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06/27/2005 01:01:10 PM · #1 |
As you may recall, I asked for feedback on some logo concepts in this thread. I took the feedback that I received, let it roll around in my head for a while and came up with the following business-card mock-ups based on a simple logo element I designed (it's just a "swoosh", styled after a lower-case 'e'... for "Eddy"...  ).
The reasoning behind coming up with a simple, stand-alone logo element is that it can be reduced in size and still be recognizalbe -- something many of my previous concepts did not do well because of fine detail and/or complexity. I want to be able to use the logo in the corner of a 4x5 proof, as a "favicon" on my web site, as a design element on other promotional material, etc.
So... I'm looking for feedback on these designs, especially compared to the earlier samples. Should I go back to the drawing board? Is it time to hire a professional logo designer and tag-line writer? 
[Embedding image directly for ease of reference and small file size]
Message edited by author 2005-06-27 13:10:11.
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06/27/2005 01:03:17 PM · #2 |
i think it's very professional looking ... nice colors, simple style ... i give it a 10
:) |
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06/27/2005 01:10:19 PM · #3 |
I like the logo a lot.
Would love to see it both with and without the slight cropping at the left edge of the "e" shaped "swoosh" as I can't decide whether that works or not for me.
Can I assume that the business is not intended to be limited to photography? I ask because, although I like the logo itself, the card designs displayed are more suggestive of graphic design or printing services to me than of art/ photography.
But I think the "e" logo could be incorporated into more art/ photo specific cards too.
Message edited by author 2005-06-27 13:17:35.
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06/27/2005 01:11:18 PM · #4 |
You're on the right track now. You'll recall I suggested making a graphic "mark"... this mark is distinctive enough,a nd interesting enough, that you certainly don't need to hire a "pro" at this stage.
Stay away from the vertical cards, though; they don't work conveniently in rolodexes and cardkeepers. Consider carefully that there's no reason for every design you make to be center-weighted. Try a horizontal card witht he logo much larger on the left, the eddir gurney photography tag full width on the bottom, the rest of the text justified right on right edge of printable area. Play around with different layouts that give some dynamic life to the cartd to match the dynamics of the logo itself.
Does that say "fun, creative..."? What's with that? You're advertising yourself as a fun guy, a riot to work with? Think carefully about that. To some extent, the use of the word "creative" is the kiss of death; to those who want no-frills professional photography, creative = expensive. To those who want something different, and know what they want, a photographer who calls himself "creative" probably isn't. I've never h3eard of a pro saying he was "fun" before, though perhaps you have a niche imagined for yourself that's wholly unique. Convince me :-)
Robt.
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06/27/2005 01:18:26 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
I've never h3eard of a pro saying he was "fun" before, though perhaps you have a niche imagined for yourself that's wholly unique. Convince me :-) |
I'm convinced. If someone doesn't want to work with him because they don't like the way he describes himself then f*ck 'em cause they're probably lame anyway..and he can do better :-0
I hate business cards but these are all good. Vertical is neat but maybe not pratical, like Bear said. Other than that, I dig it. Nice work EddyG. |
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06/27/2005 01:26:11 PM · #6 |
I love the Horizontal version best on the bottom. Reasons Text is easy to read, Setup is good. Only quark is maybe a lighter shade of blue for the Text containing your phone # since you want your clients to be able to read you number without strain.
First vertical text is to cramped together and not use to seeing a vertical card.
Second vertical the text is easier to read but again vertical is odd. also looks like an advertisment for an upcoming gallery :) (You can save version that for later.)
Again great improvement from your previous versions! A- cause there's always room for improvement :)
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06/27/2005 01:59:59 PM · #7 |
As always, thanks for the quick feedback!
Robt: The "tagline" at the top is indeed a weak point in the design; I just put something in there to try and balance out the card. When I used the word "Fun", I wanted to imply it was a "fun" experience for the client -- many people, especially HS seniors, find having their picture taken a drag -- they are shuffled around as part of an "assembly line" as part of a large "cookie cutter" operation and don't find anything fun about it. I thought about saying something along the lines of "Specializing in high school senior photography", but I felt that would limit the usefulness of my business card, since I do shoot a variety of stuff.
