Nearing final stages of new logo design. Here’s a sample of card artist sent me. It’ll end up on everything from shirts to proposals to work trailer in some form or another.
It looks good to me, but I’m biased.
Love to hear other’s thoughts.
What say you?
PJ
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Replies
I don't like it.
Dont like the color scheme, font and use of 3d in the lettering.
I dont mean to be a d**k, by any means. I just don't like it.
I have studied graphic communication/design so it's a proffesional opinion nonetheless.
I feel bad for shooting it down so bad there.
Sorry, it's just my opinion / preference!
Carpenter / Builder, Rhode Island
Thanks Diamond.
Since I've got no professional background in graphic design, and you're willing to speak up, I'd be interested as to what you'd advise as changes. PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
I could put something together, but it'd cost ya ;-)Maybe just lose the purple text underneath the Nova logo (cabintery....email address) Maybe just try black.
I dont like the font used either (looks like Helvetica) It works for some parts but there's too much blocky/boldness going on.
Carpenter / Builder, Rhode Island
Interesting, I guess she delivered what I ordered. Told the artist I wanted it bold so people would remember it.
I agree about the sub text, needs something different. FWIW, the NOVA font is called "Friz Quadrata" . I chose it years ago and had a woodburning stamp made using it. This is the second logo for NOVA, you'd probably think the old one was even worse...and I'd agree!
PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Ok, so it got our attention. Isn't that what it's for?
Some of it I like,such as the star - quite radiant. However. the V looks weak - it might just roll over to the left. I'm not sure about the mix of fonts, tho - maybe the ariel bold or whatever is a little passe, every 'puter has it almost by default. That said, it does look a solid and professional statement. Try the 2nd line in the red of the'O', maybe.
Go for the best you can...(half of us are jealous, anyeway)
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
Reminds me of something from King Arthur's Court; that's not necessarily a bad thing. Are you trying for more of a space look, with the name "Nova"? If so, ask the artist to try a different style of star, one that doesn't look so traditional.
I like the "NOVA" and the line below it. The bold font and solid black for your name seems kind of heavy and competes with the "NOVA" for attention. Which do you want people to remember? Maybe focus on one or the other. I'd like to see the same logo with your name in regular (not bold) font, and the email address in a sans serif font (more like the name) to keep it a little cleaner.
That's my two cents, and worth every penny you paid for it.
"A completed home is a listed home."
I'm with LisaL on this one, the name & phone are too big and compete with our eye for attention. It should be a 1-2-3 operation; 1 - NOVA, 2 - what we do, 3 - Who is it and how to call.
I suggest:
- Keep the NOVA and the second line as is
- Reduce the size of the name and phone to the size of the e-mail address
- Put the name & phone on one line.
- Keep the e-mail address as-is.
Looks good.
"I be hypnotized."
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
It says "metal", as in cars or motorcycles, to me.
It does not come across as "wood" or carpentry, at all. Maybe just too many colors? Either way, I'd lose the orange in the O.
Hope that helps,
darcy
Maybe more wood grain and dark brown than purple and orange would better convey that you're a builder...
here's a hack job that shows what I'm talking about.
Mac
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Thanks everybody, I appreciate your thoughts. It's really interesting to get differing takes on this, and how it says different things to people. Much of what has been mentioned has crossed the table already...I'm attaching some examples.
For a point of reference, I chose the name years ago. Literally, a nova is a rapidly expanding or perhaps explosive star and emits gobs of light. I suppose I fancied that as something I wanted to do... and I liked the way it rolled off the tongue.
I really didn't want a wood themed logo. There is every possibility that NOVA will venture into somewhat unrelated areas, and I'm trying to build a sort of universal image that is recognizable and most of all, memorable. Think Ralph Lauren polo pony or Tide detergent or something like that.
Keep it coming, this really helps me know what the public will see.PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
With the purple and the star, IMHO the logo almost has a religious feel to it.
