Attempt at my logo

[TheSellOut]

John, No offense but how can you say "I cannot seem to get ANY ideas at all" when you have received some great advice along with some equally as great design examples?! Throw some shapes/panels in there or change the fonts and colors up a bit.

Plus what happened to...as Jill said "highlight one thing and not everything that way your main focus stands out"? Your new layout is a step backwards in that regard. And I really hate to keep harping on you John and know that I only do it because I like you...but...is "graphics" what should be highlighted as your business's strong point...or would it possibly be your "signs"?

Take off until next year and then get back to the drawing board and WOW us...we know you can do it!

And I wouldn't worry too much about how your layout will look in greyscale but rather stick to designing your logo in a one-two-or three color layout that could be easily made to work on both a white and dark colored background. Also keep in mind you should design your logo to work in both a portrait and landscape orientation.

 

[iSign]

did you build your shop?
your design software?

...how about your plotter?

whether you focus more on "Graphics" or "Signs" doesn't matter.. as there will still always be aspects of both those industries that will never be your strong suit.

Logo design may not be your forte right now, so perhaps you might consider having someone else design it. I'm not at the level of Neato by any means, but I have sold around twenty thousand dollars worth of logos.. and still, I paid Dan Antonelli to help me with mine!! Why not? It's a tool, and i like the best tools... & if better tools will do a better job, I will acquire the best tools I can afford...

I could make a website.. in fact I was the first Maui sign company to have one, and I proudly put hundreds of hours into it.. and it lasted over 10 years, during which time I felt it was as good or better then my competition...

..but then I paid Joe Diaz to help me with a new site... and like my logo... I had a lot to do with the finished product, so I still take a pride in the result... BUT, I think they kick a lot more ass because while it's important to recognize your strengths, it's also invaluable to recognize any weaknesses, and invest in overcoming them...

so Heath says he knows you can WOW us... well, maybe he's seen more of your threads then I have... but with all due respect, one day you are wanting to set the world on fire, setting your sights on emulating the industries finest designers, to rise above the other local sign companies and compete on a basis of superior design... and the next day you are frustrated that designing isn't your cup-o-tea...

...one step at a time brother... Rome wasn't built in a day.. I still remember you from your "at the end" thread where we both talked about the very real risk of losing a home, and everything else in this tough economical time we are in... and I gave you the unpopular advice of getting a job working for someone else's sign company...

...well, I don't know how you felt about that then, and I don't know how much better your financial picture is today, but I still don't think it was such a bad idea...

I worked at 6 or 7 sign companies in 3 states, over 6 years before became an entrepreneur, and I STILL had some damn precarious moments, hundreds of 24 hour shifts, years of scrambling to just make the rent & my wife and I even lived in a windowless metal commercial building for 3 years... IN A GOOD ECONOMY... and with 6 years industry experience...

..so, running a sign company is, in my opinion, not for the faint of heart... it takes time, money, talent, skill, and a reasonable amount of business savvy... and a near-unreasonable amount of dedication & sacrifice...

so, maybe you got it, and maybe you don't... but in my experience it can be developed over time, far more often then it all co-exists in one man, at the start of his journey..

...and forgive me if i don't recall your past & your experience.. I'm sure you are nowhere near the start of your journey in life... but I think you were fairly near the start of running a sign company.. if I'm wrong.. well i hope I've still said something useful for someone...

 

[Jillbeans]

Uh-oh, now you are highlighting both.
That's like wearing chandelier earrings with a Phyllis Diller necklace.
One or the other.
Not both.

 

[JPGraphics]

Steal Mine ! Just replace the second initial....kidding...but neato's version is very good!

 

[SignManiac]

Here are two more quickies in addition to the first one. These took twenty minutes to knock out. You need to listen to everyone and think outside the box. I could easily develop one hundred individually original potential logos for your name if I had to. You need to expand your mind. Check with your doctor and see if he can prescribe some mind altering drugs if your design block persist for four hours or more.

You have infinite tools to work with. These include fonts, panels, colors, etc. etc. Use them! Stop thinking in terms of text only. I should also point out, I did not compromise legibility on any of these.

 

[neato]

Those are some good examples of layouts from SignManiac to get you thinking.

I know how you're feeling, I hit design roadblocks ALL THE TIME! The trick is to step back for a bit and pull out some magazines. I like to browse old SignCraft magazines.

I also suggest that everyone in the sign business subscribe to Package Design Magazine. The techniques and design styles used on food and product packaging are what we use in the sign industry. All designed to grab attention and play on your emotions. As you walk through the grocery store, stop in the cereal, coffee, snack and candy aisles and admire the layout and design on the packages. Notice what techniques the designer used to appeal to the target audience.

