Hi - here are some quick thoughts regarding my entry ( #17 ). I created a new logo in a vintage, art nouveau style to reflect the artisanal nature of foraging / growing mushrooms - as, to me, it's a good union of science & art - much like an artisanal product. It also allows for pleasant organic forms within the linework & type of the logo that complement the different shapes of the mushrooms. The sweeping curves that frame the scene create the feeling of offering / giving that you requested. Regarding the mushrooms, I've tried to represent a fair sample of mushrooms rather than limit it to a single variety.
Josh, thanks for your work! I really like your design - it has a very striking quality to it and I really appreciate the thought you put into it as well. The things I don't like are that it strikes me just a bit too much like a grateful dead poster, or a touch like... well, reminds me just a bit too much of a more "trippy" aspect of mushrooms I want to stay away from in the business.
Really like the designs on the side of the picture - the colors are really lovely, and, they have a quality of 'sunset' to them that makes me think of a decreasing or winding down sort of feel. I like a more bright, crisp, and striking aspect to the design. Overall I really love it, and those are my thoughts. If you can work with those things I'd love to see how this design can change slightly to reflect the thoughts.
you're right - they picked up that aesthetic in the 70s. I think a more modern font change will help a lot. How do you think you'll MOSTLY be using the logo?
Here's a revised version. I was trying to rope in more of an "artisan" feel. I also thought a square stamp feel (like an agriculture stamp / sticker approval) would be a good idea with regards to the quality of the products.
I also tried to keep your intended use in mind. I limited the colors and designed it to work equally as effective in single color for ink stamps, screen printing, etc.
Let me start by apologizing for submitting 5 fairly similar entries. I'll run through them quickly so you don't have to play the "what's different" game - haha.
#73 - I shrunk down BOULDER to match the size of MUSHROOMS and has some room, so I added some "bookends". As the mushrooms grow around the trees as well (or I think they do), I thought I could incorporate some mountain pines to balance the space.
#72 - spread out and added the raised decorative dots to make the top and bottom match. It's not imperative that thy top and bottom match, but I thought it was nice to have some symmetrical / square options.
#71 - BOULDER & MUSHROOMS at the same size
#70 - -very close to #71, but BOULDER is slightly larger.
#69 - changed out the font for BOULDER and put it on an arc 1)to fill the space at the top and 2) to put an emphasis on MUSHROOMS. The arc helps to keep BOULDER from looking
Any other thoughts you have, changes you'd like to see or areas that you want me to focus more on, just let me know :) Thanks again josh
hey - actually - before this contest ends - I tried growing my own button mushrooms (I know - boring - but I thought I'd get the method down before trying something more interesting) this past summer. I didn't really have a plan, I just wanted to do it without buying a kit (which I'm not against doing - just wanted to "make my own") ANYWAY, I used an equal mix of potting soil and moss and spread some button mushroom spawn after misting. I kept it all fairly closed (except when I had to mist - which I used steam distilled water for) I had some mycelia form, but never any fruit. Eventually, it started to get a blue-green tinge to them and I figured they were contaminated.
My questions - 1) Is it even possible to grow mushrooms with "normal" materials that haven't been sterilized (I've read about pressure-cooker sterilization of jars, hydrogen peroxide methods, etc.)? Or should I is the sterilized growing bed a must. My reasoning was that mushrooms DO occur in nature, which is obviously not a sterile environment. 2) are there any books /websites regarding DIY mushroom cultivation that you could suggest? 3) I'm a pretty avid homebrewer, so I have a lot of spent grain - would that make better growing material?
Sorry - I don't run across a lot of mushroom experts and the ones I've found on the internet / forums intimidate me - so I though I'd pick your brain if you don't mind.
Oh, yea... so you pretty much have to prepare what you are growing in in some way. I suggest peroxide 'pasteurization' or actual pasteurization - bringing a pot of water and your substrate to 180 degrees for an hour. Otherwise contamination is gonna take over 90% or the time or so. You definitely want to pasteurize the grain, as other bacteria and molds will jump quickly at the high nutrients in there.
Paul Stamets has a great book - "Mycelium Running" is one, and "Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation" is another - both have huge amounts of very useful and easy to understand information. Or, if your near Boulder you can come to one of the mushroom classes I put on.
Sterilization is very impractical unless you have a laboratory and a VERY clean growing room. So, there you go:) My website is www.MycoSophia.com if you'd like more information as well.
Regarding logos! :) I think its between 69, 70, and 71. No changes for suggestion right now... will get back to you shortly if there are. Thanks!
that's doable - my homebrew pot is 8 gallons, so that should hold quite a bit of material. I guess I was just banking on the "nature isn't sterile" plan - which did not work out. haha. But boiling for an hour is easy enough - heck - a 6 gallon batch of homebrew boils for 4 hours! That'll seem fast!
Thanks for the book advice, I'll definitely look into it. I just got into vegatable gardening and was hoping that I could grow some mushrooms in my basement during winter - it stays fairly humid and warm. I'm in northern Illinois - so dropping by for a lecture (although it would be awesome!) wouldn't be super convenient hahaha
logos - sounds good. I'm at my computer (I freelance from my home) pretty much all the time - so I SHOULD be able to respond quickly to any changes you'd want to see.
Awesome, sounds like a great set up! Yes... a paradox... nature is not sterile, but in our attempts to grow un-sterile don't usually work:) Funny
1. So, I like #69's "Boulder", how it is in that Italic font and on a curve with the top curved image - can you do that italic and curve with #70? I like how the "Mushrooms" at the bottom of #70 is the same length as the graphic. Lets see how that works.
2. #73 - can we replace the trees with dots? I like the balance of the font size, and the way the trees keep the length balanced. The tree graphic doesn't suit me though, as applicable as it is. Some other graphic might be ok, but I think dots will keep it simple.
Oh, also, I am not sure how this website works - but could I get a black and white version of the final graphic too? I really like the black and white you did - it has a slightly different feel to it that I like. More antique, or like a stamp. But the color is what I want the main graphic to be, so it'd be great to have both.
For the black & white question - absolutely. The contract says that the designer needs to supply a black and white (although, I think some just convert it to grayscale). I design all of my logos to work in solid black & white for just that occasion - stamps, single color screening, etc. :) (basically, it'll be like #58, but with whatever rendition we end up using. And black.)
Last question! Using grain as the substrate, what would be the best (read: easiest) mushroom to start out with?
Here are the revisions. #76 has a small cluster of mushrooms, but it might be redundant to do so. On the other hand, it could be split apart to possibly create a "mini-logo"? Just thinking out loud.
Hi Josh, thanks so much for the logo! Really happy with it. The only thing, I think you sent the wrong one. The first place winner was #69, and it looks like you sent #77 or another one. #69 has the "Mushrooms" a bit wider than the shape of the logo. Any chance you can send that one instead?
Also, was there going to be a black and white one included in the final set? I thought you said there would be.