#1: I like the use of the full "Systems Design Laboratory" in the logo and the style of the SDL. The "systems vee", looks too much like a letter and not enough like the design process used in systems engineering. I think it might be difficult to incorporate the "vee" without it seeming like a letter, but I'm sure someone will figure it out! Perhaps incorporating arrows in the logo will help, as in down arrows on the left, up on the right. Also, another component of systems engienering is the idea of going from larger chunks to smaller chucks as one goes down the vee, and the reverse going back up it.
Entry #5 incorporates arrows, but looks like the recycling logo. Entry #4 is approaching a good use of arrows, but they look disjoint, not a stylisting unity.
Entry #11 is better, I like the arrow elements, but there is a need to capture a "je ne sais quoi". I think I like the words under the logo and SDL, rather than just under SDL.
#43 in this one I really like the inclusion of the logo element in the "L", which really shows the vee is not a letter. Can you make the horizontal lines in the vee go from more spaced at top to less spaced at bottom, showing the elements get smaller as you go down the vee.
#43 has too much purple. Look at Penn State's color schemes on it website www.psu.edu. Can I see what it looks like without an arrow at the botom of the vee?
I still like #43 a lot, but need my issues/concerns addressed. Another one I noticed is spacing between the outline witht he vee and the "L" is not uniform.