*
Does anyone have any good ideas for a logo?
I operate as J.R. Allen, Inc.
The name of the company doesn’t exactly generate excitement, but it’s okay.
I’m willing to change it, but would like a logo. I’d like to give the guys some promotional stuff (hats, shirts etc.).
Anyone know any good online stores that supply stuff like this?
Blue
Replies
*
BED
Try http://www.wearguard.com. They do small quantities of all kinds of clothing, outerwear, etc. Prices are a little high as compared to larger quantity ordered local but quality is very good (made for work). They have a section that will help you design a logo too.
Mark
*Do you live near a college or university? Take your request to the Art Dept./School of Design. They might take it on as a project or maybe you can get some ideas from a grad student etc. Try to keep it in one color as more colors mean more money when it's time to print.Don't go to the clip art and pick the little guy with the hat and hammer.Best of luck.
*........Blue....are u near Lake Orion, or Pontiac, or are u on the UPPA...??so anyway...here's what I know about logos, fronm seminars, books, (Like "Guerilla Marketing")...yada.yada1) avg. consumer needs about 7 hits before you even register on their conciousness..7 blips on the radar screen2) they recognise SHAPES....COLORs...amd WORDskind of like if you saw Joe Fusco's logo , you'd say "Joe FUsco"...didn't that just jump and and bite you...good , bad or indeifferent , you recognized it...however, it's a little too complicated for what I've got in mind...3) use of a proper name is always safe...and stay away from generic names Joe Blow Builder is easily confussed with Joe Schmo Builder, and Fred Blow Builder...4) a phrase that sticks can help... as long as it ain;'t too cute.... actually I like "by the lake" if that means anything ion your geographic area (don't let me get confused with AJ)5) you can use different levels of coloreg: my sign has 3 colors (blue-red-black /on white background)but my stationary has only the logo in blue and blackand my newpaper ads are just black & white6) keep it in a font that is easy to read 7) use shape to aid people's recognition8) use color to aid people's recognition9) eliminate parts of it in different applications job sign...lots of detailstationary....subdued, understatedembroidery on shirts...keep taking things off until it is legible10) if you've been in business for more than 5 years...say so on your sign....11) if you spend a couple grand a year on advertising, consult a prohere's what I came up with about 10 years ago.. and people see it and recognize it...oh , yeh, try not to let your sign be seen in embarrassing places........
*Blue:My brother did my logo and alot of others in my area. If you're looking for someone to come up with something, he does this on the side (used to design ads for a newspaper) now and several concepts and a final logo usually costs about $250. I haven't mentioned this to him so I'm not sure he'd still be interested but he did one for a friend of mine about a month ago.I could e-mail you some info and the address of some samples he has on the net (if he still has them there)I don't want to make this an ad so e-mail me if you're interested.
*Blue,How about "Boogerman", Blue-eyed, red-faced, devilish grin, with sawzall in one hand, contract in the other
*sharp logo Mike. I like the shape.
*I'm about twenty miles north of lake orion. I travel through there every day.Thanks for the input on logos. Everything you said makes sense.I think it's time to get down to business and do something. I'm thinking about a stair tread variation of some kind.But I kinda like logos such as Nike's; decievingly meaningless.Blue
*speaking of logos... what do you do with it after you got it? about two years ago we had a high profile job that required the full safety treatment.. so i bot the alum-a-pole safety net that goes with our pics (24' planks)... and stretched it and masked it off and painted the ellipse, and border, and the blue center band...with Krylon spray paint.. ( my sign painter recommended it for the polypropelene netting)....then i let it dry about two weeks and delivered it to him for the lettering...we drag it out when we get a good one... other than that we just use the workbench, or another net with no sign....
*As for places to use a logo that will really get noticed - a friend of mine owns SWAT24 at http://www.swat24.com. Speicalizes in insurance renovation. Last time I visited him in Shreveport, LA, he showed me his now marketing tactic - a 20 yard dumpster, painted all black per one of his loco colors (black, red, white) with his huge logo on each side. Picture that going back and forth between sites and the dump as it's transported by the local solid waste company.I was surprised at how little it cost him to buy it and to have it painted and with his logo. For those of you who frenquently use even smaller dumpsters, it's something to consider. The trash company keeps it at their yard until he needs it again.
*good one, Sonny, i like it...might have to look into that one.....hmmmm...
