OPTIMIZE InternationalLogo Design Contest

Looking for a design that connotes the idea of people working together, and our international experience and orientation. Strong colors are welcome, as long as they are corporate - but not stodgy.

#15 offers a tilt in an interesting direction. However, the globe is too simplistic to convey a strong corporate or international flavor. Something much more stylized or exact - both in terms of the globe and the symbolic people inside - would be a major enhancement.

#10 is an excellent globe - almost there in terms of design, with only some color changes and highlighting needed on the globe. We still need some sense of people on a team in some way to make this work fully.

The blue color on #13 is getting very close to the kind of deep, bright blue that I think should work. While I am open to suggestions on the blue color, something like this or a "reflex blue" are closer to my idea of the blue that would be corporate, strong, and vibrant.

We are moving in a good direction:
#10 has an excellent positioning of the company name on the globe. It also has a very strong simplicity with impact and a high level professional/executive look. What still needs to change is the color of the logo - it does not work in the color it is and with the graphics used.

#19 also has an excellent layout and concept. However, it needs a much more eloquent (less "blocky" looking) representation of the people. What would also be helpful is some depiction of teamwork and a sense of action or movement...

#20 I need to note that the representation of the people moving around the earth does not work with the depiction of the people being used here. They are too simplistic and cartoony, rather than serious, elegant, refined and high level professional

#25 is a very clean, bold, strong, professional image that appeals to executives - Excellent! The tilt of the globe is excellent as well - and the best model of presenting the globe so far! - providing a feeling of motion and engagement for me that the straight-on ones do not.

What needs to be improved in #25 include: looking at the globe I need to be seeing most prominently the North American and European continents, with Asia visible if possible (as these are where our business does most of our work). It would also be good, for reproduction purposes, to have this logo like this and also with a 3 color image utilizing the deep blue and dark green.

One other issue is the typeface of the company name - it needs to be bolder, and if possible connote more movement or strength - without being larger or longer. Also the international needs to be a bit more prominent and longer so it does not look like an afterthought in relation to the word Optimize. I do like the silver highlights on the 'i' in the name done in example #21.

#23 has the same comments as #25, except to note that these colors don't work well. It needs the deep blue and dark green.

relative to #25 and all options (and recognizing that my comments in the last post are still valid and important): having some element of teams / people / aligning of executive teams would be very valuable. Again, I want to reiterate that the feeling of this globe with its tilt is my favorite version of the globe.

One more thought - it would be interesting to see the name in #25 overlaid over the globe in some way as an option in addition to this presentation (perhaps in a few ways and positions).

#28 - the colors are bolder and it would be great to get them a little brighter (I think in the sphere of 'reflex blue,' but am open to other bright, bold and compelling blues). The orientation of the globe showing North America and Europe is very close to what I wanted. What I think is needed is some tilt to the globe, as in design #25. There is something that adds a sense of motion and interest in that tilt, and I would love to see that as part of the design.

The other issue is the depiction of the people - they seem too simplistic, 'blocky' and almost cartoon-like. also they lack a sense of action or purpose or connection. However, the depiction of people is important in some way in this logo - whether directly or through some inference.

#25 has that tilt of the globe that is captivating to me for its sense of interest, engagement and needing to look at it being other than the normal, staid, stationery, and bland depiction of the globe straight on. It does not have the boldness needed in the type as noted in a prior comment.

We are making progress, and need that combination of engaging motion, bold and bright colors in the blue and deep green range, some way of depicting the coordination of people and teams.... and I am open to creative suggestions

#34 and #32 are an improvement in the incorporation of people. However, they are static and need to be demonstrating the action of being a team - as well as include some diversity by including at least 1 woman.

Here are some (perhaps feeble) ideas in that direction: perhaps pointing in the same direction (focus on a vision...) or ?????

What might also be worth looking at is the placement of the company name somewhere lower on the earth, rather than in the center....

We also need to incorporate our tag line (centered on 2 lines as noted below):
line 1: Optimizing the Performance and Results
line 2: Of Leaders and Executive Teams

#39 is very interesting conceptually, although needing some important modifications: The people need circling the earth is a nice touch, but need to be more than simple figures as they are presented here. Also the company name looks a little circus-like to me, and that needs to be much more corporate. putting the name straight would be an improvement. I am not sure about the 'halo' around the people, and certainly that needs some work to make it a more integral part of the design. We need to think corporate rather than 'theater,' which is how it looks now.

