After studying your client brief, and learning more about New England, I decided to build on the dominant style of the region. Carried within this style are elements of great pride, a conservative attitude, a wealth of tradition, history, and the craftsmanship of Colonial America.
Speaking of Colonial America, I noticed a lot of signs from that period had an eagle present, and/or some form of scrollwork. This really made an impression with me. And even more amazing, this style has remained near-constant in the region throughout the last 235 years! That's quite remarkable.
Adding to that focus...I've brought you the sea. The negative space at the bottom of the graphic gives a subtle reference to the rolling waves of the sea. This goes nicely with the tradition of scrollwork you'll see in the signs and furniture from Colonial America.
Please note: I'm shaping this concept as we go along. I'd appreciate any and all feedback you have to give, so I may meet your brand identity needs. It always helps when the client participates -- I'm best able to give a client what's needed when I hear about their needs directly. :) So please, by all means -- let me know what you think.
I'll be uploading additional versions of this and other work throughout the contest.
And, thanks for the response to my question on the public contest thread, Geoff. It was also good to take another look at your PDF. Helped a lot.
#97 -- first, please reduce the word spacing; not the kerning, but the word space. Tuck the Cape and Charles together a bit tighter. Then on #97 AND #105 -- please try some color options? Loving the direction. Appreciate the effort to read the brief ; ) It's obvious you're getting it. The work proves it! Thanks so much. ~Geoff
Hi, Jennifer. Wanted to share some Creative Director insight, if I may : ) Setting type is not designing. It's a great start, naturally. But designing a wordmark demands that you demand more from the typeface. Can one word be larger? Can one word be sans and the other script of serif? How can the words be stacked to create an interesting shape? What is an element inherent to the product/service that works itself into the letter-forms naturally? Hope this helps. Your determination is so very much appreciated. I look forward to your entries! ~G
So, building on your comment -- as with Ovidius and its use in the currently ranked #1 design -- may I ask what it is about that typeset-design that works for you? I believe the entries you marked today as "not interested" are entries I submitted early on (as I mentioned I'd be "shaping this concept as we go along")...well, these were just starting points. I never assumed they'd be the final product; I wanted to see what type you preferrred, and then I'd go from there.
I'm still stunned you've left the Ovidius-only design in first place (#79), actually. Thought you'd have placed that further down the line, due to the design brief and the comments you've just shared with me here. So, please forgive me when I say...I'm a little confused! :) Its texture comes with the type, and there's no graphic element present. Same as with #203 -- that's just type arranged in a pattern (no graphic element). And they're both by the same designer (Prolific), if you didn't realize that.
And, I'm stunned you're commenting on my designs! Thought you were sick of me. :) Glad to see you've taken time to comment on my work, it's appreciated.
As always, it's good to see a client care about the work that's submitted -- it's a good quality to have here. I believe that you, as a designer who's competed in LT tournaments, may have a special perspective that others may not typically share. And, I enjoyed looking at your portfolio; it was nice to see the design chops of the buyer I'm speaking with.