First and UnionLogo Design Contest

Simple typography demonstrating the "content is king" no-nonsense approach to designing useful websites.

(This comment references Entry #34)

Thanks for your entry,

Nice and playful plus working the concept in a very cool way.
(Not sure about which color is best (they are both nice), so the ranking of #34 & #35 isn't for sure yet.)

Something about the letter spacing, feels a bit askew, not sure how it can be resolved. If you have any other ideas to take it another step, we'd be open to those. I'll try it as a website heading and see how it looks and post more feedback.

Thanks, again.

#34 the formatting fights a little bit with the centered design of the website.

The concept is good and fun, so I don't want to drop it (unless you have another similar idea). Please see if any alignment/kerning variations might work a little better with the centered website (fnu.serveronline.net). It isn't bad, but doesn't quite make the eye flow down into the page like the current logo.

Also, if you want to grab the background color of the banner on the site and make a white version, I'll know what you intended with the background.

Thanks.

Here's a version with the blue background of your website. I've adjusted FIRST and UNION so they are about equal width and more symmetrical.

(This comment references Entry #39)

Here's another variation that you might find more interesting

(This comment references Entry #41)

Thank you!

I'll try these out on the website and get back to you with comments.

#40 can you try a variation with both words at the bottom, but perhaps still split. We did some user testing and people weren't sure where to read. Concept is still good, but the eye tracking takes away from understanding it.

Here's an updated version with the tag line(s) on the same line and evenly spaced.

(This comment references Entry #49)

Here is another variation where AND bisects both first & union and the tag line. It makes a nicer rectangle of the whole logo - but might overemphasize the word AND.

(This comment references Entry #50)

#49 Thank you for trying the text down below, it is less interesting but easier to read. The one with the "and" all the way down felt like a road block.

This concept may have hit a road block with the sense of the eye not knowing where to travel. The user testing we did kind of through me. I understood the concept already, so it worked for me, but the first time reader was totally confused. My apologies for encouraging something that may not work.

I like how you kerned the letters and tweaked the spacing on #40. I wonder if you could play with our existing logo in the same way, maybe trying a different font, paying close attention to kerning and consider a small icon (but not necessarily)....?

Here's a completely different idea using street signs. This is the first idea that came to me when reading the creative brief - but I got caught up in the first design.

(This comment references Entry #51)

Here's the same idea with a clever way of tying it to the rest of the page - by using the white space to go up and become the sign post.

(This comment references Entry #52)

#51 #52,

We have tried street signs before (I probably should have mentioned it, sorry it has been a long time),

However, we felt they were a bit too literal, you's are the best I've seen though, they border on abstract, is there a way to create some kind of abstract crossing, intersection of content and the web that might work well together?

I like the cleanness of the contextual logo and icon #247 there is centered
https://logotournament.com/contests/contextual

the icon there is circular, and creates a kind of context,

I moved one street sign to not-interested just because one is enough in the stack.

The top 2 in https://logotournament.com/contests/grupo_crea are a good example of working with text only

https://logotournament.com/contests/24_media incorporates signage in their current 1 spot in an interesting way. Of course, the ARENT about signage, which makes it more interesting. Anything with a sign for us would need to be quite abstract.

Just went ahead and pulled the street signs because I don't think we will be using them, but if you can abstract them out, please don't let the ranking change impact that.

Thanks

Here's another logo direction using a "crossroads" graphic balanced by stacking the tag lines together on one side

(This comment references Entry #58)

This on changes the font and lowercase "first" and gradation. I'm working on another design so more to come...

(This comment references Entry #59)

Another concept with an abstract icon above which I'd like think alludes to street signs made of U's.

(This comment references Entry #60)

Thanks again. The abstract icon does remind me of both street signs and streets as a path. I like the colors there, too.

Could this icon work with a more centered approach? Emphasize the "first" and let the "and union" trail off, while the "first" carries the eye to "meaningful content, useful websites"...

I'm sorry I can't give clearer feedback, please let me know if you have any questions, I really appreciate your efforts and work.

This version might flow from first to content to union a little better.

(This comment references Entry #72)

This is just a subtle change from the previously submitted version - but the gradation from white to blue just might separate first from union enough that you associate first with the tag lines - but does not completely exclude union... I hope that makes sense.

(This comment references Entry #73)

#72
Thanks for another revision.

Would it be too much to see this without the colored background (until we want to test it on the site?)

The subtle gradient is nice.

Would everything look wrong if it was centered?

Thank you again.

Here is a version on a white background. I swapped the white areas for blue so it would stand out in a similar way than it does on the blue background. The gradation gets lighter towards union.

