JMHdezine - There is a lot I like about Entry #21. I like the subtle incorporation of the stone motif. I like the colors. I like the batik finish. One issue is that the blue makes it look like water, rather than a path. I thought it was water at first. Maybe it is?! But I think a winding path is more appropriate than a river. Can we use the blue for the sky and the brown for the path?
I also do like Entry #20. Love the texture on the stone actually. I don't love the shape of the footprint though. I think something like this would work better:
Thank you so much for the ranking and feedback. I will work on those changes and yes, it was water and I agree, a path would be better :) I will on the footprint as well.
#22 and #23 a couple of color options on this one. I will work on the footprint as well. Please let me know if you would like to see something else on these.
Right now, yours are my favorite designs. Actually the one with the water still seems to work the best. The color pops and the shimmer on the water really works. A little gets lost, artistically, turning that water into solid ground. Not sure what to do about this.
I just came out of a Board meeting and a couple of the others still like the more literal stone with footprint design. I get the appeal, but am personally more drawn to the more interpretive logo. That said, please do submit an updated stone logo or two!
It looked like you recently added another version of the "path" logo, similar to #23, but then withdrew it. Hopefully, you are just putting some finishing touches on it and are going to resubmit because it looked great!
Curious if you have any other variations to submit? Not necessary, but want to invite them. I love your style. Several of my fellow board members want something more recognizable though. Something earthy, maybe even aboriginal. Something that incorporates the stone motif more clearly. I think the footprint on the stone has been explored here. If you have a way of spicing it up even more, feel free. But I wonder if you have another creative interpretation in you? If so, I would love to see it! I plan on putting you back in the top 5 tomorrow morning because I want to get all of your designs. However, if you don't plan on submitting any more, please do let me know.
Just had a great conversation with one of founding members of the organization. He agrees with me that your path design should be at the top of the pack. Rather than having you come up with something new, can you play around with a few more variations of this one?!
We both wanted to see what it would look like with a brown path and green hills. He also asked to see it with the slightest hint of sun shining from behind the hills.
Ok, great! I will work on variations of the path. I did submit #67 which was a take on an aboriginal design. Not sure if it is what you had in mind at all :)
Love the new design. Love the watercolor look. Wonder if you could arrange the stones in either a spiral and/or a labyrinth pattern? Maybe a simpler version of this:
Like the direction you have gone. Maybe just add a larger stone back into the center to give it some weight. And maybe have the outer stones start a little bigger and get smaller as they wind in.
Do keep in mind that I am aware that sometimes ideas sound good and then don't really work once attempted! :)
Heading into work so I will most likely be out of communication for a while...
Super stoked on all of your work. I am going to do my best to advocate on your behalf with the rest of my team. I love everything you have come up with. #72 is just the frosting on the cake!
One tiny revision I would love to see - and again maybe this won't actually work in practice - is to have you add some blue sky at the very top of #73. So it's blue in the background and has some soft rays of light starting to peak out from behind the hills. I think the feel of morning about to break will have a more youth-centric feel than what to me looks more like a beautiful twilight sunset. See what you can do. I know I am asking a lot. I hope not too much!!!
You amaze me. I am so appreciating working with you on this. Regardless of how this contest turns out, I definitely want to remain in contact for future design purposes. In addition to serving on the board of Stepping Stones, I also run my own tutoring company and I would love to work with you on a logo for that!
That said, I really like the sun with blue background. However, would it be possible to dial the sun beams back a little and allow for a bit more blue sky? I think just the suggestion of the sun starting to rise, as if it is just barely about to crack above the ridgeline, with a fresh clear blue sky behind it would be ideal. Think early morning. Crisp air. Clear sky. And the the first peak of sun appears.
Ok, I am getting carried away here, but you did say it was "never too much". :)
What about #70 only with that a large stone in the middle, as in #71, only in green and blue so it actually suggests the earth?
And if you still have anything left in you after that(!), here is one more: #67 only with a flame or small fire in the center. When groups gather in our org, we sit in circles around a candle, or when we are outdoors around a fire. It is an ancient tradition. One of the oldest! This would bring in some really powerful symbolism to what at first I just saw as rings of stones. It could represent the three generations sitting around the fire together, for example. Not sure how you will pull it off, but so far you haven't disappointed so far!
Wishing you all the best!!! Jai
PS - If the path logo doesn't end up getting chosen, I think I want to use it for my tutoring business! Check it out! www.lifeworkslearningcenter.com
I would like to have #81 & #81 sort of combined such that all three colors (green, brown and blue) are used, one for each ring. Maybe you can try making the inner ring on #80 brown and the inner ring on #81 blue, and see how that works. Have the word "project" coordinate with the inner ring, which now represents the youth to me. :)
Also, and this may be taking the symbolism too far, we typically start with 8 youth in a group. Wonder if you could make the inner ring work with 8 stones, without it losing its organic feel?