(not to say that's good or bad, that's just the feel I get when I see it)
It definetely does not convey a woodworking theme.
"With the purple and the star, IMHO the logo almost has a religious feel to it."
JM,
You managed to put words to what I was feeling: Royal purple and a cruciform star. Is this the proposed paint job for the gas tank on the Pope's motorcycle?-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask youself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
oops- to peter--everyone has made good points and also expressed matters of taste about color. i was art director/magazine production at a PBS station for 8 years and have some graphic background too, and i think it's a fine logo basically. we all want toi tweak it though, LOL.
Mac, however, posted a great logo. clean and bold and attractive and appropriate. it's perfect!anyway, nova logo:
it's bold
it's readable
it makes an impressionbut your given/surname is fluff. it can be a line added to stationery or a print ad, but i'd lose it as part of the art, as someone else suggested. the best logos are the simplest. people will remember less information more readily. if they call or go to the website, they'll learn your name soon enough.
much depends on where it's used mainly. for a work van, billboard, tv commercial or ad in the paper, the logo should be as concise as possible. to borrow from mac, you could have a nova SUN instead of the star in the 'O', shaped like a saw blade, but with the same color treatment as curent logo (multiple yellows in an orange circle), unless a Christian impression is what you want to make. i agree about that connection with a cross. the saw-sun would tie up loose ends regarding the confusion about your logo not relating to the kind of work you do, without getting all wood-ish, which you don't want. think in terms of seeing it on the side of a truck in traffic. you just have a split second to register enough info to look it up later.
Edited 7/6/2005 1:52 pm ET by MSM
Thanks for your thoughts, MSM. This is why I wanted to get it in front of more eyes...the religious reference never crossed my mind...OK, bad pun, I couldn't resist!
To clarify; What you are seeing here is an example or a business card utilizing the logo... my name will not be on everything. The logo is really just NOVA.
I worked for a man that used that Christian Fish Symbol (for lack of a better name) in his logo. I wondered if it was a help or a hinderance. Seems to me some would respond in a positive way, others might see it as out of place...even sacreligious...don't think that's the impression I wanna leave.
To Blue, point well taken about sole propietorship. PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Christian Fish Symbol (for lack of a better name)
Ichthus is what it's called, but I'm not sure I spelled it right. I'd say you're on the right track, but the lavender looks pretty gay to me. Probably the earliest fly swatters were nothing more than somesort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
A long time ago someone told me that purple is the gay pride color, don't know if that's true...I just like it. Rich without being loud, and distinctive, as evidenced by the feelings it's provoking. Now lavender, that's a horse of a different color... :)
On another note, I've done work for some gay couples, and developed some business relationships with gays in another career. By and large, they appreciate quality, and are willing to pay for it. Sexual preferences not withstanding, those are attributes I look for in clients. PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Peter J- "A long time ago someone told me that purple is the gay pride color, don't know if that's true...I just like it."
It is a gay pride color (sort of, but that's really lavender), but purple is the color of the Minnesota Vikings and what you see at Catholic funerals. All that said I like the card but I'm not gonzo nuts about it. There's is a graphic I have which I can't find tonight that has the same kind of look and feeling you get from the opening credit sequence from the PBS/WGBH program Nova. The a white bursting star with a indigo background (which I guess I'm partial too since that one of our company colors). Still I think it fine the way it is and better than 95% of what you see out there. And if the color helps attract more gay customer more power to ya. As a group they are absolutely amongst the very best client's to have. High disposable income and very appreciative of quality detailed work.
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also more power to ya if the purple attracts more customers who are vikings or dead catholics.i like purple. and it's true that it's an unusual color in this field, which helps it grab attention. amazing how controversial colr can be.
I would never deal with a business that used a religous symbol in their ads.
If you have to broadcast your religous "holiness", then you probably are a snake inside.
blue
I like it. It works for me.
I also like the color and the starburst. It adds excitement. It's memorable.
