Cafe GetawayLogo Design Contest

We like anica.soleva's #2 & #3 the best so far for their bright tropical colors and the clean presentation of the business name and theme. #3 was interesteing, but I think the tiki are a little too anthropomorphized (i.e. the bikinis and legs are a little too cute for my taste) and the tiki chosen don't happen to jibe with my personal experience of tiki. I think perhaps the tiki may be a little too much fto work in the logo, which will often be quite small (as on business cards) The cups in #1 & 2 clearly say coffee. I wonder if more modern espresso cafe shaped cups (e.g. lattes) would be better. But maybe not. Good start!

Sorry, having a bit of trouble figuring out how the postings work, so I am repeating myself here, but can't get rid of it! It does make me think that three tiki is probably too much for a logo. It may still work in the wrap itself, but not so much in a logo which will be small on a card as well as large on the truck. However, I really like what I've see in your portfolio, so we will be looking for more entries from you, I hope!.

Does your company have a slogan or saying that you might like included?

Andrew- We haven't settle on any slogan as yet, except possibly, "Take a break" or "Treat yourself." Looking forward to seeing your submission.

We are quite impressed with #16. Andrew went a whole different direction, but also has a design that presents the name, product and motif of the business very clearly. Now I have to think how we could work come of these in with a truck wrap. For example, #12 & 13 by sums are nice designs, but they don't jump out and grab your attention. #17 (and his friends) by Miamiman is an interesting take on the Tiki idea. Also eyecatching. My original idea with the tikis, though, was to have slightly friendlier looking ones and have a family of them sampling all three of our main products: the coffees, yes, but the smoothies, and the shaved ice. #1 by dotwoman did try to do that. I think it is too much for a logo. I think, so far anyway! Everything we ar getting to see from you guys is more interesting than what we were getting here!!!!!!

The competition is heating up. Our leaders so far are definitely #23, #14, and #34 etc (the series by newcomer andrewjayx). We seem to favor the ones that set the scene -- #23 & #24 -- but then Andrew comes in with something different and eyecatching!

Excuse, first designs THAT IT(HE,SHE) ORDERS were in CYMK's scale, ENVIE AGAIN, THIS WAY WILL SEE A ROYAL(REAL) BLUE, FORGIVE ME

SirGama, thank you for explaining. I thought you had just accidentally resent! I do like the new blue better.

thank!!!!....

Hi all! As I mentioned above, Andrew's different take on the idea really caught our eye. We had one big problem with it, how it was going to integrate with a truck wrap. I explained that to him, and he came back with first the different colors and then a great idea for a truck wrap.

Extending the images into a truck wrap is something we are going to need to do for whatever we pick. Sure we can just slap the logo OVER some other art, but if the leaders want to give us any idea on how their art can be expanded, it would help us choose. I imagine this is beyond the usual purview of the tournament, but we also are fairly naive about what can be done with computers.

For example, can the background of Esteween's be extended to the left if the main body of the logo is in the upper right corner of the truck panel rectangle? If you are interested here is a link to the truck manufacturer -- http://www.seattlecoffeetrucks.com/origplus.asp?status=C, just to show you the issues with service hatches, condiment shelves and other interruptions. The logo we choose for the business will appear on the door of the white cab, with of course, phone number and web address

I don't expect anyone to do us a truck wrap for the tournament, just an Idea of whether your design, if we choose it, can be "extended" to "fill out" the wrap.

I can send a design of the truck to algun mail, if this one in agreement, with my logo or better other one, not if it(he,she) is prudent in the tilt

Hi all! We have been showing the logos that we have received so far and soliciting reactions. there have been a few surprises, thing we may have noticed and thought but overlooked.

Chief among them is that there is too much focus on steaming coffee cups AND that the coffee cups shown are all old fashioned cups too boot. Frankly, as a mobile business, we won't even have ANY china cups. it will all be takeaway.

Second, there is not enough suggestion of REFRESHMENT. In addition to coffee, a huge part of our business will be frozen and iced beverages -- fruit smoothies, frozen coffee drinks, teas, etc. These will be served in 16 oz plastic cups with domed lids and a straw. And, because we want to have something for the whole family, we will also have shaved ice cones.

Whatever we choose for a logo will need to integrate with or at least coordinate with an inviting truck wrap. Our business image needs to be irresistible, and it needs to be memorable. We need to stand out from the crowd so that YOU will want to stop and Take a Break.

So, with ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT, I invite you all to shake things up a little. Try something totally different. Maybe what WE THOUGHT we wanted isn't the best thing for us. avoid mushy colors; generally we haven't liked those submissions as well as the bolder, brighter ones.

Wow! A burst of activity tonight.

First, Overdozes #45, #46, #47 -- you've spelled the business name wrong. it is "Cafe Getaway" not "Gateway. " Easy mistake to make. Your #46 is actually very close to the first logo I came up with myself when we first started sketching out the business, like a storyboard carving from the Pacific Islands (I had pictured it with the letters in alternating Caribbean colors (pinks, yellow, lilac etc)

Andrew: nice display of all the business options, especially #51 with the island. You still have that old-fashioned coffee cup, although it is a really pretty cup. We think "cafe" needs to be a little bigger, and I'd like to change your slogan for "Time to Take a Break"

91Design- your #42, #44, #43 -- Very, very nice. They would make very beautiful signs for a fixed business. Really like the night and day effect, but not sure how to use them. The long oval is strongest. It is, however, very hard to read the slogan at a quick glance. In fact, it is a little hard to read the business name at a quick glance. If you can make it more readable, please change the slogan to read "Time to Take a Break."