Kavey: the card is indeed intended to be for photography only. I don't want to have any pictures on my card -- I'm hoping the word "Photography" will make it obvious enough that is what I do.
Lori: Your reply made me laugh out loud! Thanks! =]
FWIW, I'm sort of partial to the vertical design. I'm not really worried about anybody filing this in a rolodex... and I want to stand out as being a little different.
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06/27/2005 04:12:27 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
Kavey: the card is indeed intended to be for photography only. I don't want to have any pictures on my card -- I'm hoping the word "Photography" will make it obvious enough that is what I do. |
It tells me you're a photographer, yes. It doesn't make me feel it, if that's not too pretentious a way of expressing it.
I totally understand where you're coming from since it can be limiting to represent yourself with only one image. On the other hand, nothing says "photography" better than a photograph.
That said, it's a nice logo, nice colour scheme and uncluttered design.
I'd be keener on a less wholly symmetrical layout but that's just a matter of personal taste.
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06/27/2005 04:13:47 PM · #9 |
| Hey Eddy, I am currently struggling with the same scenario. Trying to come up with a catchy logo myself and it looks as though you've done well. Thanks for showing me I don't have to shell out $3000 to someone for something I can probably pull of myself. Good job and by the way I like the vertical look myself. |
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06/27/2005 04:18:20 PM · #10 |
| I think they're great, except for the fact that the "e" logo is repeated in the background. It seems redundant, and you could just put different lines in the background. Just some basic curves would work great. |
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06/27/2005 04:21:43 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by singe:
I think they're great, except for the fact that the "e" logo is repeated in the background. It seems redundant, and you could just put different lines in the background. Just some basic curves would work great. |
Goes to show how different we all are - I really like the way the logo "e" is repeated in the background - it's one of the main successes of these designs for me! :o)
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06/27/2005 05:36:42 PM · #12 |
i enjoy vertical but i feel the bottom card is the strongest. the tagline font in this one is also easily the best.
not sure about these taglines, but you could just go with something simple, ala "creative imagery" or the like. |
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06/27/2005 06:14:57 PM · #13 |
| I like the third one the best :-) It's more appealing to the eye. |
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06/27/2005 07:01:51 PM · #14 |
Eddy - as a design professional these are my observations:
1. Logo doesn't show any connection with what you do. Yes, it's simple and it's an 'e' but beyond that it is misleading. It could look like hairspray, cosmetic or even a cream-like product - anything but photography! Indeed this is more of a brand identity than a logo.
Suggestion: I would consider its purpose. What do you want it to achieve? Should it ever be seen alone and if so, should it convey your work? If it's just a badge or acronym for the 'e' of E.G. then you may as well sell on your name, since this is how people will refer to you and remember you. If they forget your card at least they can look you up of they remember your name.
2. Colour is cold and a little clinical. Background swirl logo is overkill and puts emphasis on this graphic device with little 'reward' - ie, people don't benfeit from seeing it again and larger!
Suggestion: Use the card to convey your attitude to imagery or leave it purely typographic but with a spacious, minimal design (type can be smaller) to allow some breathing space and suggest a professional approach - by showing that you can as much create atmosphere by leaving things out as adding them in.
Similar rules of composition and negative space apply in design as they do in photography.
Your fonts are good. I'd leave 'Eddy Gurney' in the serif font (as a logotype) and leave the rest in the sans serif. This will build your name as hero - separating ot from the functional text. Try off-centering everything and using 'Eddy Gurney - Photography' as a block of design on its own.
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06/27/2005 07:27:42 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by Imagineer:
2. Colour is cold and a little clinical. |
Cold and clinical? That's my speciality! Check this thread.
Eddy, maybe I've been out of the loop, but it's great to see you posting on DPC again. I assume life intervened, but I'm glad you're back!
I like the cards you've put up here, but if the intent is "fun" HS photography, what about a high-key "action" shot of you with a nice big L on your mkII as a background?
edit: Forgot, I think the tagline isn't needed, and the card would look better without.
Message edited by author 2005-06-27 19:30:28.
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06/27/2005 10:52:51 PM · #16 |
Thanks again for the feedback!
The horizontal design seems to have the best reaction, both here and to the people I've shown the samples to in person.
