hi- i like this concept in #18 - i think i'm a little iffy on the overall palette you're using- it looks a little washed out - maybe with a little more intensity or vibrance to the colors? and maybe a chocolate brown cat as opposed to black? and the ear a little less pointy - the image right now is very "egyptian" if that makes sense...going for a little tougher, more "street" cat thanks for your submissions!
Hi thanks for writing, the feedback will help to designers and to the Constest Holder aswell to keep in track the creativity, if you find something that you like in my recents posted designs, just let me know, otherwise, It will help if you suggest another examples of what i need to see.
hi Jimgris- thank you so much...palette much better here - in fact i think the palette of #58 is almost spot on, maybe with a little bit of the chocolate brown added in somewhere...additional thoughts:
i think i'd like to see almost a combination of your designs...for example, i like the color and design (you can see more of the cat face) of the first circle in #58 better, but i'd like to see it a little more masculine - again, we really want the cat to exude toughness...more "street" - it's a little too feminine/pretty to appeal to all demographics or to represent our brand - we're pretty "hard-core" compared to your average animal welfare org. And maybe some slight color variation and hint of markings to give it a less *stylistic*, and more *realistic* feel...see album here for reference: https://plus.google.com/photos/105937374131994923001/albums/5728846410160492017?authkey=CN6qnoueorHsdg
we even thought of putting the cat in armor, or giving him a cool artsy, ornate medieval style headpiece - not a helmet exactly, but like a band - something to make people look twice...will look for good example images today...
i prefer the font used in #56 and #57...it has more character than the simple block font in the first two designs...we'd like the font to have a slightly more "wild/artsy" feel (no swirls, though) - i love the font in our banner on our homepage - www.siferalinitiative.org
maybe the green overlay in #59 could show the veining of a leaf, as if the cat is peeking out from under it? Maybe some whiskers even sticking out over the leaf on the left face?
and i think in #58 and #59, the mantra would be readable on a T-shirt, but would appear so tiny on, let's say, a mug or a business card...maybe it could still say SIFI within the circle, but then you could work in "SI Feral Initiative" and "fixing the future" around the outside like you did in #56 and #57?
also, one more idea...the smaller cat image doesn't need to fit within the circle itself...perhaps it could be leaping off, like your design for Lightmare Studios...it's design #55 on their contest page or here: https://logotournament.com/contests/lightmare_studios/by/jimgris
i hope this all makes sense - any questions, just ask - thank you so much for your work on this - i can tell you really listen, and it's appreciated!
hmm...maybe we could try the three circles with the third one just saying "fixing the future" on three lines, centered
like: fixing the future
and then the "SI Feral Initiative" could actually be in text underneath all three circles...that way we would have the option to include it or not on merchandising products...
i Uploaded one image with your last suggestion and one without the tagline, it´s been a little hard since it´s very detailed, anyway, I will work more on It tomorrow, if you had any suggestion just let me know. please
hi- thank you so much - i really really like #67 and #68...i do still prefer the face from #58 in terms of color and that you can see more of it - in fact, i'd like the cat face to fill as much of that first circle as possible, while still working in the green...not sure about the veining, have to think on that.
could we try to get that same detail using the #58 face - and really try to go more masculine and "gritty-er" with the cat - so sorry, because i know you did all that work - i should have been more specific, maybe...
the example photo i gave in the contest brief, the one i think you're basing the image on - i ADORE that photo - i would love for our logo image to really be as close to that as possible - i like your spin of not doing the green at an absolutely vertical angle, but in all other aspects, feel free to get as accurate of a representation as possible. I found that photo on a "shutterstock" type site and fell in love with it immediately - i think it would be great if our logo image was close enough that we would still have the option of using the photo itself on printed materials (like, say, a business card with our logo on the front, and the photo on the back..."stylistic" - "realistic") and it would still be evocative of our organization.
the only other request i have is just to space the "fixing the future" lines a TINY bit more so they don't appear to touch.
these are really exciting - thank you so much, again!
oh - also, could we see a version with the second circle palette reversed...the circle in the darker brown, and cat in gold...as if the cat from the first circle was the same cat sitting on top of the "F" in SIFI?
let me know your thoughts on that ...
i wanted to let you know that we are also, through this contest, hoping to build longer-term relationships with a few designers that we can look forward to working with in future endeavors...marketing, print, web etc. - is that something you would be open to? This would help us maintain brand image continuity down the line. Thank you again!
