TrueThoughtLogo Design Contest

Great stuff, keep it coming!

The duality of the bottom half of #4,#5,#7 is good; reflects the dual nature of game development (creative engineering, classical/romantic, left/right brain, digital/artistic, programming/design).

#4, #5 have TVs that are a bit retro-looking, and may tie too closely to video game consoles. We also do computer (PC/Mac) and iPod games and even board & card games (though primarily digital).

In general, the bottom halves of #4, #5, #7 are more appealing than their top halves.

#3 and #6 are simple and have a nice Web 2.0 compactness and elegance of expression to them.

#6 is a good start but could use a bit more brightness, energy, perhaps more connectedness of the words & icon?

The dpad in the lightbulb on #3 is nice in that it touches on gaming without being overt, though maybe it could be just slightly more recognizable.

The question mark on the right side of the lightbulb in #3 is a great idea, but perhaps would read better if the red (strong!) and green (subtle) colors were reversed (so the question mark was in red and popped more).

#8,#9,#10 Big question mark is bold and easily recognizable at a distance. Would like to see the "Thought" pop out a bit more.

Note that it's a bonus if a logo has animatable prospects, which is easy for us to do in real-time digital games.

Example: #11 could have the left (red) and right (grey) halves of the block surrounding the question-mark fall away from each other, or come together to assemble and reveal the ? in negative space.

Example: Sparks coming off the lightbulb in #3.

Example: TV sets in #4, #5 "turning on" to reveal the portion of the logo within them.

Melisari: Keep experimenting with the lightbulb, and maybe something other than red/green.

Andy: Would like to see True and Thought in different fonts that keep the mechanical/creative leaning, but not quite so far apart. Would like to see a more modern icon with the text. Perhaps also a tiny bit less retro-digital with the "true" font.

DigitalFever: See if you can make it seem a bit more vibrant.

kib647: The question mark logos are good. What would it look like with the company logo (Games that make you think) worked in somewhere?

#11 is outstanding as a stand-alone image. It may be a bit too physical in some web or print settings (biz card, etc).

#3 seems to have more flexibility to play well in a variety of environments.

So far we are slighly preferring the horizontal/landscape direction over vertical/portrait.

In general it would be nice to have a logo that can easily adapt/rearrange to be stacked vertical or laid horizontal.

For example: What would #11 look like if it had a layout closer to that of #6?

The logo doesn't need to have the motto baked into it, but it's nice to see examples where the logo allows for where the motto should/could go (such as #4, #5, #7, #3).

Since our company name is not "TrueThought Games" or "TrueThought Entertainment", it may be harder for just the logo & company name alone (without motto) to fully convey what it is we do. Unless perhaps the logo itself was truly overtly game-related, which might be tough to do without feeling cliche or heavy-handed.

(Great stuff; we have lots more feedback to give, and will update Rankings soon.)

General comment: We'd prefer that the icon tries to convey thinking, games, etc. rather than just an aspect of the company name. So icons made from a "T" are having a harder time winning our attention.

General comment: Since the company name is TrueThought (inner caps, no space), it helps to have the two words be distinguished in terms of color, position, or style if they are going to be mono-case.

#12 Question mark pops a bit more.

#13 Like the blue/black/white better than the red/green

#15,#16,#17 Icon does look better bigger. We'd love to see some other directions from you as well.

#17 The hint of reflection is very nice. For a black background that works great. Can this work on a white background?

#18 Took too long to recognize what the logo was trying to be (two Ts). Perhaps a bit too cartoony as well.

#19 Like the gears a lot, though at small resolutions, might be hard to distinguish that they are gears.

#20 Like the boldness of the name. However, let's avoid overly medical-looking brains; if we use a brain in the logo it should probably be more abstract / iconic. At a small resolution, the brain in this logo looks like a blue blob.

#21 Very nice clean look. Good use of space. Only downside is the gold "True" doesn't pop against white.

#22 Also very clean. Text looks great on black, however the lightbulb being dark could lead to jokes about "the company with their lights out." Probably best to avoid darkened light bulbs :-)

#23 We have same concerns with the brain in this one as with #20. Appreciate the retro gaming reference in the atari joystick, but we're not really wanting to represent ourselves as a retro company. Don't want people to think we make remakes of great 70s and 80s arcade games. Would prefer to avoid imagery that has a time period associated with it. See comments earlier about use of monitors in #4, #5.

#24, #25 The vace/faces optical illusion doesn't really work here, though two heads might still be interesting (collaboration, cooperation); however, our games are predominantly single-player, so that may or may not work for us specifically. Not keen on the logo in #25.

