Da-da-da-dum... It's official! Critique my logo?

[ssouth]

So today I officially became "Phoenix Graphix" as my DBA has been registered. Been working with my parents since I was a kid in their screen printing business and back in November I purchased my first large format printer and started to separate myself from "Eagle Screen Printing" which is my parents business that I tried to run myself for a year and failed miserably.:Oops: Out of the ashes though I discovered my love of graphic design and large format printing, sign making and all things NOT screen printing. lol... Here is my logo that I've worked on for months and although I still work out of my parents shop for now, I've taken another step in separation so I'm excited. Please give me your CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (I get my feelings hurt easily, lol)

FYI - the logo pays "homage" to Eagle Screen Printing in the fact that my parents shop is purple and green and their eagle logo is a line art tribal eagle with flames as wings - very basic so I used that in my design because I have worked at Eagle since I was eleven and without my knowledge there, I wouldn't be where I am if that makes sense. lol.

 

[artbot]

it needs to be about 99.9% less complex.

faced with the same design requests, look at what a few professional designers came up with.

this logo looks like a screen capture from a 90's video game.

clean it up so clean that you personally hate it.

 

[kylebrk]

go look at the logos of almost every successful business. 99% of them are no where near that intense. (when you read intense, read effects. im not saying to take away the nuclear warhead that just exploded in the background to make it acceptable)

dont bevel or emboss, dont put textures. also, do you want your customers reading a line about rising from the ashes. your customer will take EVERYTHING literal. i wouldn't be surprised if you get asked if your original shop burnt down.

like everyone else will say, read a couple of books and look at a bunch of other logos. im not trying to be mean. im trying to save you the embarrassment that will surely result from you putting this out for public consumption.

 

[weaselboogie]

TOO MUCH ICING, Not enough cake.


Like artbot said, get rid of 99 % of all that crap. Turn off the photoshop filters and get to basics, and you might be able to consider it done if it looks good in a thumbnail.

 

[SignManiac]

You asked, your logo is bad. Start over after studying logo design for a while. That's the best advice I can give you.

 

[ssouth]

I know, I know. Okay, you HAVE to remember, I have spent TWENTY years working with line art and being limited by shading and the number of colors I could use (designing for my parents screen printing). Now I have the ability to use all of these awesome tools that I never could before. I know it's complex. My actual "logo" will probably just be the bird and the words but for my sign on the side of the building, I just can't help myself. lol... I'll work on a simpler design though, I promise. lol

 

[GAC05]

Artbot hit it right on the head and was constructive to boot.

The good thing is that you have managed to break every design rule in the book with a single attempt. With that out of the way you can begin again with a clean slate and progress quickly.

Takes courage to post here for critique so hang in there & you will learn from some of the best in the business.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[ssouth]

go look at the logos of almost every successful business. 99% of them are no where near that intense. (when you read intense, read effects. im not saying to take away the nuclear warhead that just exploded in the background to make it acceptable)

dont bevel or emboss, dont put textures. also, do you want your customers reading a line about rising from the ashes. your customer will take EVERYTHING literal. i wouldn't be surprised if you get asked if your original shop burnt down.

like everyone else will say, read a couple of books and look at a bunch of other logos. im not trying to be mean. im trying to save you the embarrassment that will surely result from you putting this out for public consumption.

I live in a VERY small town, so most everyone already knows my failure as Eagle and well, most of all my business. Being the small town that we are, I think I'm safe there. It's almost reassuring to them because I'm known by my name and not really Eagle or Phoenix, this just shows them that I've taken my love of design and gone farther. It is pretty complex, come on now, nuclear warhead? for some reason that makes me smile. I'm excentric so does that make it okay to use bevel and emboss? You guys are breaking me down nicely, I like that. I'm dealing with the idea that MAYBE I need to THINK about the idea of it being too much. Maybe. :ROFLMAO:

 

[artbot]

if you have been buried in line art, then that is your advantage. a logo is a "brain tattoo". you want a client passing by, looking at a business card, or web page to see it and forever seem to be able to recall it. why? because it was so graphically succinct and precise.

if you are so loving photoshop let it do the squint test with filters. do a design then hit it with a median to break it down, better yet a cutout filter with major limits on color and line. let the program show you what "less is more" looks like. then adjust your design accordingly.

 

[Rusty Sign]

Hey man, congratulations for starting off on your own!

I think designing your own logo is the hardest logo you'll ever design. I like the fact that you want to tie in parts of your parents' business. I like the dragon drawing. I like the layout of the dragon and the business name. I think the typeface choices are decent. I'd get rid of the background. I'd get rid of the bevel effect on the words (you could keep it on the dragon though). I would change the tag line. I would use a simple typeface for the tag line (3 creative fonts in one logo is too many). I would play around with other placements for the tag line.

I don't mean to be too picky. Good luck!