*about the logo...you mentionned stair treads...do you have a specialty? mk
*Not really Mike, I am almost exclusively a rough frame contractor. I do install 30 treads or more each house however!blue
*Mike Smith, another place for a logo is those large 4 wheeled carts used for debris removal. Son Tom bought two of them from W. W. Grainger and uses them to cart debris from inside the home, in his case, from condos, down the elevator and out to the dumpster. Another mobile ad.
*their is a plumbing co. in indy with a mascot or at least i guess thats what youd call it .They have an elmer fud looking charecter painted on the side of all their trucks call him snuffy smith.I think the name of their co. is smith plumbing or somthing like that.It sounds corney I know but it looks good and it sticks.
*I think snuffy smith is a cartoon character. From the comic strip "Barney google (sp?) and Snuffy Smith".Wonder if the cartoonist knows.
*snuffy smith...yur right ryan.. he looked a lot like the guy...a lot of those cartoons were right on..Katznjammer Kids.....Gasoline Alley...Pogo....all gone to the big cartoon in the sky.. and now Peanuts joins 'em...
*I'm late to this, but here's what I did
*Forrest, you bum..... i get beat up here when i post pics of 150K...your logo was 1512K and it was so big i could only scroll it , i couldn't look at the whole thing...looks good..work som color in ...and check the spelling on yur name..McCandless has a in it.....Mike
*OK.....I'm gonna try this one more time. This is our company logo. It's a patch for our hats.Here we go.Ed.
*Well, that didn't work either. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.Sorry,Ed.
*Ed, worked fine. Nice logo. So, do your guys wear their hats backward and squint into the sun like they do here in California? Joe H
*so ed. do they play Hail to the Chief when you get to the job site?do i stand at atttention ... or salute... or both?i bet the druggies think you're DEAnice patch/logo
*From "Selling The Invisible":"The Heart of a BrandWhen a prospect initially agrees to use a typical service, what does he own?Nothing but someone's promise that they will so something.The most desirable services, then, are those that keep their promises.This also means that the heart of a service brand - the element without which the brand cannot live - is the integrity of the company and its employees.The value of any brand rises or falls with each demonstration of the company's integrity. The balance is fragile; every slip can be costly. We all have worked with services that failed us only once, but fatally. They lied or came close. From that one experience, their brand lost all its value to us. When others later asked us about that company, we may have said very little, but our message was clear - and it spread.A service can be faster, cheaper, better, and still fail if it does not win the confidence of people that it will keep its promise and tell the truth.The heart of a service brand is not artful packaging, slick advertising, or the company name emblazoned on everything from sweatshirts to key chains. The heart of a service brand, and a key to a service's long-term success, is the integrity of the people behind it.Invest in and religiously preach integrity. It is the heart of your brand."As the saying goes: Nobody ever got fired for hiring IBM. It's what the "brand" represents!
*I don't know how you guys pulled that up. I couldn't pull it up after I posted it so I thought it failed. I've been working on a better way to post a picture so I'll try again to see if this method works.No, I don't let the crew wear thier hats backwards. We are a little too old to pull that off. And no, no one salutes, but we do get a lot of request for these hats.Thanks,Ed.
*Well,I couldn't seem to make that work either.....I put it on PixHost.comLets try this instead:
*BY GOD I THINK I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Learning is a wonderful thing!!Ed. Williams
*Here's our logo... like the old one, it follows the Ritz crackers rule of marketing: subliminally consumers see round things as some kind of seal of quality.
*Here's something that came with my cheque order today: http://www.1800mylogo.com (or call 1-888-8MYLOGO). Anyone who will do 8 original logo designs, unlimited changes, layout and design of 6 different business cards, envelopes, letterheads, etc. etc. for only $289 is your best bet by far. Wish I knew about them before I spent a pile of money trying to get overpriced graphic artists to understand what I wanted for 6 months!!!!
*Ross,I'd like to take a look but don't know what to do with a .pcx file.
*half the size from original one
*That's nice lookin'. Really has some depth to it. Nice.
*I have developed several logo's (including mine and my brothers company). I do some graphic work on the side - it relaxes me.E-mail me if you're interested
*David, your a tad late with your reply. I finally created one. A soon as I find the disk (it's loaded on a laptop that I can't get to tonite) I'll post it. Tell me what you think.Thanks for the offer.blue
*Blue,Here's what I see: A Tazz like looking guy with large blue eyes wearing bibs.In one muscular arm he's holding a Skill 77 in the other a framing hammer. He's stepping "at you" Maybe a streak of lightning behind him. Sit this on a round patch and you'll catch everyone's eye. Call me and I'll make it for you.