One other note for all of the earths: The tilt is the earth's access, as shown in #25, #33, & #34, is preferable to any other presentation of the earth itself. That tilt creates a much more compelling and engaging view.

#58 and #64 - the image of the people connecting is excellent, conveying a sense of something happening out of the connection - an important point for us. The crossing rings - similar to the nuclear symbol - conveys a sense of dynamism and action - also important to us.

What is needed to enhance this image includes: dropping the light line through the company name - it seems to obscure the name almost as if it is an error or misprint; the size of the tag lines need to be much larger and bolder - perhaps to the edges of the company name; the image of the earth needs to be tilted in perspective - as that tilt (the center axis of the earth at a 15 - 25 degree tilt) makes for a more engaging image that I think draws in the viewer; and it would be great to have an image that works well with color as well as black and white reproduction. That means it would be worth seeing the continents in a rich green that would make the color image more vibrant, as well as be able to be reproduced in black and white.

Image #51 is also a more interesting version of earlier varieties of this image, with the people being more interesting - although they need to demonstrate some connection and a resulting and interesting action arising out of that connection. This image also must have the 2 tag lines we use.

#79 has improved by being clearer and cleaner. What still needs to be cleaned up are the 'tilt' of the globe - again if you drew a line from the North Pole to the South Pole, you then need to tilt the perspective about 20 degrees. This is a much more compelling angle to view the earth. Also the typeface is too boxy and angular, and needs some smoother, rounder typeface. The green is better, but needs to be a richer green.

Above all, for all of the logos in contention, this needs to be a clean, clear image that looks good in both color and black and white reproduction.

#51 has the kind of typeface that works for me - although the overall image and name Optimize need to have a richer, deeper blue color, and the addition of the tag lines in the logo. While the changes made in #74 are interesting, the simplicity of #51 is stronger to me, while the 'star-type' image does not capture or convey what we are about: dynamic results through engaging and developing leaders and executive teams.

Biggest watchwords for everyone:
- strong, clean design (that can be reproduced in both color and black and white);
- rich blue color
- strong, smooth, clean typeface
- earth on a 20 degree tilt (as noted above, a 20 degree tile from a straight line through the poles)
- some element of action - and dynamic action involving bringing teams together
- tag line is critically important, and needs to be highly readable (in the 2 line format noted many times)

#110 is moving along... however the view of the earth to be showing should include North America and Europe primarily, and the tilt of the earth should have the 'north pole' orientation about 20 degrees to the left and the 'south pole' orientation about 20 degrees to the right as we look at it.

it would be helpful if the tag line is bolded more - as that is a very important aspect of the overall logo.

Please provide this both for color and black and white reproduction. For the color one, the blue needs to be a brighter, richer blue - more like the blue in #69.

#110 and #113 are coming along very well. What would be better is to have a clear, unshaded image (remove the shading at the top of the earth and around the guys shaking hands. Given this is usually going to be shown small, clarity and crispness of image would be paramount.

The orientation of the earth on #113 is much better than on #110 - and they should be the same. What would be ideal is for the earth to be more of a tilt towards the northern hemisphere, with North America and Europe most prominent.

My team has been pushing for another consideration of design #51, which with modifications, could be a winner for our company. The needed changes must include:
- Color - must be a strong rich blue (like in #69 - but solid, and without 'fading')
- Sub-head - must be included (on line 1 of our tag line: Optimizing the Performance and Results; on line 2 of our tag line: Of Leaders and Executive Teams). This would be best below the earth, and needs to be bold and easily readable
- view of the earth - needs to show both North America and Europe with greatest prominence
- interesting tilt of the earth - if you draw an axis between the North and South Poles, then tilt it about 20 degrees (which produces a much more compelling view when looking at the earth)

Other options to consider:
1) consider the placement of another image of a person at the very top of the earth and reaching out to the 2 people that are there now (we like the representation of a person that is there now - it is clean and elegant, and we are looking at how to create a clean but clear representation of connecting a team together) - we are hoping this could represent teamwork
2) consider the placement of the name Optimize International at a different location on the earth.... we are not sure what that will do, and would like to consider that