Hi, i posted a few designs, with a little changes, still the principal image, is someway pretty realistic, it has some variations, on shade grades and style, i don't know for sure, if this realism it´s what you are waiting for, since maybe you want it to be more Abstract and not so polish, if it's thats way just tell me, and I´ll can do some work on that. well i like so much to draw so there it´s no pain at all so far.
thanks and waiting for your comments. (the photo i used to inspire me, i see had some copyrights, then maybe i need to change it a little to not confuse my work with a copy, ) jim
hi - fantastic ok...so between #90 and #91: i prefer the slightly darker shaded leaves and the positioning of the head (in front of the leaves on the viewer's left) in #90, but prefer the face design in #91 - the whiskers could even come down and closer in to the nose just a bit - those freckles at the base of the whiskers really make it a"feline" face, i think
i still like the color shade in the #58 face the best...any way you can work with that color, then maybe the face markings could be done in chocolate? out of our album, we like #s 1 and 17 best for coloration. You mention shading difficulties...maybe tell me more about what you're encountering with that?
i definitely like more face, less leaf on the left (like #58)...bringing the face in front of the leaves on the viewers left...adding the whiskers...all good
between #87 and #88, i do like the chocolate circle in #87, and i think the golden cat looks cool, but i feel like it loses some of that beautiful shading from light-to-dark you achieved in #88 's second circle...have to think on that point...overall, i think we're almost there...i'm starting to see it on our business cards, brochures, etc.
we have a huge event coming up in mid-May, and i'm excited to have a new logo to show off! thanks again!
a thought, too...i don't want to sacrifice quality or "printability" for realism - i know images don't always print exactly the way they appear on the screen...so you'll have to give me your perspective and opinion as a designer...if you think the stylisticly simpler (is that what you call "polish"?) face in 58 would print better, then let's work with that as a starting point, and just try to bring in minimal details to make it a little more feline (maybe just whiskers and markings on the forehead?)...somewhere in between #58 and #91...i think the eye in #91 is especially fantastic.
i know as a designer you want to keep it consistent stylistically, too - so i know a realistic-looking eye on a highly stylized face would probably look weird...
Hi i was looking the previous album, but the new one, it appears not being shared, in there it says, that i dont have access, or something, meanwhile i think the better for a logo is less shades as posible and fewer colors, to get a good look even if it is turned to gray scale, Iml working on that , when it´s finished I will post it. thanks, and ...working.
lol...it's supposed to your logo - i just pasted that first face into the more recnt version...and just added a few markings to try to show what i was having trouble explaining...i am adding some photos now too, to maybe go along better with the palette in your design - the cat just looks a little too "flesh-colored" in the recent versions...but i'm sure it's possible you have cats in Argentina that look very different from our street cats here...
i will browse for other logos - but just so you know i'm actually really happy with your design overall, i just want to get the face right, colors, etc.
´thanks a lot, for all off your data it´s indeed great information, but i have to tell you - in my district its going to pass a shutdown of electric energy all day, so i would work on that for tomorrow later, you know, sometimes its happen. Im taking notes for my pencil work. i can say this going to be a short break for reviews.
yes...they are beautiful - i am particularly fascinated at how you managed to achieve just the right degree of realism, without going too far away from the original face...that's just mind-blowing.
so - now my problem is going to be picking just one!
for the second coin: #126 is too faded, i think - it reminds me of a milk chocolate M&M, and chocolate makes me happy, but i think the color might not come out good in print.
on the dark brown coin i prefer a gold silhouette (like #87) to the tan one.
i have two remaining requests to try, colorwise...
1.) for the shade of brown that you are using for the cat and coin in numbers #125, #128, and #126 - could we go a little LESS on the red scale...the cat face looks a bit pink, and i'm afraid that depending on the printing process, we might get a red "bleed"...i think you're using something in the #4E2919 range for the circle - could we try somewhere more around #49321D, do you think? and for the cat...i think that's #CD9A74 - can we try something like #967652 - even if those exact colors don't work - you can see what i'm going for, and use your own judgement...thoughts welcome as always.
2.) i love the eye, but would like to try just a couple different colors to make certain...could we try a slightly greener eye, and also an amber one...will try to upload some examples to the album if you want, but again, use your judgement too.
I'm using the new colors in the design, (#1345, #135, #136) really it's been helpfull with the new coloration, for the revision - I'm mixing the face tone, 3 ways, with eye colors and the pattern on the face of the cat, then we can choose some of them and re mix it.