 

[kylebrk]

I live in a VERY small town, so most everyone already knows my failure as Eagle and well, most of all my business. Being the small town that we are, I think I'm safe there. It's almost reassuring to them because I'm known by my name and not really Eagle or Phoenix, this just shows them that I've taken my love of design and gone farther. It is pretty complex, come on now, nuclear warhead? for some reason that makes me smile. I'm excentric so does that make it okay to use bevel and emboss? You guys are breaking me down nicely, I like that. I'm dealing with the idea that MAYBE I need to THINK about the idea of it being too much. Maybe. :ROFLMAO:

No one knows your business like you do. No one cares about your business like you do. This is business. At the end of the day, no one cares about failures and successes. They care about right. now.

So your question has to be, right now, do they find me professional and steady? If I owned a business, I wouldn't even walk in the door.

Unfortunately, your response shows the amount of emotion wrapped in to this. While emotion is essential for you to stay motivated when things get rough, emotion is scary for everyone else considering doing business. Be concerned with professionalism and credibility first, personality second.

Im known in my town for having some of the best design and most personality. However, we set out to be professional and credible first. If you're a creative at heart, it will come out in everything you do. Proving it isn't necessary. Especially first thing out of the gate.

If you want to go crazy on some wall wraps for your office or shop, or just want to go crazy and let us critique it, AWESOME. However, for your sake, Im trying to be as honest as I can about your image. Image is everything, because it hits most people before reputation. Especially at the beginning.

 

[Fatboy]

it needs to be about 99.9% less complex.

faced with the same design requests, look at what a few professional designers came up with.

this logo looks like a screen capture from a 90's video game.

clean it up so clean that you personally hate it.

Good Work

 

[Vinylman]

I live in a VERY small town, so most everyone already knows my failure as Eagle and well, most of all my business. Being the small town that we are, I think I'm safe there. It's almost reassuring to them because I'm known by my name and not really Eagle or Phoenix, this just shows them that I've taken my love of design and gone farther. It is pretty complex, come on now, nuclear warhead? for some reason that makes me smile. I'm excentric so does that make it okay to use bevel and emboss? You guys are breaking me down nicely, I like that. I'm dealing with the idea that MAYBE I need to THINK about the idea of it being too much. Maybe. :ROFLMAO:

SO THE FOLKS IN YOUR TOWN MUST ALREADY BE LINING UP....

























To purchase the almost new equipment that you will be selling when THIS venture goes bust from you not listening to sound advise aye?:Oops:

 

[Pat Whatley]

Please don't do that to yourself.

 

[visual800]

no! the background is distracting and there are to many embellishes on it

 

[Smacka]

I know, I know. Okay, you HAVE to remember, I have spent TWENTY years working with line art and being limited by shading and the number of colors I could use (designing for my parents screen printing). Now I have the ability to use all of these awesome tools that I never could before. I know it's complex. My actual "logo" will probably just be the bird and the words but for my sign on the side of the building, I just can't help myself. lol... I'll work on a simpler design though, I promise. lol

Yes, Photoshop has a lot of cool tools BUT, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. With limited experience I would suggest having someone create one for you. That way you can move on to other things.

 

[signage]

So what equipment do you have?
I think you ought to start a list so we can know if we are interested in any of it.

 

[Fatboy]

So what equipment do you have?
I think you ought to start a list so we can know if we are interested in any of it.

no,no,no Please retract that statement.You have no right to that type of arogance just because he shared something personal

 

[Joe Diaz]

I know, I know. Okay, you HAVE to remember, I have spent TWENTY years working with line art and being limited by shading and the number of colors I could use (designing for my parents screen printing). Now I have the ability to use all of these awesome tools that I never could before. I know it's complex. My actual "logo" will probably just be the bird and the words but for my sign on the side of the building, I just can't help myself. lol... I'll work on a simpler design though, I promise. lol

What you have described is called "New Printer Syndrome". It's when a sign maker or designer gets a new piece of equipment like a printer that allows them to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the design so they feel they have to. A lot of people have experienced New Printer Syndrome, myself included.

In time you will learn that those skills you learned as a screen printer actually make you a stronger designer. Being forced to figure out how to create a unique design without relying on effects and textures can be used to you advantage as you continue your career in this industry.

Now that you know of your ailment, it should be easier to treat. Just fight the urge to use those effects.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Buy the books by Mike Stevens Mastering Layout ...and Dan Antonelli 2 - logo design books.

It's been said so my suggestions of reading will be alot better.

 

[Jillbeans]

Scrap it.
First off, there is no contrast.
You have conflicting light sources in your bevels.
You used an X.
I could go on and on, but I agree with what has been said, perhaps more nicely than I said it.
Remove your emotions from it and design to appeal to what attracts customers, which is simple and clean, not a pukefest of various bad effects.
Start in black and white, if it works in black and white it should look even better in color.
Love....Jill