#26, #27 are nice, elegant, sexy, but we'd need to see how these would work on all-black and all-white backgrounds. Dots are interesting as an abstraction of game pieces (Go stones?).

#28 The pixelly True (and especially Thought) don't read well, can almost look like a mistake in the printing.

#29, #30 Like the homage to thought-bubbles, but feels odd for them to go downward. Like the place for the motto, but it ends up being a bit cramped. Nice clean colors.

#31 Very much like the fact that this is a clean, simple logo that isn't a traditional "thinking" icon (lightbulb, chess piece, question mark). Is there a way to make the icon represent something more specific?

#32, #33, #35 Nice, clean, abstract, looks like game/puzzle pieces, works well. Love the light (#32) and dark (#35) versions. Font characters seem a bit too cramped together, and the "R" in True doesn't read as well. A different font perhaps?

General Comment: Thought bubbles probably need to really look cool to grab our attention. We'd like to see more logos that experiment with things other than question marks, lightbulbs, and thought bubbles. We realize this is hard :-)

General Comment: One primary use of our logo is on box covers for games. As such it will be small, and therefore we want the icon to be easy to "get" what it is doing, and we want the word TrueThought to be easy to read. So we think we'd like to avoid logos where the name is hard to parse or the icon is loses its luster at smaller sizes.

#34 Nice originality. However, the hand might read as "stop," which doesn't feel very much akin to the company. The question mark helps, but it almost reads as "stop wondering" or "why stop?" or "stop?"

#36-#40 We like the rich colors, but the lightbulb on the pinwheel isn't quite working for us. The yellow and red on black reads really well. Just find the icon a bit too plain. #40 and #41 appear more like a lightbulb on a dpad, but still need something more.

#42 We're a bit torn on whether or not we like the script font.

#13, #16, #42 The question mark in the lightbulb is a bit hard to distinguish.

#43, #44 Clean colors. Looks a little bit like a footprint, however.

#45,#46 Like the overall look, would read well at various sizes. The arcs seem more like radio waves (this is also true for some other bulbs that are radiating - #3, #12 through #17). Wonder if it would read more like a bulb if the lines were more like rays than waves.

#47-#51 Nice integration of the bulb and question mark, works well horizontally and vertically, light or dark. We're not opposed to the merge of the question mark and bulb, but it isn't quite yet our favorite design.

#52,#53 Brain icon too small--our logo will be printed small on the boxes for videogames. See previous comments on the brain imagery.

#54 Like the question mark better than the previous T.

#55 Overall the logo feels a bit too on the simple side. The logos feel a bit more like cutouts. The puzzle piece on the right almost looks like an apple. The icons feel like there are two separate things going on here, the thought bubbles and the puzzle pieces.

#56,#57 This logo is better than #52, the icon is a bit bigger and easier to read. The icon is interesting, not yet sure what it represents (mobius strip?) or how to interpret its meaning.

#58 Better, feels a bit tighter. Still feel like the icons pull in two different directions.

#59 This doesn't do much for us. The logo is so abstracted as to not clearly convey a particular feel. Looks almost Russian :-)

#60,#64 Of this series, this is my favorite. The font differences are a bit easier to take without the color changes as well. Question mark is clear, and the overall look has been streamlined. Motto is a bit small. Works well on black or white. Would like to see you try something with different font/layout for TrueThought as well.

#61,#62 Like this better than #56. Feels a bit oriental, which we're neutral on. As with some other icons, the graphic isn't as strong for conveying games or thinking.

#63 Like the gears, love the colors. The two gears on the far left are a bit small, at first glance it isn't quite clear that they're gears. Can you tone down the fish-eye perspective a bit?

#65 Don't like this as much. The hand-written script plus the tilted ? reads a bit too maniacal. A bit too off-kilter.

#66 Separate of logo images helps, this is a bit easier to read. The puzzle piece still looks like an apple with two bites taken out of it.

#67-#71 The biggest issue with the dark cloud is that it looks like a rain-cloud. Borders on depressing. As with a general comment we have, use of thought bubbles probably needs to be a bit more sophisticated.

#72-#74 Good clean look. Geometric design is okay, but would like it to convey a bit closer to company motto. (This is actually a comment on a lot of abstract icons.)

#75-#80 See previous comments on similar entries.

#81 Nice clean look, sort of combines thought bubbles and the light-bulb.

#82 Again, very clean. Like the dots looking like game pieces or a puzzle.

#83,#84 Not entirely sure the icon reads very well... people seem to like it but nobody's exactly sure what it is.