By the way, when there are multiple entries from one artist that are only different by color, I am only ranking our favorite up high, and moving the multiples down lower. I know they are there, but this way makes it easier to sea the different designs. They are all good; it is hard to decide!

Just two days to go, and at the moment we are sorting down to a couple of different styles. Again, I like what 91designs has come up with, but think they may be too "packed" (busy) for a logo. Absolutely great for an outdoor sign. I have suggest to him and to andrewjayx to drop the slogans they came up with. Too hard to read when small.

I was surprised at the removal of Esteween's entries (#23), but I was afraid of exactly that, that the art would prove to be a common design I would see elsewhere. I've notice that in a couple of other contests I was looking at.

On the other hand, to be fair to andrewjayx, I think the moderator was misunderstanding his #15 entry, which the moderator saw as was two entries in one. Actually, I think it was meant as one logo -- that is "two tickets to get away" (different info on each ticket). It was not the right choice for us, but I thought it was very creative!

Damn! I keep writing comments in this space and then losing them when I go back to look at entries and accidentally click on something! This is something that really should be changed by the tournament organizers!

What I was saying was that I hope my partner and I understand the process correctly, that after the contest officially ends, we have seven days for the final judging, during which time the top ranked designer can tweak things further. WE have lot of stuff coming in at the eleventh hour, so to speak. It is clear some people shrewdly watch what others have done and how we rank them to pick up on the direction our minds are going. On the other hand, FYI, it is hard not to feel a loyalty to the artists who have not just laid the foundation, but who have been most responsive to our feedback.

At the same time, we have learned a lot about what we should be looking for. We wanted to do our mobile espresso truck as an illustrative representation of a getaway lifestyle (one that we have been lucky enough to live for 20 yrs). But through this process we have been reminded that while atmosphere is worth a lot, the point is to sell our products.

In the meantime, in case the ranking order is locked in at the end of this contest period which ends tonight, I have gone back through and re-ranked the entries as best we can, moving to the bottom all the multiples that you guys have done in response to our comments, except where the designs by the same artist are quite different, in hopes that all who have contributed will benefit from the points that get awarded. LT is a great resource, especially for new, small businesses like us.

Hi all - I thought I had posted a note about why we extended the contest, but I don't see it. Mostly, it was because we were overwhelmed with the good options and needed to take a day off without being glued to the computer screen, and in the last hours of the competition, that was bad timing. We needed a little distance to take a fresh look. Ironically we have picked up some new contenders.

It is easier to comment on the ones we are not so interested in. Easiest is #91 & 92, from a contributor in Turkey. Certainly a good effort to get all the elements we've talked of into one image! However, besides ending up a little crowded, the sailing boat in the background is a rig that one would almost never see here in the Americas! Small stuff like that. #80 looks more suitable for a bar. Not so keen on any with the radiating sun rays. Too hot!

I think we are pretty close to deciding. I am just waiting for a modification we asked for from one of our leaders. We may close the contest shortly. Before we do, we will do a final re-ranking to move out the multiples we are currently comparing one against the other. But we would like to thank everybody for a terrific effort. There are so many we could choose. It is in many cases just a matter of which direction to go.

Well.....we have a dilemma. As you all can see, we definitely have been favoring Andrewjayx's designs. We really liked his use of color and the coolness of the blue backgrounds. But something was still missing and we weren't quite getting it, and I thought we should move more toward something "enclosed" for the logo itself. Hence my suggestion to him to "enclose his design".

The instructions we get when urged to rank and re-rank the entries is that it is supposed to help designers see what we are liking and what we are not liking. It seems an inevitable result that someone, in this case creamandsugar, came in with some entries that were fairly similar to andrewjayx's and that his modification upon our request would be similar to creamandsugar's.

Now, here' sthe problem. There were some definite differences that we quite liked: The color and unevenness of the sand c&s's two drinks were sitting on, the shaggy fronds and coconuts of the palm tress that were the most palm-tree-like of any of the entries, the color combo's of the business name. Now those have gone! And although we REALLY LIKE andrewjax's work, and we understand he didn't intend for cream&sugars entries to be deleted from the contest, we now have lost a design we were seriously considering.

So what now? If we ask Andrew to put those elements in his design, are we putting him in the position of copying her work? And would that put his designs in jeopardy! Please not! Our goal is to get a logo that really pleases us! I have looked at lot of other contests where the designs from different artist were even closer!

Well, we have selected a winner. Actually, winners. As you have noticed, cream & sugar's designers were remounted into our contest at the last minute. With the cooperation of the tournament moderator we have made arrangements with both leading designers to use their work. In our particular application and thanks to the "compatibility" of their designs, we will be able to use both

I must tell you all it was a difficult decision, not just between our personal leaders, but among the majority. Almost any entry would have served us well. Towards the end we showed the site to friends and knowledgeable colleagues, and there were advocates for many that we did not choose.

We have been truly impressed with the results of using logotournament.com, and we will recommend this resource to others.