#39 is so striking! It's a sophisticated design. I like the golden emblem with intertwined R and H. Here the intertwining works well for me --- the R and H are both readable from the design and the graphic is not as industrial as other attempts to do the same. The way you've put together the company name is also elegant. The small italic font with delicate strokes on either side is really pretty and softens the overall affect nicely.
I like each of the variants #40, #41, and #42. The feel is slightly different across the entire set. For example, in #42, I enjoy the extra readability of the R and the H compared to #39 very much. It seems bolder, whereas #39 is softer. The pair #41 and #40 have similar contrasts as the pair #42 and #39.
The black backgrounds in #39 and #42 sing luxury ('black label'), more so in my mind than many of the other designs with similar background. The white backgrounds also work nicely for your designs, conveying sophistication if not the same luxury as the black label.
Congratulations on being selected to the top 5. This will be a tough decision. Just wondering if you had other refinements you were interesting in pursuing? -- Best, Roger
In #40 and #41, would it be possible to experiment a little bit with the color? Love the gold color on the black background. Am most likely interested in a logo on white background (I assume that I will need to choose either black or white background but am not sure about contest rules in this regard). On the white background, I find the color orange. Do you think a more golden color would work in your design? I'd be interested in seeing the color variations that you think work the best. -- Roger
Thanks, Byron! The revisions #168 through #171 are nice. I do like the gradated gold version better than the more orange colors. I will try to rank these shortly. Best, -- Roger
Bryon -- Such beautiful strong graphics! Thank you so much for your creativity and responsiveness. Your designs were almost perfect from the very beginning and were among the very favorites of my associates and me. I wish you much success in 2013. -- Best wishes, Roger