Manoga.comLogo Design Contest

Hi, thanks for entering this contest. These are all good designs. I like #73 especially.

I have decided that I want to use a conch shell as the main symbol of the site. The conch shell is significant because it can be blown as in the attached conch1.jpg.

If you can make an abstract version of a conch shell similiar to the designs you have done already, it will really be great.

Thanks again for your participation!

Thanks for the feedback!

(This comment references Entry #78)

Thanks for all your new entries. Many of these are excellent, although only #78 depicts a conch shell. (However, #79 and #81 could be the front of a shell.)

The only problem with #78 is that I keep thinking it is a bee. It would be best to have the image clearly look like a conch shell that one can blow through.

Basically, the conch shell in Manoga is going to be like the bird in Twitter. It has symbolic meaning for the function of the site.

Regarding #82, #83, #84, #85, and #86, they are all great designs. However, they depict a nautilus shell. If we can get a conch shell that looks as cool as those nautilus shells, that would be amazing.

Thanks again for your excellent submissions!

Thanks. #79 and #81 are meant to be the front of the shell. I'll see what I can come up with.

Yes, I eventually realized that (of course) that is what the design represents in #79 and #81. They are two of my favorites.

You have a number of strong entries. I am thinking that perhaps the ".com" should appear just a little darker in the green entries. I like that ".com" is lighter than "manoga" and that "manoga" stands out more. But I would like to have ".com" a little easier to read against the white background.

Regarding #87: Is there a way you can add shell spikes around the nose of the shell, like the ones shown from a different angle in #79 and #81?

How's this?

(This comment references Entry #96)

Regarding #96. Very nice. I think the greens should be the same shade, though. If necessary you can make the ".com" a little lighter. Maybe you could give them both the shade that is halfway between the two greens that are included now.

Here it is in the same shade

(This comment references Entry #101)

Regarding #101 and #102. I'm not sure which shade I prefer. When they are small, the darker shade looks too dark for the shell. When they are large, the darker shade looks pretty good.

Also, I like #79 more and more. Can you give me a version of #79 with the darker shade of green for the ".com," so that it is easy to read against the white background?

Thanks for all your great entries!

Thanks. Just so you know I can provide you with the selected logo and a different color variation if you decide to go with one of mine.

(This comment references Entry #104)

Thanks for the adjustment of #104. Looks good! And thanks for the information about color variations. Now I don't need to ask you to do the same thing with #81. <g>

No problem, let me know if anything else comes up.

I like your logos very much, and I can't decide which one I like the best.

I also like the color combinations you are using, but I am wondering now whether it is strange to have a green shell. Will people mock such a shell because it does not exist anywhere in nature? <g>

I am wondering whether maybe we should experiment with more natural colors for the shell, and then use some other nice color or color to highlight that naturally-colored shell.

Thanks. Any of the colors can be applied to any of the designs, just let me know what you want to see.

(This comment references Entry #115)

Regarding #115, the color applied to the shell looks nice, but then when you see that color in the ".com" portion, it looks too feminine. Is there a way to make this look less feminine? Maybe the color in ".com" could be adjusted. Or the letters could have a thin, dark outline to make them look stronger.

Regarding #116, because the color is so similar to that of a pumpkin, people might get confused for a split second and think that they are looking at some type of Thanksgiving Day food.

Thanks for all of your great entries.

Here are two stronger options

(This comment references Entry #126)

not sure how well this reads

(This comment references Entry #130)

Regarding #126, I like it a lot. I would like to see it a smidgen warmer without sacrificing the strength (if possible). I'd also like to see a version using the circle design as in #95.

Thank you!

Regarding #130: Good idea, but I think the design ends up looking too small. Also, I prefer the warmer colors.

Regarding #161, I really like this design concept.

Thanks, me too. I know you liked the look of #83. It just took a few tries to adapt it to the conch.

Thanks for adapting it to the conch! Regarding #162, I like how this one is stronger and has even more visual impact, but I like how #161 is a bit bigger and more balanced against "manoga.com."

I definitely want people to recognize the pattern as the front of a conch shell. I think they will, but I'm not entirely certain.

I agree. I think what you have going on here is two different parts to the design. There's the conch shell which serves as your call to your audience, but also inherent in this design is the fractal that's naturally part of the shell's structure. It also mimics the nature of social networking with connections, patterns, and layers. I do like that it's somewhat abstract and not so obvious as it ads another layer of interest.

Regarding #162, is there any way that the design can be moved to the center of the square? I would like to see a look that is more balanced in the center of the brown square.

We will inevitably see more of the bottom of the shell, and maybe that will be a good thing: It will cue the viewer that the design is clearly a shell and not merely a beautiful pattern.

Regarding #167: It is excellent, and it definitely looks like a conch. However, I am wondering if the "manoga.com" needs to be a little bigger for balance?

Regarding #168: I like it a lot, but I miss the white in the center of the shell as in #162. The tricolor effect in #162 is really great. I guess I hadn't thought that the white would have to be lost if the design were placed in the center of the square.