#85 As with other comments, the abstract logo isn't bad but wondering if it can get closer to conveying a more specific thought. Though now that I see more like this, liking them better. Great colors.

#86 Font is simply too hard to read. Our logo will be used in small sizes on the boxes of games. So we want the customer at the store to be able to quickly read (and hopefully) remember our name.

#82, can you stagger True/Thought like you did on #27, and make the dots a little less skewed/oval and a little closer to round?

General comment: We do not like the literal electronic devices (TV monitor in #4, #5, #7, mouse in #91, #92, joystick in #23, #101). Abstractions are okay (like the gamepad in #17, #96) if pulled off right, but we don't want to tie ourselves too closely to any one medium.

#91, #92 Points for nice, clean layout. However, see general comment above about electronic devices.

#93, #94 Very interesting, nice idea. Not sure if they small head with the tiny eyes would read well enough in a small-print setting (back-of-box logo, magazine ad, etc). We think in some settings it will be too small to both distinguish the head, and that it is the letter O.

#95 Handsome design, like the layout and presentation. Chess piece, especially the knight, is probably a bit too cliche and possibly not gender-neutral enough. Would like to see other icons in the circle, and the logo on white and black backgrounds.

#96 Very nice, we still like your #17 a lot, but nice to see that the logo works so well in two colors also. Still would like to see you do something with another graphic.

#97, #98 Way to go! We totally dig these. Especially #98 with the Ts in the game pieces.

#99 The Rubik's Cube is probably a little too literal and too retro.

#100 Looks nice, but we probably want something more than just a wordmark... something iconically distinct.

#101 Not really into the retro Atari 2600 joystick. See general comment above.

#102 Very nice, clean and simple, readable, distinct, and not heavy-handed. Like to see how you would render it on a black background. The motto text is oddly spaced out. The font seems thin as well. Can you choose another font and fix the spacing?

#103 Nice, clean, clear. Like the icon visually, but not sure what the viewer is supposed to take away from it. (What is it trying to convey?)

General notes: We've updated the contest brief. We've removed the "Word Mark" type and added the "Character" type. Don't read too much into it, though.

#104, #105 Very nice, perspective on gears is better. However, (a) the small grey gear blends in and looks like noise, and (b) gears in that configuration would be deadlocked. :-)

#106 TRUE dominates a little too much. Also starting to look more cartoony than before, which isn't necessarily a better direction.

#107, #108, #109 Like "True Thought", but slogan is too small to read. Don't like the T-squared icon.

#110 Not a big fan of the colors in the puzzle pieces. Motto is also very small relative to the overall real-estate of the logo. Are the puzzle pieces trying to convey something with their combined total countour? if not, could they?

#111, #112 These horizontal layouts are better than their vertical counterparts (#113, #114) mostly because of real-estate for the company name and motto. Can you do a version of #112 where TRUE is the same size as THOUGHT (keep current colors) and left-justified so the Ts line up?

#111, #112, #113, #114 No need for the T inside the logo icon... seems forced and out of place. In general the icon is really cool, and has a lot of character. Maybe play with that some more, but without the T.

NOTE: We've edited the brief to include character marks. That doesn't mean that we have to have a character mark, just that if someone wanted to do one, we're open to it. We didn't fully realize we had originally had it turned off. This is just a clarification that we're okay with character marks.

General Comment: A lot of people are using Ts for the graphic/icon. And people are doing a great job with it, it is just that it isn't as exciting to us as a more iconic image (something not based on the letter T). Maybe we'll see something that changes our minds, but it is much harder to get our attention using the T as a major part of the icon. Having said that, we realize entry #98 has the Ts in it, but it is a byproduct of the dots. We view the dots as a stylized game board, and as such we liked the dots. Several people have used them. So it isn't so much the Ts as it is the dots.

We will catch up commenting on and ranking the remaining entries shortly.

#115, #116, #117 Nice programming reference, and like the tautology in #116. That said, #115 and #116 don't have enough general appeal and #117, which nice, doesn't really convey much through the logo. I'd say avoid the == in general.

#118 Motto and layout are decent, but don't like the TrueThought font, and the logo icon isn't doing much for us.

#119, #120 The circular maze is interesting, but mazes tend to say "confusion". Also feels disjoint / unconnected to the wordmark. Not a big fan of either font.

#121, #122 The font here is more legible than the one in #32, #33, but less appealing.

#125 Definite improvement in the slogan font. However, #126 illustrates one problem with this logo; on black, it looks good, but the lightbulb looks OFF. Can you try another version on a black background where the lightbulb is either illuminated or at least less dark?