(This comment references Entry #75)

Here's a centered version. Everything is not perfectly symmetrical - but appears balanced (to me anyway)

(This comment references Entry #76)

In this version I adjusted the colors a little to make the logo a bit stronger - it stands out more on the white background

(This comment references Entry #106)

#106 is the best of the two, I'll try to provide more comments on this one later, too.

Thank you.

#106

Thanks.

We got some feedback that it reminded folks of Microsoft windows. Perhaps this was related to the multiple colors? Can some adjustments be made to move it a little further away from MS while keeping a similar approach, more toward the road and sign, but not too much.

Also, can you look at fnu.serveronline.net and see how this might work on the site and adjust colors, etc, alignment etc to work with the site?

Thanks

this version uses the two blue colors on your site (the darker masthead and the two light blue call-outs below) I've changed the intersection to orange. I think it's more striking as all orange.

(This comment references Entry #108)

#108

Thank you, yes the #108 also gets the windows vibe out.

I'm going to try and hone in on this one a little bit, did you try it on the website by any chance? fnu.serveronline.net

The following three ideas show how the logo would look on your website. I've mocked it up here: http://www.briscoeart.com/clients/firstandunion/idea1.png

(This comment references Entry #113)

website mockup here: http://www.briscoeart.com/clients/firstandunion/idea2.png

(This comment references Entry #114)

website mockup here: http://www.briscoeart.com/clients/firstandunion/idea3.png

(This comment references Entry #115)

Another variation that will work well on your website. This one includes the tag lines a little better by extending the crossroad graphic to the bottom.

(This comment references Entry #159)

here's a stacked version of the previously worked logo

(This comment references Entry #187)

in case you don't want to abandon the street corner graphic just yet

(This comment references Entry #188)

Thank you again for the wide variation.

I did want to keep the icon, but it seemed to fight a bit with reading down.

#187 is clean and simple and blends with our site quite nicely.

I've gone back to a black first and black tagline in ths no-nonsense design - I hope this pushes it over the edge.

(This comment references Entry #230)

at the risk of beating a dead horse I'm going to offer one more version with the crossroad incorporated - if only just for variety sake.

(This comment references Entry #232)

#232

That is the best rendition of the crossroads so far. I'm not sure if it will work.

I think the design will need to be longer than wide, with more emphasis on reading down. I wish we could be clearer, we are trying to solve the problem of our website that folks are reading down into the & and don't know which way to turn their eyes.

I'm having to drop all the logos into the website and change the style to see if they will work.

The website is driving the logo and it should probably be the other way around, we are a bit out of sequence.

So far the first ranked one is fitting in the best.

I've got to head out for a meeting and will try to provide more feedback when I return.

I'll try one more thats a little bit horizontal to fit the masthead of your site a bit better. If I could offer my opinion - when I looked through your website I didn't even read what was in the two call-out boxes (they look like marketing fluff and thus easy to skip) I would get rid of them + the ampersand in the middle and just have one sentence (not in a blue box) that reads: We build, redesign, and review websites starting with content. I think your point will come across much clearer.

(This comment references Entry #253)

Hi, Do you do web design as well? I think your comments are interesting and right on. The web designer piece is missing for us on many of our projects.

"I'll try one more thats a little bit horizontal to fit the masthead of your site a bit better. If I could offer my opinion - when I looked through your website I didn't even read what was in the two call-out boxes (they look like marketing fluff and thus easy to skip) I would get rid of them + the ampersand in the middle and just have one sentence (not in a blue box) that reads: We build, redesign, and review websites starting with content. I think your point will come across much clearer."

Do you think there is a way to include a hit of the intersection as a soft watermark or background on the logo?

See alistapart.com

Thank you again. Since so many don't have borders and we are getting close to the end, could you please send one more without the border so when we compare we are seeing them sort of on the same level?

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks.

design with crossroads watermark

(This comment references Entry #363)

design with no border

(This comment references Entry #364)

something a little different to consider

(This comment references Entry #366)

BTW - these designs are starting to look way too similar. I think your encouraging new design entries to piggyback on concepts that have been previously developed by the first designers who help guide the process in the first place. It's not fair to the designers who have put a lot of work into sculpting your logo.

(This comment references Entry #368)

I know its not what your requesting - but this is what I feel would work best for you. I think the logos in this contest are looking WAY too similar and it doesn't sound like it's benefitting you or the designers. (I also don't see how having a square shaped logo works best on your website since you have a narrow horizontal space to fill) That being said - I hope you give this a serious look as it works well conceptually with your company name & no-nonsense approach to web development

(This comment references Entry #375)