Jon: thanks for taking the time to provide your insights as a design professional. The thing is, I see quite a few logos everyday that don't necessarily "show a connection with what they do". Off the top of my head, two that I can think of are the Pepsi logo  and the Citgo logo  . Neither of these really "show a connection" to their company or product either, but are rather just "symbols" that people now associate with the company. The reason I want some sort of simple, graphical symbol is so that I can use it to "brand" things like the corner of 4x5 proofs. A square design element like my "swoosh e" is easy to fit in a corner; the words "Eddy Gurney Photography" are less easy to fit, especially at a readable size. Similarly, for use as "favicon", etc. the "swoosh e" has a lot of potential. Obviously, something that associated with me personally would be better, but it is kind of hard to come up with a "logo" for "Eddy Gurney". Hence, the swoosh e...
Interesting thoughts about the colors; I liked the cool gray-blue tones. What sort of color scheme would you suggest?
Ara: Real life has definitely cut back on the amount of time I have available to participate here on DPC, but I very much enjoy checking in at least once a week to check out the top-rated pictures. FWIW, I'm trying to avoid using any kind of photo on my business cards if possible... so no equipment shots or anything. =]
Rob: Thanks for commenting on the typefaces. Each one is indeed slightly different and I was hoping to get some feedback on which ones people liked. In terms of the tagline... if anybody has any ideas, post 'em! I think I'd prefer to have some sort of tagline... I sortof like the idea of "Hand-crafted images" since I do pay a lot of attention to detail in every shot a client receives a print of...
Message edited by author 2005-06-27 22:53:29.
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06/27/2005 11:05:01 PM · #17 |
Personally, I'm a fan of the 1st vertical. So it's unusual to have a vertical card? So what? You just got thru saying in your tagline that you're fun and creative.
My only criticism is that the logo in the center feels "off". Maybe it's because you cropped out the left portion of the "E", or maybe it's because the rest of the design is so curvy, yet you box the "E" in a square. Not sure. In any case, I like the larger square of the first vertical, as opposed to the smaller ones in the other two examples.
I'd be interested to see what the card looks like with the center "E" uncropped (left side). It would also be interesting to experiment with no dark blue box - see if you can get just flowing curves in the card? Like your choice of fonts - unusual but interesting. |
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06/28/2005 12:21:42 AM · #18 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
The thing is, I see quite a few logos everyday that don't necessarily "show a connection with what they do". Off the top of my head, two that I can think of are the Pepsi logo and the Citgo logo . Neither of these really "show a connection" to their company or product either, but are rather just "symbols" that people now associate with the company. |
Well, for one thing, you're trying to come up with an original symbol, and theirs have morphed over years to the simple designs we see today.
Would it be totally tacky/cliche to have your "e" inside an iris? or to have it suggest one in some way?
Originally posted by EddyG:
FWIW, I'm trying to avoid using any kind of photo on my business cards if possible... so no equipment shots or anything. =]
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Should have read the thread (and its title) a little more carefully before posting. Doh. =]
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06/28/2005 01:28:25 AM · #19 |
I really admire HR Blocks logo... wow so creative
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06/28/2005 05:03:28 AM · #20 |
I think people get too caught up on complicated logos that 'say something'. For Eddy's purpose, why does it need to?? Chances are Eddy's logo will never be used on its own, and the company name is very self explanatory. When Eddy gets as big as Pepsi, Microsoft, etc, THEN it may be a problem.
For me, Eddy, I like the first first vertical card with the larger logo. I've seen vertical cards before, and they do tend to get more attention from me than horizontal. I'm not keen on the "Fun Creative Artistry", but that's your choice on what you're trying to say.
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).
and the Citgo logo 
. Neither of these really "show a connection" to their company or product either, but are rather just "symbols" that people now associate with the company. The reason I want some sort of simple, graphical symbol is so that I can use it to "brand" things like the corner of 4x5 proofs. A square design element like my "swoosh e" is easy to fit in a corner; the words "Eddy Gurney Photography" are less easy to fit, especially at a readable size. Similarly, for use as "favicon", etc. the "swoosh e" has a lot of potential. Obviously, something that associated with me personally would be better, but it is kind of hard to come up with a "logo" for "Eddy Gurney". Hence, the swoosh e...