For me, design is using the ideas of others, but tweaking them to make them unique in some way.

 

[Tiki]

And some more one Emphasizing Signs rather than Graphics

 

[ontsigngirl]

don't panic

I cannot seem to get ANY ideas at all. I think im going to take a few days off from this because i feel burnt out and that im forcing myself to think ideas but there are none. Obviously this isn't my cup o tea.

I think taking a step back is a good idea. I was doing the same thing myself -almost in a panic state to get it done - I can't be creative and stressed at the same time - have a tea or a beer and walk away. Look at magazines, drive around and look at other logos, google logos. Talk to other designers and take bits and pieces of what they say and apply them. One person on here mentioned they did up to 100 sketches before they hit the right one - don't rush - it will come.

I paid someone to help me with my artwork - it turns out I liked parts of what I did better and parts that she did better - so I paid her for her suggestions and put the 2 ideas together. I love what I came up with.

And don't forget a lot of these guys have been doing this for a long time -
and this type of thing comes as second nature to them.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Well if your taking a step back as you say ..step forward and READ,,learn about design and layout of advertising, if you want to be the best in your area and beyond you got to get off the porch and run.
You have good ideas you just need to learn guidelines that have worked in the past.

 

[jwright350]

and a second with the contrast bumped...

if I drew this in vector, I would try to do a black & white version, and maybe a second version allowing one shade of gray. My higher contrast one is almost like that..

I agree with rick... that concept has a purpose, but it's not to say the exact finished logo needs to be able to redraw as black and white... it's a tool to help strengthen design skills & improve legibility...

but it's also an important consideration for low cost newspaper ads, cheap flyers & other promotional hats, pens post-it notes or whatever... so even a simplified version could be better then never doing those promotions because a full color logo can't be done...

Thats nice stuff. I really love this type of look.

 

[iSign]

Thats nice stuff. I really love this type of look.

whoa whoa whoa.. just a darn minute... I just made the grayscale change John asked for...

that's NEATO'S stuff in that post.. and I love the look too... only wish I could design like him...

well actually...

...For me, design is using the ideas of others, but tweaking them to make them unique in some way.

...I think I will... in fact I was encouraging John1 to "copy" Neato's style... dadgammit.. I think I'm gonna try that myself!!

 

[john1]

Thanks everybody! I will do some reading in old sign crafts today as well as sketch up some ideas and let you all know how i'm coming along.

My biz name is JM Graphics, I just decided to add & signs to be more general so someone doesn't think i don't do those also so i can't really do jm signs and graphics i wouldn't think if it's not my biz name

 

[john1]

Here is tonights attempt, I'm puzzled on how to add the JM but here is what i have so far

 

[SignManiac]

Here's your concept developed further. I kept your basic format and just refined the shapes and balance, plus I gave it a classy feel. Colors and details have a profound affect on how your logo is perceived.

You will first have to define what kind of business you want to be. If you were to be a sticker guy only, this wouldn't necessarily be the best design for that purpose. What is your primary line of work? And where do you see yourself going in the future as to the kind of work you want to do?

 

[signgal]

I think you're getting it! Sign Maniac is awesome as classic-ifying designs. As he says, that may not be the direction you want but you can see how simple design elements can take it from basic to bravo!

 

[john1]

Here's your concept developed further. I kept your basic format and just refined the shapes and balance, plus I gave it a classy feel. Colors and details have a profound affect on how your logo is perceived.

You will first have to define what kind of business you want to be. If you were to be a sticker guy only, this wouldn't necessarily be the best design for that purpose. What is your primary line of work? And where do you see yourself going in the future as to the kind of work you want to do?

Wow that looks awesome! I really enjoy doing vehicle and window lettering and banners. The "sticker" stuff is what i want to get out of doing most of really.

 

[Deaton Design]

Although I havent done it, Ive always thought about doing my own logo on the backdrop of a banner. Thought it might give off the sign idea even more. I used your name and used the idea. Since banners is one of the things you want to concentrate on....but, just an idea. :signs101:

 

[iSign]

That's great John.. maybe even a subtle little wavy flag furling kind of deal too... just a tad though...

(maniacs is awesome too, and along with Neato's, this thread has a frikking college educations worth of inspiration in it... I've got screen shots of all three to use in helping me tweak a clients design I'm working on right now)

 

[Deaton Design]

Good idea Doug...

 

[iSign]

hey, I wonder how that idea would look with my logo?