I like the one word logo but it indicates a sole proprietorship, which I would not advise.
blue
They say, Go with your first instinct. Mine was that it was attractive, eye catching. I like the star - don't see an immediate religious connection there, at least not for me. Purple isn't my favorite color either, but if you like it, why not? I like the lettering on the "NOVA". It's easy to read. The name is short and memorable. (My other half looked at it and she said she didn't like the star or the lettering.) After I read the critiques, I started to get picky too, but overall, I think it looks good. Don
here's our logo, it's pretty simple. We add all the other stuff (numbers, names, etc...)as needed.
It's a word doc - don't know how to do it any other way.
Edited 7/6/2005 7:30 pm ET by Trim Carp
Trim Carp, here you go:
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
If it is simple to explain, how did you do that?American Tradition
Trim Carpentry Co.
I copied your logo from the word doc to irfanview. Then I simply resaved as a jpeg file.If you don't have irfanview or don't know how to use it, a search will point you to tutorial thread (I think Rez wrote but am not sure) that has seen a lot of use.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
stick around.... more tricks at 11...
View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Peter,
I must say I'm not a big fan, its just too "punchy" for me.
I do prefer more classic shapes and colors, so that may just be my style.
One point to consider, how will this look on your shirt pocket or on a business card. I'm sure the details will look good when on your 24x36 job sign but make sure your graphics translate well to smaller/monochromatic designs. On the flip side you could trim non-critical elements for things like T-shirt logos to make it easier to reproduce.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
looks fine to me.
I'd suggest trying one where U lose your name ...
make the phone number bigger ...
U want them to call Nova, right? The company ....
and keep the same little email addy at the botom.
and for what it's worth ... Royal Purple is known as a very masculine color.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Remember the 70's, and there was an auto called 'nova'? Didn't sell well in Mexico - in Spanish it meant "No Go"...
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
For what it's worth, there's a site online that does all sorts of graphic stuff for a darned good price. Submit your ideas, price of what you'll pay for it and a deadline for completition. It works as a forum setup where you can follow the progress, stear them in the right direction etc. These are some very creative folks that can put anything together. Logos, letterheads, website banners etc.I used them once and plan to use them again.http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/?
i agree with the 3d, i do not think its the best look...
especially if you take into account the cost of printing business cards, t shirts, beer cozies, etc... the more 3d/shading/etc = more colors = more $$$$ spent..
my couple of pennies on the email address... and this just doesn't apply to you peter, but everyone with an 'isp' email address..
if you are gonna advertise your email address, spend the money and buy your own domain name... you can get website hosting for 5 bucks a month these days, and get a real name such as novaconstruction.com, novawoodwork.com, etc... (you would have to check to see whats available)
i personally think it looks more professional than [email protected], toolie@... etc... but then again... you are working on houses, not computers, so who really knows if it makes a difference or not..
better yet, just adverise the website on your cards/truck, and show examples of your work, contact info, etc.. but im talking a real website name, not the http://www.yourisphere.com/~toolie
just my opinion...
oak
Edited 7/7/2005 6:32 pm ET by oak
Not bad. It does catch the eye. I would loose the name from the logo, have it on your business cards. Also, the solid background of the "O" might be too much. It's good to get alot of opinions. Ask family and friends, but stress you want an HONEST opinion. Best of luck!
ok
there are a zillion people out there, and a million carpenters
chances are thee is another Nova
so when you get a final design that you like, you might want to copyright it
why, one it is not your name it is NOVA, used lots pf places, but your artwork might be original, some ohter nova guy might be looking at it right now and say cool , thae it si, thats mine now.
a friend of mine had a nice logo, pretty original, had shirts, hats, car signes etc for years, no copyright
another person , whom he was aware of, took his logo and copyrighted it, now the friend who designed it cant use it
I like your name, and logo needs a touch more work, but when you get it right, and its original, and you have a few extra hun, you might want tl look into a copyright
Good thought, Isamemon. Never having done it, what does it take to copyright something? Any experience to relay would be appreciated. Similar to a patent?PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.