Very good concept. Clean, strong, works well small and in relief - and really smart blend of G and arrow. Question - can we try different fonts? - i.e. interested in contrasting an art deco feel with the web reality. Or maybe it is the square that could be played with?
On #12 - what about putting "GEDDUP" in the gap created by end of the arrow head and the top of the square? I just tried it in Bauhaus 93 and it looked reasonable...might be good as a poster for example.
By the way, my 8 year old daughter thought the butterfly was really clever.
The other idea that we might explore is a hot air balloon - giving the sense of lightness and escape etc. Would be interested in any thoughts you have on this
I've spent some more time mucking around with your original concept. It works on a number of different levels - I tried putting it in circles and with other colours etc. Also, tried making the G and arrow curved as if on a cylinder to give a 3D effect that looked okay (given that my svg skills are pretty limited). Point being that I think that your idea is pretty flexible while still being recognisable - which is a big plus.
The issue that has cropped up in feedback is that it is a bit 'blocky'. Any thoughts on this?
Anyway look forward to your further work, Cheers Rohan
Meant to say I've been working through various fonts - particularly from the 20's - on fontspace.com... I figured we'd look at these after this stage closes. But given the word mark concept maybe it'd be interesting to try different fonts now?
Having said that it's Saturday and, in your part of the world, the sun should be shining...
By the way, one thought I had was having a human figure holding on to a voice bubble/balloon being carried into the sky. Would you be interested and is it worth my time to give it a try?
I'm becoming wary of voice bubbles and human figures. My sense is that they border on cliched - which makes it harder to get ownership (so to speak) - as well as being generally annoying aesthetically.
Having said that, I respect your skills - and there is always that crazy French movie with the red balloon...
Really it's up to you. If you think you can pull it off, please give it a go. It doesn't have to be today. As I understand it, as one of the top 5 designers there's flexibility after the close of stage 1 in 12 hours?
Yes, your Top 5 ranked designers battle it out in the next phase, followed by Judging, where the top ranked designer can continue to submit revisions.
I totally understand about the speech bubbles, but I just wanted to throw the idea out there anyway. I'll kick it around in my mind and see if anything worthwhile comes out of it.
Thanks for the additional entries - #224 and #225 are lower case G's? It's visually appealing, but not sure if it's too abstract? Other concern with that double circle g is tht google has made it it's own.
Too give you a sense of feedback. #132 is really strong - simple, clever and gives plenty of flexibility to work with in different formats (hard copy and the web). To me, it's reminiscent of Russian constructivism/Bauhaus - which is perfect from design context.
The problem is that it is heavy and masculine. So my wife sees it as phallic and domineering. This is a problem. I've tried wrapping the design in circles and extending the square. But if this idea were to get up (or is that geddup?), then a way around this needs to be found.
On the other hand the word mark #159 could be really good as an accompaniment to a logo. Maybe the solution is to explore other ideas for the logo that compliment that. I've been thinking about your question about the boy with balloon and maybe it does have merit. The concept of lightness can be easily conveyed. I'm not even sure the boy has to be pulled along with it. (Have a look at the images that come up on a search of "The Red Balloon"). Anyway that might be one thought.
As for a rocket - I'm getting the sense it won't beat a hot air balloon - no matter how cool the look (and, being a boy, I like cool rockets). The advantage that the hot air balloon is that it is so scaleable.
Finally, I've uploaded a file with fonts that we like into the contest brief. You might get some inspiration from the cast we have assembled there?
Cheers Z. Meant to say that we would like to try adding the byline "Free your time" to see how the fonts and byline would work with the logo and name. If you are okay to add this it'd be appreciated.
(While I'm here - just had a conversation about fonts, and the point was made the those we prefer are all thin and curvy which I guess is the feminine side of the period we are looking at. Could explain why more boys liked the wordmark too...)
Anyway, I look forward to any additional thoughts you might have. Talk tomorrow. Rohan
I'll get some feedback tomorrow - we are looking to hunker down and get to the pointy end. Any variations that might sell the image as an app icon might help.
The guys loved the image - and when they were told that it was a dandelion loved it even more. The concept is a great fit for the business and has plenty of scope for development (imagine an animation - very zen).
Two comments: 1) The image needs to be more recognisable as a dandelion - whether there is a stem or something? 2) Would like to see warmer colours (oranges) - blue is too corporate, too cold for the business.
They were really excited by the idea if the dandelion was self evident. Good hunting! Rohan
Just for clarity - the tournament clock is wrong (and LT are aware of it). The actual deadline for phase 2 is 1 day and 3 hours. Not sure if that makes a difference. I could understand if you feel that you have invested enough in this competition. But if it helps, it is neck and neck between the dandelion and ballon.
One other idea is to have more than 1 dandelion...to put this one in context?
We have got the 24 hour extension - or the missing hours replaced if you prefer.
We would really like to get your further thoughts on the dandelion design. I've spent some time digging around for images (and note that dandelions were an emerging trend in 2009 according to logo lounge http://www.logolounge.com/article.asp?aid=kfP and represent freedom - that's good).
As it is we'll have to use our imagination as to what the design could be if we go with your design. It'd be great if we could remove that uncertainty.
Still I understand if you are physically not available there ain't much we can do.
Thanks. Please also keep in mind that your first ranked designer can still submit revisions during the Judging phase, so there is still plenty of time.
Hi Zrox, This is Adrian here Rohan's business partner. Sorry for jumping in on the last minute. I just don't want to miss out on seeing your design of the dandelion expanded a little more Please give us one more try with your dandelion design. We are so torn between the dandelion and balloon, we feel the dandelion suits our business better, but we can't quite get a feel for it to the degree that we need to, to know what can be achieved with it. We would be interested in making the dandelion design more recognisable. We thought that maybe adding a line or some lines in to give it more definition. Or maybe adding a couple more dandelions, one full one and two say that are spreading. At the moment we can't choose this design as our first choice because we just don't know if it would be strong enough the way it is. The balloon concept has been expanded to a degree that we can get a feel of what we can do with it. We are not after lots more attempts just one more expansion. Thanks for all your hard work and great design. It has been much appreciated from our side.
I apologize, I have been busy with other projects, but will have more options for you today. I appreciate the amount of feedback both you and Rohan have provided. It has been a pleasure working with you on this contest.
Sorry for not getting back sooner. I think the lines make the logo more recognisable. unfortunately it's still a little too simple and not punchy enough. The 3 next to each other feels to corporate for the business we are in. I was hoping to see the group design bunched together someway, as though a hand was holding 3 of them together. Not quite sure if it will work though. Thanks so much for your designs and hard work. cheers, Adrian
Thanks, Adrian. I don't think I'll get any revisions in before the end of the Top 5 phase, but it is still possible for me to submit during Judging. Just let me know.