Logo Advice And Opinions

[PFS]

Hi all,

I created this logo for a new racing school business. The school intends to take people who drive race cars or would like to drive race cars and make them better at it...no matter what skill level they are at, hence Level Up Racing School. I designed the logo to abstractly look like a podium on which the top race finishers stand. The top step with the word "UP" is blue which is intended to be the "blue ribbon" position. The word "Level" is in red which is generally what second place ribbons are. I know white is generally third, but I didn't think that would show up well on white polos that they'll probably use.

Level up also would like to do other events such as special events, track days, corporate programs, etc., so the "Racing School" text could (as an option down the road) be replaced with other services under the Level Up brand.

Fire away. Be brutal. Make suggestions. I certainly value your opinions.
Thanks!!
Pete

 

[Pauly]

Maybe put "Racing school" under the level up bit. Make "Racing school" the same length as "level up" or maybe offset it.

That way if printed on a tshirt it'll fit nicely at the back. or sticker on a race car door. or when printed on a sign it'll scale up big nicely.
That's my opinion anyway.

 

[PFS]

Yeah, maybe just center "Racing School" under "Level UP" and bag the podium visual. It would make it more compact and easier to place it on apparel and such.

 

[HDvinyl]

 

[visual800]

first off, whatever font that is, remove it from from your computer and never use it again. Same goes for the Rage Italic on the other layout. Find different colors to also use. It looks elementary and not professional. I see where you did things because they resemble other things but no one gets that but you. All the blue ribbon and the stadium references, I saw none of that in this logo

HDvinyls layout was best stacked. I would personally make it a little more professional and get rid of the primary colors. I kinda did like the arrow though but couldnt properly place it in my design

 

[Gino]

I don't know, but to me, that nor any of these others are hardly what' ya'd call a logo. They're merely layouts. You've managed to put some words into some semblance of a company's name..... that's all.

 

[PFS]

True. Maybe it's technically more of a "mark" than a logo, but some of the most successful companies in the world use marks: Amazon, GMC, 3M, Google, FedEx, etc. For what this is trying to accomplish, it sorta needs to be a mark.

 

[Gino]

True. Maybe it's technically more of a "mark" than a logo, but some of the most successful companies in the world use marks: Amazon, GMC, 3M, Google, FedEx, etc. For what this is trying to accomplish, it sorta needs to be a mark.

Correct. I realize you want a mark/logo, but none of you have come up with that. Only words happily put together. The examples you mentioned are a few letters to one word. It is far easier to do it with those conditions, than trying to make one out of a sentence with a directional arrow in it. These all look like curve up ahead road signs...... not logos.

 

[PFS]

first off, whatever font that is, remove it from from your computer and never use it again. Same goes for the Rage Italic on the other layout. Find different colors to also use. It looks elementary and not professional. I see where you did things because they resemble other things but no one gets that but you. All the blue ribbon and the stadium references, I saw none of that in this logo

HDvinyls layout was best stacked. I would personally make it a little more professional and get rid of the primary colors. I kinda did like the arrow though but couldnt properly place it in my design

View attachment 127884

I'm interested in why you don't like those fonts...and so vehemently. Personal preference or some design thing that I'm ignorant of? Can't disagree on the colors. I wasn't real sure of them to begin with, but I think you confirmed it. I'll work on that. And I'm liking the stacked design better.

Also, as far as the underlying visuals usage, it's funny because if you read the reasoning behind some logo design, you wonder where the hell they came up with that stuff. I mean it's really a stretch for someone who just sees a logo and is supposed to understand all of the subliminal crap that designers are selling to the client. I'm thinking the target audience would sort of see the visuals in my attempt. Maybe not.
Thanks,
Pete

 

[PFS]

View attachment 127881

I like the different font for the Racing School text and just the black and white. I think a few words each with a different color makes it look like I ate crayons and puked on the paper.
Thanks!

 

[Johnny Best]

some roughs the U can be worked on

 

[PFS]

That's great! I love the idea with the U, but the team I race for is called ArmsUp Motorsports and they use a similar guy in their logo. I'm not against using it though.....

 

[Johnny Best]

Leave off the "aieee" is another suggestion.

 

[Johnny Best]

another idea font is National by a member on here

 

[ColoPrinthead]

Geez, you race team logo is hardly any better than the one you are working on. Those colors are terrible and aside from the letters I see nothing in the design that would lead me to believe it had anything to do with racing. I agree with the others in using more than font and stacking. You could toy with the idea of extending the second pillar of the "U" and putting an arrowhead on it and trash the orange Nike wang/erection thingy.

 

[Glennora]

I also cringe when I see Rage Italic. Especially for the word Racing. It was kinda cool way back in 1992 but is sooo played out, it screams unoriginal.
I am still a fan of a Bold font with a Script underneath for the quick and easy. I had the same impulse to put an arrow on the U as mentioned above. I've been liking "Stink on Death" font lately.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Maybe put "Racing school" under the level up bit. Make "Racing school" the same length as "level up" or maybe offset it.

That way if printed on a tshirt it'll fit nicely at the back. or sticker on a race car door. or when printed on a sign it'll scale up big nicely.
That's my opinion anyway.

Further to this, "Racing School" is what they are, not who they are, and as such, is secondary in importance and should be designed to be ommitted at some future point when the name "Level UP" is so ingrained in the demographic it serves. Not that it might ever happen but I always design for such eventualities -- makes your design more flexible for offshoots such as Level UP Racing Gear or Level Up Logging Software or Level UP BBQ Sauce.

 

[shoresigns]

The font and colours look like the target audience is aged 0-3.

 

[Johnny Best]

The font and colours look like the target audience is aged 0-3.

 

[equippaint]

I liked HDs example. Im also not a fan of the original font and length of the design. Your signage would be 8' long and 8" tall. Racing school should be at the bottom and attention drawn first to Level Up. The arrow doesn't look bad and I personally would use it. I also dont think a font that is "old" is a bad thing as was mentioned. A big chunk of people that have the $$ and time to go to racing schools are older people anyways and would assume the nostalgic look would be more appealing to them. At this point it should be easy, dick around with different fonts and placement and show your customer a handful of options.