Ok, now for the fire. The actual flame is elegant looking and the little sticks are adorable(!), but they make it feel off-center to me. And, the perspective is head-on, while the ring is - again, in my mind - an above view. Hard to imagine what it would look like, but the closest I could come up with was something in the spirit of one of these (the first two images in the third row stand out to me, perhaps with less white space in the center):
Please know I am not meaning to suggest incorporating these in in a literal way. More just trying to give you a sense of a possible direction to go. I knew this was going to be an issue but couldn't come up with any ideas about how to approach it before.
Oh, and for #79, I actually liked it with half the stones brown. I was wanting you to change just the innermost stone to blue with some green splotches to suggest the earth from a great distance, kind of like:
Only more subtle. Leave the shape of the stone as is. Don't try to represent continents or anything. Just blue with some touches of green. :)
Wonder if that might work in #71 as well?
OK, no more! I just keep having all these creative explosions and can't help myself.
Warm regards, Jai
PS - The people in the "footprint on the stone" camp have all commented on #72 now. Here is one comment: "Having seen the new ones, I have changed my vote. 72 is quite simple and beautiful. Color is nice as well. "
Wanted to let you know it looks like we are going to be ending the contest early so we can just work with you. It is not completely official yet - still need to get the okay from the whole team - but you have been working so hard that I wanted to try to take some of the pressure off. It may take a little while to reach everyone and then I have to go into work again, but I will let you know as soon as I do!
Oh, thank you Jai, that would be wonderful! :) Here's another idea #83 with flames also emulated the sun and 8 brown stones. Please let me know what you think?
"I have a looked over the sight and discussed with Jai the favorites voted on. At this point it seem one designer JMH... is producing the graphics that seem to resonate with everyone. For some it is the foot prints, for others the path, and for other the concentric stones.
"As such, my vote is we choose this designer as the winner and then more patiently discuss the attributes of design as it relates to our SSP Vision."
Love #84. That is EXACTLY what I was imagining.
I really like the flame design too, but wonder if you can make it smaller so we can still have three rings of stones? Later in the same email as above it reads:
"My current favorite, from the JHMdezine is #67 as it suggests community. We know that this coming of age time does see the individual but also deeply relies on layers of the village."
I agree. I think the three concentric rings really make it. An easy variation might be to place the new earth-stone at the center of that.
It's official. We are going with you! Now we just need to decide which of your many amazing designs to use. It is actually looking like #67 may be the one after all! This is from a former group leader. She got the symbolism immediately! Check it out:
"Hi Jai! I just looked at the logos, I must say that I really like entry #67…! I like all the ones in the series that are similar to it.. but I especially like this one because it reminds me of a smaller group of girls, represented by the inner circle surrounded by larger circles that support the group, such as the parents, the elders and mentors, and all the stepping stones community, etc..."
Not sure how this works now that the contest is over. How do we handle revisions with you?
BTW, Congratulations!!! You totally deserved this one!!!
Yes, I had enlarged the others as I went along. Here's #93 which is 67 larger.
Actually, you're the best ever! It has been wonderful working with you! It's so nice when a contest holder is involved and contributes ideas and suggestions and acknowledges how hard the designers work. It is very much appreciated!!
What I am going for is not too different from what you already have in there. It just brings out the purple-red a bit. (Actually, it is kind of along the lines of the big toe in #76. Not quite as dark though.)
- I would also like to see #93 with ALL of the brown replaced with that same new wine color.
- Finally, one person mentioned that it is important to consider what a design will look like in black and white. Can you do #93 in grey scale?
As always: Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
Jai
PS - One of my other team members asked where you are working from? Looks like you are an hour ahead. His guess was Colorado. I say Arizona or New Mexico. Are we close?
I just looked to see if I could increase the prize money on this contest and that option no longer exists! Going to do it anyway on my own. You have gone way above and beyond the call of duty here. Seriously grateful.
As we hone in on a final design some people have started asking about adding a tag line, such as:
"Mentoring Youth" or "Mentoring Youth in Self Discovery"
People are also debating which variation they like best. The Earthstone in the middle? The firestone? Etc.
This internal debate might take a little while, so if you don't hear from me for a bit that's why. Actually, if you have a creative idea on how to incorporate one of the above tag lines into the design, please go for it! (Just add it to #93, as it has the simplest color scheme.) Personally, I think it will be too much, but it would help a lot in the debate to have something to actually look at!
OMG, that is very sweet! I am going to write about you in the forum so other designers know that there are wonderful contest holders out there to work with and hopefully will be lucky enough to be able to work with one in the future. Like I said, you are rare! :)