a definitive interpretation in mind.

I have a couple challenges with this project in that the name is pretty long, so having only a wordmark might not work in all areas. I was never really “feeling” the wordmark, but I thought the logo might be worth developing.

I’m going to do some more research to find a more appropriate font for he workmark. I was thinking something 19th century era. I’m open to suggestions if you have something in mind. I do appreciate your feedback and perspective.

[PopsD]

@Art

The lower case “b” in beautiful and the upper case “P” in Petra actually bother me

If you must go with this design, you should lower the “p” so that they both appear to be lower case letters. Personally, I agree with most of the feedback you have received here in that I do not necessarily get the idea that it is a high-end jewelry company. If you and your client both like the initial idea, you might consider making both the b and p (bp) lowercase and perhaps play with reversing the bp inside a gold circle, for example—but it’s just a thought. Regardless, I would definitely not use the altered type in the whole words “Beautiful Petra” but rather make it a standard readable and beautiful typeface (the font Arno Pro comes to mind.) Have fun with the project and I wish you the best of success!

[Just-B]

I have a contrary viewpoint to some of the other comments. I think with a few minor adjustments, your proposed logo looks very appropriate for high-end jewelry. Now, if the jewelry is of the ornate, opulent, over-the-top sort, your logo doesn’t work, but if you’re aiming for a svelte, understated, high-end, contemporary elegance, I think the look works great. Of course, this needs to be carried through to the rest of the branding — especially packaging and promotions — or it will risk looking the opposite of high-end.

However, it all falls apart when you try to incorporate the mark/logo into the wordmark, which looks clumsy and cluttered. For the logotype, I’d just simply spell out the name in straight-forward type and let it go at that. I’d likely pick something other than Futura, however. Futura is a nice typeface, but I’d use something with much the same look, a little less common, a little more contemporary and a little more refined. I’d also not be inclined to space out the lowercase letters, like you did in your first example, and I’d definitely center the lines. I’d also not try to bridge the awkwardness of the b being lowercase and the P being uppercase — just use matching, perfectly kerned, well-designed type.

Personally, I don’t think think the mark itself needs to look like a b and a p — simply being reminiscent of them (and the other glyphs) in workmark is enough, which it already does.

However, I’d make some adjustments to even out the negative spaces in the mark, below. I’d be inclined to make the diagonal space I’ve marked the same distance as the marked horizontal spaces.

[Art]

@Just-B

if the jewelry is of the ornate, opulent, over-the-top sort, your logo doesn’t work, but if you’re aiming for a svelte, understated, high-end, contemporary elegance, I think the look works great.

Ok, I was thinking about your comments for the past coupled days, and I would not describe the jewelry designs as svelte, understated, or contemporary. High-end elegance is more broad and they may fall in that classification.

These are some of the designs that the company sells to give you an idea:

Thank you for your suggestions on improving the mark. I did adjust the negative space in the logo as you suggested and it does look more balanced, but I’m not sure if I can make it work. I am not going to use the wordmark that I originally posted. I have been looking at possible fonts for the wordmark, and I have taken into consideration the suggestions I have received from everyone who contributed. Ideally I would like to find a typeface that works for all styles of jewelry.

I am going to do some research to get a better feel for what the presentation should be, and I will post some of my final selections and revisions for comment.

[Just-B]

@Art

Ok, I was thinking about your comments for the past coupled days, and I would not describe the jewelry designs as svelte, understated, or contemporary. High-end elegance is more broad and they may fall in that classification.

That’s the very thing I was wondering about. Judging from the jewelry images you posted, I’m not at all sure that a clean, modern, geometric logo will represent them all that well. You might need something a little more ornate — something that’s more traditional and in keeping with the design of the jewelry.

[smacdesign]

@Just-B

Judging from the jewelry images you posted, I’m not at all sure that a clean, modern, geometric logo will represent them all that well. You might need something a little more ornate — something that’s more traditional and in keeping with the design of the jewelry.

What he said!