High.StLogo Design Contest

#2, 3 and 4 - Prefer that there is a '.' between 'HIGH' and 'ST' so people seeing the logo make the association that this is a domain name. Prefer #4 of the 3 designs by leftflank.

I prefer the bolder designs like #23 at the moment but will refrain from ranking any designs until the morning when my colleagues have had their say.

The more intricate designs like #8 and those by kib647 (#15-20) look good at first but I wonder how they will look at a smaller size (say around 64px high) that I envisage for the website. Again, I'll consult colleagues in the morning.

Wow, you guys have created some great discussion in the office! Some of the views have been quite diverse, ask a dozen people and get 20 different opinions.

Not going to rank any designs yet but give a few ideas about what we like and why, and also why some concepts don't fit with how we perceive the site.

We don't like the designs that have a 2D feel, prefering those that give the impression of depth, so 1, 2, 3, 23 and 28 come across as flat whereas #8, #15 (etc), #24, #30 and #37 have more depth.

The 'cartoony' designs, 31, 33 are not favoured. We prefer the style of #8, #15, #29, #35, #37. but would like designers to bear in mind that the web logo will probably (note probably) be smaller than depicted here so too much intricate detail may become fuzzy and hence the impact lost.

Some specifics:
- Number 1 is too plain, not glossy enough and too 2D - (but thanks for being the first to put something up).
- We don't like 3, it looks like a hazard warning for a chemical site.
- The style of #8 is good for an upmarket sister site we have in mind but is too fussy and detailed for the main logo for www.High.St
- #23 is loved or hated. Some see the potential in its bold, distinct look, others see a flat, unispiring look with too much going on but still not standing out enough. Would like to see further development on this design.
- We cannot see the resonance of the high street in #27 and #28 but at the same time it is clean, easily recognisable and has the potential to engender a brand.
- The shopping bags, particularly the shape and quality feel of #24 and #37, have potential. The underground symbol used in #37 is an inspired idea with good natural colours but unfortunately the underground sign is too symbolic of London and High.St will cover the whole of the British Isles - it is mainly Scotland at the moment. Of the coloured bags, we prefer #26 and #29 as being simpler and also having the bolder wording that helps 'High.St to stand out.
- Designs #15 through #20 score well because they have the right level of quality with a strong sense of association with towns and cities through the use of the street sign and skyline. Again further development would be welcome, our concern is that the sky line would be lost if the logo has to be shrunk to fit the web logo.

Hi Guys,
We have now ranked the best 4 designs. We like the association with the street sign in our 1st choice (#16 but looks too detailed in the skyline) and 2nd choice (#57 almost too simple and US car number plate like).
#41 is simple, which we like, and is our 3rd choice. #29 is fun, associates with shopping and has bold wording.

In general: reds, blues, greys and whites are working for us at the moment. Union Jack has strong association with being 'British' but this site has the potential to expand into other countries so the Union Flag should not dominate (small flag ok, like in #46). Some of the shopping bag designs don't seem to integrate with the text very well to produce a coherent, flowing logo; perhaps they are just too dominate?

Still open to new ideas.

Taken from About.com...

Question:

What is "The High Street"?
I've come across the phrase "high street" when visiting the UK. People talk about high street fashion or direct me to "the high street". What do they mean?

Answer:

People in the UK use the term high street the way Americans use the phrase Main Street. A high street is the main commercial and retail street in a town. In big cities, each neighborhood or district will probably have its own high street. In a small village, the high street may have little more than a mail box, a public pay phone and a small convenience store. At the very least, a high street usually has a pub.
High street fashion describes mass-market retail style - the sort of clothing you will find in the chain stores. The more cutting edge and directional a retailer is, the faster it will interpret designer fashions for the high street.

And here's one last bit of confusion -- a town's high street may not be called "High Street" and a street with that name may not be the high street.

Re "What is the High Street"?

To us, and what we want to get across in the logo, the high street is symbolic of the heart of a town where people come to shop, enjoy themselves in the pubs and restaurants and do business.

We have re-ranked our choices. A common theme is that our preferred logos are longer and thinner - or could be made to be. We also prefer simplicity so whilst we have placed #16 in 2nd the skyline is still too fussy for us (but the street sign needs something as it doesn't look enough like an iconic logo on its own).

New entry #84 has some nice features, it is not 'high class' enough as it is but we have ranked it third because we like that: it is long and thin, the street silhouette is very town like and does not suggest either a big city or small town but is 'universal'. This silhouette is much more in tune with the high street feel than the city skyline silhouttes used in other designs. The word "HIGH.ST" is big, bold and dominates the logo (although it needs more work so that people clearly understand that it is a domain name).

Our 4th choice remains because it suggests shoping is fun without being tacky but it remains too square. It has also been pointed out that www.High.St is not a shopping site, ie you don't buy anything directly from the site, and there may be an inadvertant association by using a shopping bag.

Unfortunately there has been no development or options on our current number 1, #41, and without development it is very unlikely to be the winner. That may seem odd but we like its simplicity but as it is, it looks too much like a print style found on a store's shopping catalogue and not enough like a logo.

Please note we have extended the contest by 2 days to allow people time to submit final designs based on the comments we have made. Thank you all for your efforts and the designs you have submitted.
We can assure you that there is no clear favourite in the office so it is all still to play for.

Entries re-ranked. We like a bit of gloss (the touches to #157 and in #139). We like the simple, clean cut lines of the text based samples (#105, #163 and #145). We like those with more width and less height (like #139, - kib647 please note). #118 is too fussy but we like the 'story' it tells. #70 is an oddball and not luxurious enough but it does combine clear text with some simple clear graphics in the right sort of balance. #149 is still the front running shopping bag, especially in these latest proportions, but this example is too dark with the black and has lost the fun element of the original.

Many thanks to all the designers who submitted work. We truly appreciate your efforts.

Malcom,

I am sorry I was unable to update my entry. I was away from a computer for a few days. I would have been able to rework the entry to your last request.
FYI, in the future, you can always move a design to the #1 position, this way that designer can always update and send you entries after the contest is over. It give you, the CH, an opportunity to work individually with a different designer, in case the #1 seeded designer was unable to forfill your needs.

Thank you for this opportunity, look forward to working with you in the future.
Tapelogo414
Eric