*Hahahaha Jim. I was all fired up and excited till I got to the part of the Skill 77. I'll get that file sometime today and post it tonite.blue
*Sorry Blue ... I just read it.
*At the risk of being boo'd out of the forum again ;o) , I, (as a resident graphic designer in the forum) will throw in a few comments:i Anyone who will do 8 original logo designs, unlimited changes, layout and design of 6 different business cards, envelopes, letterheads, etc. etc. for only $289 is your best bet by far. Wish I knew about them before I spent a pile of money trying to get overpriced graphic artists to understand what I wanted for 6 months!!!!I wouldn't say someone that creates 8 logos, unlimited changes and a full stationery system for $289 is your best bet. Unless, of course you like their work. Otherwise, they are cutting corners somewhere.I also wouldn't spend a pile of money and 6 months working with a graphic designer, either. If you decide to go the route of hiring someone, treat the process just like you would hire any other service provider. Get referalls and take a look at their past work. Find someone that does work that you like. Good graphic design doesn't have to cost a lot, but be picky...a good logo is important.Sonny has some great advice about branding above. Your company 'brand' is incredibly important. The brand is how customers percieve you and your products and/or services. This includes the way you answer the phone, the way you dress, the quality of your work, the presentation of your materials, etc.Consider your logo and identity system as the entry-way to your overall brand. A crappy entrance to a house does not make it a bad house, but it certainly influences first impressions.Some other tips:1) Consider ALL mediums when choosing your logo. Your logo should work in full-color on a billboard as well as one-color in the corner of your fax title pages. It should work on the internet as well as embroidered on the front of your shirt.2) Have the person(s) that design your logo also develop a full business system for you. This may include letterhead, business cards, envelopes, mailing labels, fleet graphics, yard signs, etc. You don't have to produce these, but if you take the time to design them as you develop the logo, you can be assured that the system will work as a whole if and when you decide to print more items.3) Look at the competition. I've seen a lot of really nice logos that are worthless, as they are a mirror image of their competitor. Always check out the competition before finalizing a logo. You want to avoid any possible confusion in the market. (and, in turn, possible lawsuits)4) Be consistent. Once the logo is complete, stick to it. Even if it is a bad logo, it is important to be consistent in your identity presentation. The designer will (or should) recommend a color pallete and type guidelines to go with your logo. Advertising is often more about repetition than saying something specific. People respond to ads/logos/identities that they see repeatably. Being consistent helps. This goes for advertising as well. Often people will remember "that ad in the back of the paper" more than a specific advertisors name. Because of that, 4 smaller, weekly ads are much better than one, larger, monthly ad. As for a place to get logo-wear, I'd recommend Landsend.com. They are a bit pricy, but their clothing is by far some of the best quality out there. If you are making free t-shirts to give away, than I'd go cheap as possible, but if you want to give some quality outerwear to your employees, I'd maybe lean towards Landsend.comOh, and for getting logo ideas, go to your local mega-book-store and check the Graphic Design section. You should be able to find tens of books that just contain logo systems. Choose some styles and concepts you like and show them to whoever will be working on your logo. It will give them a headstart as to figuring out the direction that you would like to head in.Hope that helps...
*So Blue where is the infamous logo we've been waiting for?
*Still waiting? BTW, I had some Outer Banks shirts done. Golf shirts, nice quality and seem to wear like iron. Over 25 years Haines were good & the Outer Banks. Can't think of any others, but I'll agree that the Lands End stuff is good quality. The Outer Banks were recommended by the printers as one of the best & the cost wasn't much different. Joe H
*Sorry Gunner, I've been too busy to play with the computers. The one moment that I had access to the laptop was not a good one. The damn thing kept freezing up and when I tried to reboot it and run scandisk, it froze solid. I couldn't turn it off and I finally had to go.I promise I'll dig it out and post it tomorrow. blue
*Thanks for the good advice Darrel.blue
*
Does anyone have any good ideas for a logo?
I operate as J.R. Allen, Inc.
The name of the company doesn't exactly generate excitement, but it's okay.
I'm willing to change it, but would like a logo. I'd like to give the guys some promotional stuff (hats, shirts etc.).
Anyone know any good online stores that supply stuff like this?
Blue