Deciding to go my own way. Logo critique.

[astro8]

Get yourself a good solid name that people remember...'emerge'?...I'm thinking sounds like every other pie in the sky start up...seriously...it's got no substance.

Corporate or grunge??? WTF? Sounds like you have an identity crisis.

If your 'debating'...you're not ready, you need a burning desire.

Mosh?...he's having everyone on and he's been around long enough and seen enough to know what's going on and I'd heed his advice...because it all rings true.

Nothing wrong with being a Christian but no need to advertise the fact, can have an adverse affect in business...despite what you think.

What's 'hard work and dedication mean to you? I'm here 6-7 days a week 12-20 hours a day...whilst most sign shops around me are whingin' and bitchin', our business is doing unbelievably well.

I hope you prove us all wrong and Mosh misses out on the Ebay bargains.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

I have to agree with OldPiant. It could even have a negative effect.

I gotta tell ya, if I see a fish on your car, in your ad, as part of your logo or in your shop window.... I won't be doing business with you. It ALWAYS looks like fake religion to me. Build a reputation as an honest business person and stop using that damn fish as a crutch folks.

I once saw a car with the "fish" and surrounding it was a toothy shark with it's mouth open as if ready to swallow the poor little christian fishy... now that was funny. I might consider doing business with that guy.

 

[SignsNowOH]

I can think of names all day long but I want something original with pop and flair! That is where I'm falling short because most of the names I'm thinking of are already either all used up or there's already one or two named that in the area. One crazy idea that popped into my head is using my nickname SuperSignBoy but only the initials....maybe SSB Media Group? Doesn't sound real high-impact there.

 

[iSign]

or the "Darwin" fish... with feet!

 

[SignsNowOH]

Well I'm not going to push the religion thing with the business. I was thinking of a name that Christian people would relate to faith wise and also appeal to everyone else that wouldn't think of it as a "Fishy" fake religion thing. I was thinking very subtle on the "Fish" message.

 

[iSign]

supersignboy sounds ridiculous... maybe your co-workers mean something complimentary when they say it... so you have a positive response to it... but take my word for it... don't repeat it!

On a related note, are you familiar with the Marketing Superhero in your area?

 

[iSign]

rising sign

...the hippies will think it is a pagan astrology thing... J freaks will like the ascension angle... corporate geeks will see red arrows off the chart on their sales graphs... and it can be an installation mantra for you...

 

[SignsNowOH]

Honestly....Never heard of the guy....and I've done some installs in Granville lmao

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Does the SignsNow name have a religious angle? Like the NOW (not of this world, minus the cross)?

 

[SignsNowOH]

No it does not. But you would think so if you read the readerboard under our sign. My boss is a strong christian (which is why I fit in so well there). And alot of his customer base is churches or other christian related businesses. Which is not what I'm going after. I just thought I would try to incorporate some of my beliefs as subtle as possible in either the name or presence of the company.

 

[iSign]

so I guess "Rising Sign" sank pretty fast huh?

 

[SignsNowOH]

Yeah I really can't picture a logo around that. Only thing I can think of is like a sunrise illustration above the RISING

 

[iSign]

I mean yeah.. if YOU can't picture a complete logo already... then it's off the table... of course!

...it's not like we could just use a black & green font, half in italics. I got nothing! next?

off to find another thread...

 

[Dave Drane]

I'm gonna join the scientologists, can someone help me with a logo please... I don't have any money though, so I need it now for free and it has to be of a very high quality. Thanks in advance.

 

[weaselboogie]

I'll agree with dropping the Christian symbols. Everytime I see a religious reference in a logo that doesn't need to be there, I avoid. With my experience, 'Christian' businesses have conducted some of the most underhanded, unethical business practices and the last one was a 'you can trust me, I'm a christian' owner that screwed his business partner for 20K.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

jeez where to start after reading all this....ok.

my opinion(s) religion has no place in the marketing of your business. it will open a few doors for you with people of the same cloth out of politeness but will close just as many from those that are put off by those that interject religion into business...i've seen it too many times. there are MANY that are untrusting of those that advertise their businesses this way because there are so many people that have done it as an easy marketing approach without the personal character to back it up...but we'll just stop here before we get this logo opinion thread moved to no holds barred.

i am not a fan of the name, it tells me nothing about you, nothing about the company (not that...that is a rule) it is not memorable, it does not roll of the tongue well.

my suggestion to my clients when they are trying to come up with a name for a new venture is to cut a giant stack of pieces of paper about 3/4" X 1.5" and start writing down single words that you would think of incorporating into the name of your business along with words that describe your business, words that you want your client to relate to your business, etc etc. and have anyone who is familiar with your business concept to participate in this with you.

you will then have a stack of words, sort through them and find the ones that you like and start playing with combinations. you may come up with somehting that is not even in the words you wrote down but this excercise is a good one for finding direction, looking at options and thinking about how you want potential clients to think of your business.

and last but not least i am not a fan of the logo. as stated it looks like you took quickystickysignsnow logo and changed it to yours..with font and color change. it shows very little thought or creativity to me. to be honest it frustrates me that people who are preparing to start a business put so little effort into things like this.

you say you are open to suggestions for names, even with the (very limited) info given how in the world could someone come up with something that properly relates your ethics, your goals, your personality, your vision? we can throw out names but this is something YOU need to do and you need to invest yourself into this process or you will blend in with the rest...and there is MANY.

i'm curious though have you invested the time to write a business plan? my guess based on the effort shown thus far is "no"...and if that is the case you need to, as you may find out by going through that excercise that you can not make it as a wholesale sign company, you may find out you can't make it at all in your market for whatever reason, you may find out you will be marketing your services to a demographic made up of a large percentage of jewish business owners in your area....who knows...and you wont know without properly going through the process (and to write a proper business plan is a large task but i promise you it will be worth the time and energy).

 

[Pat Whatley]

Pssssttt.....I think you struck a nerve with Doug there.

 

[Deaton Design]

Geeze guys, this whole post seems more like an attack on christianity than something helpful towards a logo design.
Its getting dangerous to come here and ask for help or direction in creating a design. Look at the original post. I didnt see
anything wrong with his original post, just some of the replies after it. It was a simple request, made into a post about how
he couldnt make it on his own or stay away from fishes, or whatever.
I know you guys are better than that, Ive seen it.

 

[rjpjr]

I tend to agree with the others that it is probably not a great idea to advertise your faith in your business name, but I think you know that already.

I just thought I would try to incorporate some of my beliefs as subtle as possible in either the name or presence of the company.

Emerge signs doesn't do much for me...but I did think of a couple of names that might convey your faith to like minded believers without being be too transparent to the rest of your potential client base.

Signs of Life
Life Signs
Vital Signs

I have included an attachment of what a "Vital Signs" identity might look like. Maybe a tag line could include something about "The Advertising heartbeat of your business".

Good luck in your ventures.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

[signmeup]

I think Doug may need more fibre in his diet.