It's a good start. You're the first to bring in some type of book. The sailboat is a little bit of a problem - see my comment on the main page about boat shapes. The palm tree is OK but most boaters aren't going to island beaches. It's a good concept.
I'm glad you're thinking about our logo. I really like your designs for Clipper House - I'd definitely pick that one if I were them. I think that a more abstract image like you did there might be better - no one is going in that direction yet. I like many of your other designs too.
Please remember that the design must be simple enough to work on a hat.
Simple enough... yeah, that's why I tried to keep the pieces (the ship, the palmtree, the book) simple in shape.
The palm tree could be ditched for a lighthouse (for example). Mostly I just wanted something on the chunk of land so it looked like "land" and not a blotch.
Would a different kind of boat shape work?
I was thinking that the boat and palm tree/island were more iconic "this is a boat", "this is a piece of land", instead of being actual representations of "this is an island beach" or "this is a sailboat".
Picking a boat shape is tough. No sailor would ever wear something with a motorboat on it and many motorboaters don't relate to sailing at all. We have both types of users so we can't offend either one. Clipper House was different - you picked the perfect image there. I think that if a boat image is used, it has to be quite abstract so both types of customers see it as their own type of boat.
I know I'm asking for too much! It's probably impossible to keep it simple for embroidery and yet give the meaning we're trying to convey as a guidebook.
What about using a "spyglass" instead of the boat?
That was going to be my original design actually, but I couldn't get the spyglass to look right in my first attempt, and I liked the boat better anyways.
Sailboat and plamtree replaced with a nautical spyglass (on a stand) and a lighthouse. Submitting the logo in all black so you can see how the shape works (simple shape, easy to embroider, for example).
I'm not liking #32 - just not interesting enough - too many things put together. Neither of is like the font. We really like that you're sticking with it. Keep thinking about "interactive cruising guidebook"...
Ok cool, I prefer the sans-serif fonts for this too (since it is a web application).
Not sure if I can take this design any further though. The original concept of a book with a ship sailing from one page to safe land on the otherside was cool in theory but not sure how to proceed with it without using a "boat".
OK, think about traveling. You take maps and travel guides - because you want them to show you the way but not chart out every step. They are guides. They provide information so you can make your own adventure happen.
The same thing happens on a boat. We provide the tools for guiding them to safe locations. Now what symbol would make you think of this type of travel guide? Maybe it doesn't even have to be about boats - perhaps the coloring could make that happen.
Other things - google "nautical flags" - lots of good symbols there that maybe could be used with a non-boating image to turn it into something nautical.
Perhaps there are abstract images that can combine a nicely designed book image with something boat-like.
Or what about an image of a "captain"? That's a way different direction. Perhaps something there along with imagery meaning "active" is another way to go....
An "abstract image that can combine a book image with something boat-like..." is kind of what I was going for originally LOL :)
Understood your Brief about the logo (incidentally I grew up by the Atlantic Ocean) and will see if I have time to try another concept for you, but probably not this week.
My next initial idea was a stylized globe shape (not supe detailed) with a few dots (points) poltted on it and a ship, and dotted lines from one point to the next. But again... what to use for a ship...
By abstract, I mean something that doesn't look like a real object but hints at it. The waves you used in Clipper House are a good example. They represent the waves but don't really give it a lot of detail - it uses general shape to put the idea into the viewers mind.
Thanks for asking those questions. You're asking the right ones.
You're right - the image is of a sailboat. No sailor would wear a picture of a motorboat on a hat. That isn't as true for motorboaters especially if it looks like a nice nautical image. That's why I think an abstract sail/sailboat will work if there needs to be a boat image.
I don't really like the waypoints idea. To come up with the word "waypoints" you've either been researching this or you're a boater!
The most pleasing font to me so far is the one used in #44. Is that Futura?
I liked your original sailboat better in #58. It was my fault - you're making it more abstract as a sail - it's OK to hint at a sailboat like that URL link I used. I like that the logo shown on that linked page a lot (www.nycia.com) except the colors are so plain.
That dafont.com site is very nice - lots of fonts there! It makes my head spin.
Yeah, for #58, experiment with the font. Also, and you're going to think I'm crazy, try to make that sail look more like a boat or more like a sail - it's hard to tell if it's a sail or a reflection highlight - it sort of reminds me of a bubble right now.
I rated #58 as third because it's raised above the others in potential.
Think about what will make it stand out and be noticed. Will a boater want to wear it on their head? Can it stand out across a room?
#78 - I like the font and I like the way the slogan looks under it - looks balanced now.
If the symbol is supposed to be a single boat, it can't look that way - wind can't push in two directions. Even if it is 2 boats, there's something wrong because they're being pushed in opposite directions with their sails out in each direction. Even with that problem, I like the new symbol more than #58.
One boat's sails are more out than the others. (Or maybe the other is using a motorboat, I dunno, LOL!!)
Would you like me to continue with design #78 by adding the full sail boat shape back in, or having 2 sails going in the same direction? Any other thoughts?
Sailboats can move in all directions. If their sails are pushed out, then the wind is behind them. If their sales are tight in, then they act like airplane wings and can move against the wind. The problem with #78 was that both sails were out and moving in opposite directions. Every single sailor would point that out to me!
#78 looks pretty good in that picture. I think the sailboats need some fixing - perhaps the same direction, perhaps a single one - I'm not sure about that.
Why is it that everyone is using the same colors? See my new general comment on the main page. We have no requirement for color and everyone is using that same powder-blue. If you really like it and think it works, that's fine - keep it. It's just very odd that everyone is using very similar colors.
I also threw together that 3-wave image and made a hat out of it (second row, second column). I like that image although I don't like the text with it. I'd really like someone to play with that.
Re: the usage of color, that is not odd to me at all, because, that's basically what they do 'round these parts.
As soon as you start ranking designs and one is shown as #1, then some designers jump on the bangwagon and try to give you a similar thing.
Also, the site does not update us (send us an email) when you edit your Brief, so if you make any big revelations about what you want to see (like a specific color), it's honestly best just to send a message to the designers directly.
Still working on the design of that one :) Client likes the basic design but I think they want to add more to it, like a circle or some other "wine" element. But thanks for the comment! It would be my first win since joining the site in March.