#127, #128, #131, #135, #136, #137 Don't like the overt Ts.

#129 Interesting concept, has potential, but the font is uninspiring. Also, the colors are a bit... weak, maybe too light / bright. Would also like to see your next version of this on a black background.

#130 The chess piece isn't working for us here. Also the smily face (?) behind it seems a bit odd.

#131 The stylized TT forming an upward arrow works better than a lot of the other T/TT designs. However, seems like the specular shine highlights on the name and icon are way overpowering. Can you reduce the glare and maybe go for a darker gold rather than the yellow?

#138, #139 Everyone loves using the Ts :-) We'd prefer to avoid the Ts. The colors are good, overall style is fine, but just want to see something else.

#140, #141, #142, #143, #144, #145, #146, #147 Lots of variants here on a singular theme. Our only problem with this one is that Tic-Tac-Toe is a very simplistic game. We appreciate the use of a game board, and of the T, but Tic-Tac-Toe is too simple of a game to use as our reference point.

#148, #149 Looks good, very simple and elegant, clever use of the head and the lightbulb. We like that the lightbulb's shine is also the head's "good idea."

#150 Not sure what the robotic arm is grabbing, a ball? Points for doing something different! I don't think the robotic arm is going to be the right fit for us. You are correct in that the arm makes you look twice. But even after the second look, I'm not sure it conveys a deep game company. Might be perfect for a robotics lab :-)

#151, #152, #153 Good clean look. This is more of a Wordmark. Overall we like this. Would like to see it matched with some graphic/icon ideas.

#154, #155 This almost looks a bit too Halloween. The font and the graphic style are very casual. We're looking for something less casual and more elegant. Something that has a more sophisticated profile.

#156, #157 The head here is too blunt. Too overpowering. Maybe you could make it smaller? Also would prefer to see more color in the logo. Appreciate that you did a white and a black version, but can you make the head less the center of it, and perhaps a little more abstract? And some color. While we do need white and black versions, we can (and want) strong bold colors.

I just wanted to say that all this feedback is really helpful; it's nice to have a client so cerebral and involved in the design process. I've read through these critiques and will make an entry soon.

To mimesinmotion: Thanks for the saying that. We're very self-conscious about the fact that we've been slow to respond to all of the entries. And we apologize that we haven't done them faster. We're delighted with the general quality of the work--we certainly couldn't do any of these ourselves.

For better or worse, we've been working day and night (quite literally) finishing up our current game. On the plus side, the logo we pick will be used on the game, promotional materials, the box, and so forth. The logo really will get a lot of eyeballs on it. For this game and all of our future titles.

Question to the designers: What is the general attitude towards contests that choose an extension? We prefer to get things done, and we picked a date, and that's that. However, because we are behind with our feedback and comments, I know we're going to go down to the wire with this. Curious if designers generally hate extensions or how they are felt. (Not saying we will or won't do an extension, I am only asking to get more feedback from all of you.)

And now on to some feedback...

General Comment: After this many entries, we're definitely preferring logos that have TrueThought on the same general horizontal line. That isn't to say it has to be completely horizontal, but the stacked names isn't as powerful. One reason for this is that the company name does NOT have a space in it. We're TrueThought, not True Thought. So the more separation we have the more likely people will search for True Thought, which might not bring us up as an early hit. Having said all this, there have been some great vertical layouts, and some great layouts that we love where the words are separated. So, ultimately we're chooosing on style, elegance, and the idea. But some of the vertical stacking of True and Thought we believe might gain more power horizontally for us.

#158, #159 We like that the design is abstract. It isn't clear that it is a lightbulb entirely. It's a nice color scheme overall. I think the only suggestion I would make is to try to make it a bit snazzier. Something more with the font perhaps? This is a good logo, just doesn't quite have the pizazz yet that maybe it could have.

#160 The upside-down Think is a bit too tricky here. It is clever, but feels a bit too much like a gimmick. The logo seems a bit casual again. We prefer something more sophisticated, less hand-drawn.

#161 Interesting look. The head looks to be very much like another company logo, but I cannot place it. Only other comment is that the boldness on "Thought" makes the True seem secondary.

#162 Like the colors, and removing the head simplifies the overall look. Perhaps the gears should be interconnected? As it stands they don't really integrated. Emphasis with color on Games and Think is interesting. Try to give the gears a bit more action.

#163 Don't really like the boxy nature of this logo. Prefer the logos where it would seem to float more on a white or black background. The red and orange squares to the left look good though.