Re: #170 -- maybe the design is a little too small now? It is cool, and I want people to see it.

Re: #169 -- I don't think the white works as well when it is not continuous without the outside space. Also, I'd like the design to be bigger as in #162 and #168.

Re: #162 -- One option is to encase the shell in a brown rectangle instead of a square. This would allow the height of the shell to be centered with "manoga.com" and keep the beautiful white space in the middle of the shell.

Re: #161, #167, and #170 -- It might be better if the color brown were spread more throughout the design and not isolated on the word "manoga." Would a thin brown outline work on the shell or the ".com"?

Do you mean vertical or horizontal? If it's easier we can chat over the message board, your choice.

Re: #171 -- Looks good, but a little bigger even.

Re: #172 -- Looks pretty good, but I don't think the "three corners of a square" approach works as well as some other options.

Re: I mean vertically align the brown-rectangle-with-the-conch on the left with the "manoga.com" on the right.

Not really easier for me to chat on the message board, unless it were in real time. When Manoga launches, however, that will be much easier. <g>

Re: #167 -- I keep seeing profiles of faces on the sides of the shell, and that has got me thinking. Can that idea be played up a bit, or would it look bad once the perfect form is lost?

Manoga is a social networking site, after all. If just the suggestion of a profile could be included so that people know it's intended -- the effect might be interesting. Or not! <g>

Regarding #167, #170, #171, and #173. I still think the proportions need tweaking. I'd like to see the proportions to be somewhere between #167 and #171.

Regarding #176: I love the colors. Can we make the shell fill up more of the rectangle?

Regarding #177: Looks very nice. I need to think about it more.

Can we experiment with some different colors? Let's keep the conch shell the same color, but then let's try some alternatives to brown. Something brighter and happier.

Thanks!

Regarding #170, could we see this smaller conch design inside a circle like the one you used for #95, #159, etc.? I liked the circle quite a bit. (You can make the circle bigger if necessary.)

These keep improving. One question that remains is whether the color scheme is too drab for a dot.com. I am not sure what the answer is, but I welcome your suggestions. Remember that a key design goal is to have the conch shell remain clearly recognizable as such, whichever color scheme is chosen.

I don't think that the color scheme is drag, but it would depend on your site design. A good web designer can make it intriguing in any scheme. Also, the logo files you get are completely editable, so you can change colors if necessary to fit your needs. Thanks for the great feedback!

I see, thanks. :-)

Regarding #162, I like the square very much, but I don't like how the center of the spiral is lower than the center of the text. Can I see what it looks like when "manoga.com" is moved downward so that the bottom of the "g" in manoga is vertically aligned with the bottom of the square? (The text probably shouldn't be lower than that.)

Regarding #187: Looks great. Seems balanced to me now.

Regarding #187, am I correct that the center of the spiral is a smidgen lower than the text to the right? If so, would it be possible to move the conch up so that it is in completely alignment? You would have to add a couple of pixels more to lower part of the conch image, but since you already have a complete conch image at your disposal, that shouldn't be too difficult. <g>

Is this better?

(This comment references Entry #192)

Regarding #192: Yes, it looks great. Thanks!

Here's the shell with some shading. Let me know if there's anything else you need. Thanks!

(This comment references Entry #241)

Regarding #241, the shading helps a lot. Overall I like the proportions of #179 the best.

I have taken the design to many other people who know the Manoga site for feedback, and what I'm hearing is that given that Manoga is a new type of social networking site, the logo needs to have more life and more fun. I am hearing that in its current form, the design reads too flat. Some of that is probably just the color selection, but I think the idea can be developed more as well.

I definitely like your design concept and would like to make it work. Is the "faces in the shell" idea too outlandish? That would bring another level of meaning. If you have any other ideas, I'd welcome them.

Thanks!

Here it is in those proportions

(This comment references Entry #243)

Here are two concepts with the faces. Using the faces everywhere makes the shell unrecognizable.

(This comment references Entry #244)

Hi, when you combine #244 and #245, is the shell recognizable?

I think they both work, but #244 is too subtle by itself. I like #245, but adding the small face inside the big face seems like it would be even better.

Yes, I think this works nicely!

(This comment references Entry #256)

Yes it does work nicely. <g>

Can this same concept be applied to #251 and #177?

Regarding #251, if you add two more faces, it might be best to position the nose of the innermost one at 1 o' clock. You can keep the middle one at 2 o' clock (as you've done in the other designs). This way, with the nose of the outer face at 3 o'clock, there will be a continuous pattern.

#259 and #260 look excellent.

Thanks for all your hard work in this contest. You have really done a great job.

I settled into the new requirements for the design almost 4 days into the contest, so even though these logos are excellent, the last three days have felt rushed to me. A lot is riding on this logo, and I need some time to step back and look at them with fresh eyes.

For this reason I've decided to extend the contest. I need a little more time to assess the entries.

Thanks again!