- first coin: love the face color in #136 cannot decide yet between green eye(#135) or gold eye(#136) - they are both gorgeous *would like to see gold cat with green eye, and with amber (darker gold...almost orange like raw honey..can find a color# if you need one)
- second coin: on brown coin, still can't decide on shading, like all three new brown variations right now prefer gold of silhouette from #87 over gold from #134
- also would like to see #136, but with gold version of second coin
whew!
we have a huge event coming up on May 19th, with a national audience (ten to twelve THOUSAND people are expected to attend!) and i am SO excited that we will be able to show off our new look!!!
oh - do you think it would look ok to make the "SI FERAL INITIATIVE" just a little bigger? My mother says even with her reading glasses on, and the lightbox showing the enlarged version, it's hard for her to read :)
Oky! , i was uploading but I get a weird error, then I uploaded again, a little mistake, I will wait until you can do a revision, i think that we will refine it until get the best from it.
hi Jim- sorry for the delay...the only trouble i am having now is choosing one...
FIRST COIN: regarding the eye, they're all so stunning...but i believe i have narrowed it down to either the true green of #142 or the gold green of #135...possibly again right in between those two shades would be perfect.
regarding face color, while i prefer the darker brown shade of #142, i believe the detail might appear better on the lighter face, as in #135
SECOND COIN: again, i prefer the darker brown used in #142, but believe the detail of the small cat may show up better on the lighter shade of #135
i like the gold cat silhouette in #142, but my husband prefers the brown cat in #135 - he thinks the detail is easier to see.
CHOICES!!!
i could use your advice - what is your opinion with respect to color processes, and which colors might show most true or better in print?
i am concerned that the cat in #135 may still be a TINY bit too pink...(i know i chose the color)...i just want to be extra sure that when we put it on a shirt or a mug that we get a brown and not a pink, you know?
i know i have less than 24 hours to choose :) - will be out for a bit today, and will be back in touch with you later on - thank you so much for all your hard work!
hi Jim- oh, thank you...yes, this new eye (#150 and #152) is a great color...i also really love the shade of the second coin in #152.
so really just two more questions:
1.) could you somehow take the small cat image from the second coin in #135 and use it on #152? See how #135 is much clearer and more well-defined? maybe just adjust the color a little darker if you need to or make the second coin in #152 a little more of a gradient so that the small silouhette still shows up?
2.) can we try to eliminate some of the red or "peach" shade in the cat face in #152 - i notice there's a lot of #F2B777 in there...could you try something more like #C5A981, or even #C4AE82 do you think?
and i believe that's it - i love it :)
have you viewed it in black and white, yet?
i also think we will want to purchase one additional variation of the design from you after the contest - basically one of the other color combinations that we like so we'll have another option in the future.
and i wanted to ask your suggestion...i know we can request one file on a "color" background - what color do you suggest for that?
i think you are only an hour behind us there in Peru, so have a wonderful night!
Hi again, i have done some variations, there are 4 images
#159 and #155 have a slightly variation on tones, and a bit less red on it, maybe too gray? on #155 has different colors on the whiskers on first coin, and whiskers indeed on the second coin, that´s why it look a little messier for the size, and on the #159 the whiskers on the first coin are all same shade of brown.
On #157 I did eliminated almost every grades and used simple tones, just for look how it will see on paper, (that´s because for print it´s better not use gradations and for your question before every tone it´s designed for to looks well on paper, i´m working on Adobe colors so it will be fine, perhaps for process it´s fine to had tones over of 30%, deviation to white will get lost on printing, so we are well on this matter).
And on #158 it´s how it will look on gray tones, about the backgroud, i supose the ideal color its using some of the tones from the logo, greeny or brown shade. I´m gonna work on that for you.
well, well well, it´s hard for me messing with my english please excuse me but it´s my second languaje and I use google like a tutor (Haha).
hi Jim- these are great - and i think your English is just fine - i understand you better than some people i know for whom it IS their first language, so no worries.
FIRST COIN: - i definitely prefer the whiskers of #155...much more realistic - color-wise, i agree that #159 is too gray, as we are trying to stick close to a green and brown palette - so i prefer face on #155 - would like to try to get face color somewhere close to top-most gradient shade in second coin (does that make sense?) - it could be a lighter concentration, but same color.
- if the nose needs to be a little darker to compensate, that's fine too - i see the color of the nose is similar to the color at the top of the second coin
- that shadow along the side of the face in #157 - that is because there is no gradient?
SECOND COIN: - Can we just do away with the whiskers? I like the idea, but i'm afraid that many of our printed applications will not show this detail well, and it will simply look messy. The cat silhouette on #157 and #159 looks so much cleaner.
- how is solid color determined? Can we pick the shade we would like for the solid color image or is it automatically taken from the gradient image color?
