Please see my "brief update" comments, that I just posted on the site.
#50 is cool-looking, and an improvement on #7. I like your idea to have the $ signs interacting with the gears... but is there a way to make it look more animated? Can you make it look like the $ signs are getting bigger, and/or are being created by the gears? Or, can you use something other than gears to produce or create the $ signs?
#51 is really great! It's the favorite design, out of all of the other logos, from the feedback my friends are giving me. I really like it too! There are so many things that it makes in its statement... like how the engineering is the foundation, and the $ (and the rest) is built on top of it. And, the little crane is in there, as a finishing touch, building the big $ sign - just in case people don't catch the other subtle references to engineering. I love the gradient (if that's the right word) used in the blue section, which looks a bit like a city skyline, and also like a stock chart too. Very good!
I'd love to see some revised versions of this design. One comment I have is to try to make the $ sign pop out a bit more, to the eye. Not sure how you might do this, but see what you can do. Also, can you make the blue blocks higher on the right side? If it's going to remind people of a stock chart, then I'd like it to be in an "uptrend". It doesn't have to go straight up, of course, but for it to be highest on the right side might help. And, although I agree with the scale you've used for the crane on top, can you make it a bit bigger? It's just because it might be hard to see, when the logo is shrunk down onto a business card. (And, some people don't have very good eyes.)
A few other thoughts are to consider using gold and /or silver in there. But, you don't have to. Just some options. And, maybe you could make it a bit 3D-ish... just so it pops out a bit... (although that might change the effect it has... and the detail could get lost when it's shrunk onto a business card...). Well, there's a lot you can play with here, and it has a lot of potential!
I'm really excited to see your revisions! (I might have to try to extend the contest, to give you more time!)
I appreciate you trying out some of my ideas. It's interesting to see how they might work.
But, out of all your designs, #51 still appleals to me the most - with the way the colors and gradients are done. (Although, I think I'd prefer a slightly different green for the word "WEALTH".)
Can you combine some parts of your designs from #51 and #68 (or #69)? I like the way the gradient in #51 is darkest on top of the blue boxes, and fades lighter downwards. And, I like how the boxes are higher to the right, in the #69 design - although can you make the last 2 (on the right) a bit higher?
I like the larger crane used in #69.
The hollow orange squares in #68 are interesting, but they don't seem to stand out as well. Thanks for trying, I appreciate it!
And, although the contest says it's over, I haven't chosen a winner yet. I just got back from holidays, and I'm catching up on work now.
Thanks for your feedback regarding my recent entries.
Since only the No.1 Ranked entry is allowed to make a modification on the entries during the judging period, you need to ranked the entries prior to do the revisions. And you can switch from one to another preferred designs as well.
Looking great! Thanks for the revisions! It looks really sharp on black too!
Is there a way to make the (black or white) background "clear" instead?
I'm looking at some business card ideas on Vistaprint, and there are a bunch of pre-done cards there that have different colors, even some gradient backgrounds built in. If this logo could have a "clear" background, it would work with any of these colors.
Oh, I've switched the #1 rank to the other guy so he can submit his revisions now.
I like the looks of #158 and #159, with the smaller boxes. Now that I see that, I prefer it to the previous designs. It looks more like buildings now, and also more like a stock chart too - which is perfect!
One thing you could try is to fill in the rest of the black holes now, the 7 remaining ones near the $ sign.
And, I do like the crane being on the left side now. It makes sense, as the right side would have been too high. Good thinking!
The gradient (or light?) on the black background is a good start, but I'm not sure how well it's working in #159. Is there a way to tweak it a bit?
Oh, and I emailed the LogoTournament site about keeping the contest open for a bit longer, and it looks like they might have done that... considering that you were able to upload the logos, even though you weren't ranked #1 at the time. But, if you're having any issues, let me know, and as soon as I check the site again, I can put you at #1, if you need it.
The revisions look really nice. Thanks for submitting them.
It looks like there might be one square that could be a different color. At the bottom left of the $ sign, there looks like there's 1 extra green square, that might look better it it's blue. Do you see what I mean?
I've put your design as #1, so you can submit revisions now.
And, I'm going to have to end the contest soon. Do you also do business cards?