what do you guys think??

[davidcarr87]

fitch..i work a fulltime job at night..i do not plan on leaving here anytime soon, i have been doing stickers and small sign work for a few years...i am just branching into lighted signs and the graphic design...
i am trying to learn design..thats one of the reason i came here

 

[Jillbeans]

What do I think?
It's all over the place. It has no flow, no focal point.
It reads oddly and the colors are not appealing.
The fonts are weak and dated, more appropriate for a wedding invitation or the program of a school play.
And try to avoid the old "and more" cliché.
It seems redundant wit a name like A to Z.
All you need now is "soup to nuts".

Telling us that stickers and small signs is just a part time job tends to cheese us off, because for a lot of us, sign making is our "real" job. Going on about karma is kind of odd, to me, when a few people did try and give you decent advice without ripping you a new butthole.

What do I think? I think you need to start subscribing to SignCraft. Buying a Premium membership here. Getting the Mike Stevens book and Dan Antonelli's books. Look at labels at the grocery store, see which appeals the most to you and figure out why it does. Learn about colors and balance and don't try to bend and distort and outline every element. Because if you highlight everything, nothing stands out. It's more than just picking a font and typing it out. You will benefit, and so will your customers.

Here is a quick suggestion, I thought perhaps using lower case lettering in the name might make it read better. I didn't put a lot of time into this.
But I also didn't want you to think I was just ridiculing your initial design, which I have re-posted here as a jpg because most people won't look at a pdf.
Love.....Jill

 

[davidcarr87]

thanks jill, i have been looking at several books to order...and i dont really consider this business "part time" i put atleast 40-60 hours a week into it..not counting the time i put into it while i am actually at work...
only reason i am still working for another company is insurance for the family and a dependable check every week...i have a few main contracts that keep me busy ( fire dept's, sheriff depts and chamber of commerce) -- i love to learn..for instance i am a 6g cert tig welder, im a emt basic, cert dispatcher, master installer for direc tv, have owned another business for little over 2 years (before i had to get out of the direc tv trade due to texas heat..and i had a heat stroke may of 09) and worked in several other jobs...i would like to thank everyone for their time of helping out here..

i would love to open my doors full time and get a store front, and im sure i have to finances to do it.but i do not have a lot of savings..so thats what is holding me back...

all of the money i make in the business i am trying to invest in the business and get everything i need..so that when i open shop and it gets really slow..i dont have to sweat it as bad..

 

[Jillbeans]

I also meant to say earlier, in regards to putting an artist's palette in a sign compnay logo; it, as far as I know, has nothing to do with actual sign painting and especially not computer generated graphics. It might be OK for someone who paints murals or does fine art.

 

[davidcarr87]

jill, i think thats more for painters too...i am working towards something that will stand out....i want to use it as a logo for cards flyers shirts ,banners, signs etc etc..also for branding products.. as of right now im just putting provided by david carr with my phone number..wanting something better tho..

 

[Marco]

Oops, I thought you did it all ;-)
my apologies. Ty Gill.

 

[GP]

I really like that, Jill. Very strong.

Black and red can be so effective when executed correctly.

 

[Billct2]

OK, so I started a reply with logical graphic suggestions and I just can't do it.
Your business name & "logo" are a sham. Unless you can provide a full range of "graphic solutions" you shouldn't be advertising that you can. (and that doesn't mean you have to do it yourself, outsourcing is a big part of the game nowadays)

 

[davidcarr87]

who said i couldnt provide them?? how would you know if i do or do not outsource??

i have 1 main contact in houston, he has had his shop for a few years..when i need something i call him and he tells me where i can go to get it done..

 

[Joe Diaz]

I had an idea:



Also I think you should drop "and more" It is kind of redundant. "Graphic Solutions" is already extremely vague and encompasses a wide variety of different graphic design related services. To me, "and more" could mean you also sell cupcakes... I just don't think it is necessary... unless you are planning on selling cupcakes???:Big Laugh Dammit. Now I'm hungry.

 

[Billct2]

So outsource the design of your logo (you wouldn't be the first) till you have acquired competency in design. You appear to be just another whiner/excuse maker that wastes our time. Did you see that Fish Taco thread? That shows how the process can work when your attitude and effort are there.

 

[mikey-Oh]

i really like mr diaz's take

 

[davidcarr87]

hey joe..i like yours..i am gonna have to play around with that one when i get home..i am headed to town now for lunch..cup cakes are soundin good now ...no i wont be selling them...when the name was created i was going to be selling/service/installing emergency lighting as well as stickers etc...but i have since then decided not to do the emergency lighting part..its fun...i have worked on a few police cars and fire trucks(and you make a lot of "friends" that way) but ah...just to busy for that right now..lol

 

[Jillbeans]

I'm starting to think that no matter what anyone posts, you will keep on using what you had because you already have it on bizcards.
We can try to explain how something works or why another thing doesn't, and it seems as if the OP never "gets" it. But hopefully others who read these threads and never even comment do get it and learn from it.

 

[p3]

Joe, yours is really good. Although for someone that didn't sketch or show any other ideas, I think the business name should just be Z graphic solutions since there was no start at a and progression to Z as that logo displays. :scream:

 

[SignManiac]

Joe that's very slick

 

[Jillbeans]

Here's one just for fun.

 

[Marco]

Joe D u rock! Jill now I'm thinking tacos and soup, I'm hungry and have to wait another hour before lunch.

 

[jc1cell]

I had an idea:
View attachment 54697


Also I think you should drop "and more" It is kind of redundant. "Graphic Solutions" is already extremely vague and encompasses a wide variety of different graphic design related services. To me, "and more" could mean you also sell cupcakes... I just don't think it is necessary... unless you are planning on selling cupcakes???:Big Laugh Dammit. Now I'm hungry.

Dude, you always remind me how bad I really am...and not the good bad..the bad bad...And that's a really awful bad bad, not a mild bad bad...Never mind.

 

[davidcarr87]

jill, no i will not keep using the one i have, thats why i am trying to make another one??? and yes i have the cards..and i have been passing them out some..something with my info on it is better than nothing at all..and i actually picked up a few jobs while eating lunch today...hmmmm i guess the cards with the background and everything are not all that bad ... i know the logo sucks..we have already made that clear..