LAST QUESTION - will we be able to request a file in which the coins are orientated vertically, one above another, so that we could print the design vertically as well?
First about the printing, there are many systems that will depends on the Printing House, if you get a work done on a Good offset system, almost everything it´s printed as you see on a Display, they can use especial colors to get the right tones, if you use the system called Digital, maybe you can loose some quality on prints, but this ( I can sure you ) it´s always better to consult in the printing House, the gradations and similar colors may lost quality on both systems, it depends on the printing house, the budget etc. and in the worst of cases it´s better to print without gradations, this is what i can tell you about.
If you print on solid colors you need to use the logo without gradations, for this i posted the #157 thats the way to do it, but in the offset system can use gradations in almost every case, except by small size arts and detailed works, so it depends on the use you gonna do for the design.
From the design i used the same gradations on both coins, (1 and 2) and the cat without whiskers on the second, posted 2 background, maybe it look better on the brown one, it´s your desicion. and nothing else, ... you can ask me for the vertical distribution and gray shaded logo, and the logo on solid colors as well...etc, i will send you to your mail after the contest ends, No problem on that.
it´s been a long writted column here, i can tell, so..good night. :)
hi Jim- thank you for the information - that helps a lot.
so #162 is nearly perfect
FIRST COIN: the color of the face is great - I would just like to lighten up the saturation, or intensity...i don't know if that's the right word. The markings aren't showing up as well since the face is so dark...if we could keep the color of #162, but try to get the same "lightness" as #135, to really show off those markings you created, that would be ideal. I think the nose can stay a little darker if that works - most real cats either have pinky-red noses or a dark brown or black anyway.
SECOND COIN: same thing here - love the color, wondering if we can get the same level gradient look as # 135, which would also let the cat silhouette show even better.
regarding BACKGROUND, i like the grayish brown one you did, but also wondering if we should try a version that just outlines the coins and fills in the white space of the lettering - brown is one of our t-shirt colors, and i realized that the design probably won't show up well on those, since the brown coin will just blend in.
I uploaded your last suggestion, the tones for the cat and coin are the same at #162 but lighter, i hope it´s fine like that, about the background. I´m not sure if I understand you, meanwhile i posted one image with the second coin in brown, other color to use might be white or green, let me know your opinions about it .
hi Jim- final touches - first coin, #163 - face should be just a little bit lighter i think. Eye maybe a tiny bit greener, and a little darker to show up better. (almost like #135, but still with some gold in it) - basically i liked #135, it's just that the face was too pink, and the eye was too much of a true green.
that's it...as soon as that's done, i'll select the winner and we'll wrap it up so we can start using our beautiful new logo and you can get paid! lol...
what i meant about the background - if you look at the album here you'll see a pic with the logo on a brown background...that's one of the t-shirt colors we use - i'm nervous about how it's going to show up...so i thought maybe we could also do a version of the logo that has white lettering on the 2nd and 3rd coins and for the "SI-Feral-Initiative" so it would still show up on a brown T-shirt. And maybe the coins could even have a white outline so that the brown coin doesn't blend in. What do you think? https://plus.google.com/photos/105937374131994923001/albums/5730233339072089825?authkey=CKPgl_PeqJmvTw
Hi again, i posted three images, #167 it´s the same in coloring but lighter, let me know if it´s right or need a correction, I´m mostly ready to understand a little better the color, (I think you guys had a very smart eye), #168 its the logo with background nearby close what you posted for me, and the second logo with backgroud it´s what i would do, but otherwise it´s clearly your desition. wow!, long journey with both of you, i hope everything goes just perfect with the campain and more, good luck.
hi Jim- sorry, that was my fault - i don't think i explained well...if you take another look at the album, you'll see some examples of how it will look on a T-shirt...the light colors come out fine - the problem is that the lettering doesn't show up well on the darker colors - that's why i was asking if we could "fill in" the letters so they would still show up on a brown, black, or other dark color shirt.
but obviously i don't want a brown square on the shirt.
i like the color of lettering that you used in #165
Hi, just a comment if we do two colorings for different Tshirt colors, i say this because the outlined texts almost always get a messy result, and its easier to work with two sets of colors for the logo, please let me know if you prefer the Outlined letterings, and I`m will think in some solution.
Hi Jim- I think I know what you're saying, but I'm not sure. We get one file in solid colors, right? So for that file, could we just do all the lettering in a solid color that would show up on a dark shirt? That way, we could use the original for light color shirts, and the solid color version for dark color shirts? Would that work? Or are you saying we should make a version with a different color for the second coin to use when brown wouldn't show up well?