Suggestions, please

[GoodPeopleFlags]

I'm working on a logo for a friend who does myofascial release massage. From what I understand, it's like deep tissue massage. It's supposed to increase movement and relieve pain, so it has a health benefit as opposed to just a relaxing thing. My friend is a guy so he wants a more "masculine" logo as opposed to the typical massage logos you see. I know the one on the left is feminine but I like it. I haven't sent these to him yet. I wanted to get opinions here first and see if you guys have any suggestions. I haven't added color yet; wanted to nail down the design in B&W first.

 

[wildside]

is that type of a massage a whole body thing or just a face thing?

the left one is definitely not very masculine, and the right one almost looks dated before it is even done

i would focus more on the word "massage" with the myofac... as secondary in size......

EDIT**

i guess it was "release" not massage that i meant even though i don't, that type of massage is only available downtown, after 8, and no eye contact in the lobby.....

 

[SignManiac]

I too would not be clear as to what he does by the name alone. I think massage needs to be in there somehow or nother.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

I agree with you guys about the name. My first thought was also if it was just a face massage thing but it's a whole body thing. I'll ask him if he'll change it to "Myofascial Release Massage". I think he thinks everyone knows what it is, like maybe we assume everyone knows what coroplast is... or vinyl lettering... or a banner.

 

[bob]

Why is it that any fringe healing practitioner ends up with some version of Da Vinci's Vetruvian Man? Is there such a paucity of imagination that leads everyone to this easy image that's overused to the point of being a gimmick?

That notwithstanding, the image on the left appears to be some sort of alien being, possibly female, molting its skin. Nothing says myofascial release like a creature from another world.

 

[visual800]

left one not pleasing to me, fonts dont match, like the right one though

 

[Jillbeans]

I'm sorry, but neither one is doing it for me. My feelings are similar to bob's yet not as detailed.
I can't get past his name, when I see RELEASE in the same logo as MASSAGE all I can think about is a happy ending. I agree with what you said about he thinks we all know what he's talking about, yet it seems like something I could not understand or even pronounce.
I think he needs to dumb down the name and make the type of massage the subcopy.
Such as:
Huntsville Massage
Specializing in Myofascial Release Therapy
Or something like that.
Love....Jill

 

[Marlene]

the images of the people in both are kind of scrawny. the one with the guy has the image, as bob pointed out, that most use for this kind of thing so it might help with letting people know what this guy does. I also think it needs to say massage as it kind of looks chiropractorish. I like the one in the cirlcle as it would make a nice shape for a sign (but then, I've got a thing for round signs). does he really need the letering with the city name? seems like that space could be used better with the word massage.

 

[thinksigns]

Playing around this morning. The icon started from thinking about pressure "massage" waves moving through the body. Its not quite there, but maybe you can do something with it.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

Yep, you guys are right. Grrrr... back to the drawing board. I've sent him an email about the name and haven't heard back. He likes the round one but I think I can come up with something better. I need to think outside the box. I tried different body poses but it looked even more like a chiropractor, yoga classes or a dance studio. So, time to nix the body, I suppose.

Bob, that was freakin' funny.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

Here's another try. The graphic is from Dreamstime. I used the comp image to see if the customer likes the direction of this and if he does, I'll do an original drawing. So that's why it's the color it is and the text is black. Haven't worked on actual colors yet.

What do you think? One is for horizontal layouts and the other is for vertical. Any better?

I also asked him to add "Massage" to the name and he's deadset against it. So the name stays as is.

 

[Sign-Man Signs]

Man just my topic. Back about a few years ago a partner and I used to build massage therapy equipment and sell to various schools in Florida. Imports finally killed us. What you want to say is Heavy Hands
Deep Tissue Massage. The heavy hands means it's gonna hurt a little bit. Most people that need tissue will ask for a "heavy hands" therapist. I used to have a hand on a back, sorta of outlineish. The medical stuff scares the client off. Steer away from it.
Any type of massage is a people thing and clients want that well-being thing. If your logo looks to medical they usually go somewhere else.
By the way, most clients have no idea what mayofacial means. Just saying.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

I totally understand what you're saying but he wants it to be more "medical" and doesn't want to market to the "let's go get a nice, relaxing massage" crowd. I've told him that most people don't know what myofascial release is and asked him to add "massage" and he said "no". (It's a deep-tissue massage intended to relieve pain and improve movement.)

 

[ucmj22]

I actually like the typography portion of the logo. I would make a simplistic icon if you must have one. Clean and Simple say "medical" to me. and a medium blue usually makes people think medical as well.

 

[Jillbeans]

I really dislike the mix of upper/lowercase/italic "f" in the top line.
I think that's a big mistake, adding an optical confusion to an already puzzling name.
Try normal caps and lowercase for the top line maybe?

 

[GAC05]

With all the current flesh eating zombie news going on I would stay clear of the exposed musculature and simplify the medical drawing into a single or dual color icon.

wayne k
guam usa
(zombie free in 2012)

 

[Ditchmiester]

wayne k
guam usa
(zombie free in 2012)

I love this.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

I really dislike the mix of upper/lowercase/italic "f" in the top line.
I think that's a big mistake, adding an optical confusion to an already puzzling name.
Try normal caps and lowercase for the top line maybe?

That's a good point. I did that to soften it up a bit and I liked it but then again, I know what it says. That word is hard enough to read without trying to fancy it up!

I'll try again tomorrow!

 

[Jillbeans]

It's a tuffie alright. I'm excited to see what you come up with.
Sometimes a challenge can be rewarding.