#164, #165, #166 This logo is rather boxy. We're prefering logos that are more orangic in their outline. Also would like to see a bit more color to it. Neutral to the question mark. On the plus side it is very clear.

#167 Like the colors. . Great clean design. The shell-shapped spiral as the lightbulb is interesting. Can you do this on black? What about bringing TrueThought on the same horizontal line? And what about adding a 3rd color?

#168 Prefer it without the T in the little ball. Not sure quite what the ball represents, but it is very cute. As with other entries, would like to see it on black and with TrueThought more horizontally laid out.

#169 Much prefer the font choices here. "True" and "Thought" are more balanced, which is important to us. Also, they are spaced better. Previous entries had them feeling misaligned because of the difference in font sizes.

#170, #171 I think the logo here is just too bland, too simple. It doesn't really stand-out and seems almost unfinished. #171 turns the U into the base of the lightbulb, which is original. I just would like to see the lightbulb doing more. Maybe make it feel like it was on?

#172 Sorry to say, but we do not like the brain floating in the bulb. We're trying to avoid something that might have a macabre feel. This would be a cool idea for some company, but at this stage we want something more cheerful.

#173 Clean logo. The abstract light-bulb design makes it almost appear as something else. Not too keen on the font for TrueThought. Can you try something else? Prefer True and Thought to be distinguished in some way (color, use of capitalization to distinguish the two Ts, small visual break).

#174, #175 Company name is TrueThought, not TrueThough. Maze design is clean, but not sure it is snazzy enough.

#176 This is a good design. True stands out a bit more, which is what we wanted. Would like to see you do this on black without the black lightbulb.

#177 Company name is TrueThought, not TrueThough. Abstract design is nice. Font is a little too tall. Feels a bit too stylized.

#178 Prefer #176. Would love to see this on black, and another color for "Thought." I think in general we're not as excited about grey.

#179, #180 Nice puzzle icon. Font could be a bit more modern? Also, the motto seems a bit cramped in there. Can you bring that down and spread it out a bit? On black, the TrueThought is fading a bit much into the black at the top of the letters. I think a bit more contrast would help us.

#181, #182, #183 The idea here is sound, but we would like to see the logo push more. Something a bit more modern. Can you abstract this idea a bit more? Also, motto again feels cramped. On the black backgrounds, the motto font is very thin and a bit hard to read. Might also try adding another color to it (very plain color-wise).

#184, #185 This feels very post-modern. That's not a bad thing. Very light airy design. Squares for the thought bubbles give it a slightly new feel. Would like to see this with a bit more color however. On #185, the motto is just a tad thin. Can you give it a bit more but still fit it in?

#186 The font is easier to read, and having the motto on top is interesting. The exclamation mark for the icon is a bit too simple.

#187 Not as keen on the logo being the thought bubble. Thought bubbles in general lead away from the think up to the largest bubble, but here they are kind of leading down. Prefer other logos.

#188 Reflection is nice. But prefer other logos where there's some iconic representation.

General Comment: Question Marks have been a populate iconic image. We've had some great logos using them. Our only concern is that too much emphasis on the question mark feels a bit too removed from "thought" and too close to "question" or "wonder."


#189, #190 This logo is too cramped. The thought bubbles lead "up" to the idea, so that is an improvement, but it is just too small for us in the contexts that we intend to use it.

#191, #192 These are a bit too gamey. Once again, very clever. But we don't want to over-emphasize things like gamepads. Ties us a bit too closely to a particular impression for the customer (videogames). Font and colors are fine, though would like to see you try the blue with something other than the green. The blue green combo feels a little bit like we're a ecology conservation company.

#193 The logo here is a bit small overall. The X looks like it is from an older arcade game. It doesn't feel very much like thinking, more like retro gaming. Not a big fan of this. Can you try something else? Also, as with other logo comments, perhaps try something other than the grey for "True"?

#194 This is a better abstraction than the game pad. But I don't think the orange lines buy us much now? I don't know exactly what to tell you--this isn't feeling like it is headed in the right direction yet. Perhaps another approach? Perhaps double ?s feels too much like we're about questions, and we're really about thought.

#195 Can you make this bigger? Can you put it on a black background? The look is nice and clean. The gear looks good, the question mark looks to be a bit smothered. We think there's room for improvement on this, worth pursuing.

#197 We haven't had much like with brains. And the tree, while showing growth, is just too much like an icon for a different type of company. This logo just isn't close enough to us. Suggest to drop this particular approach.

#198 See previous comments about gamepad. The question marks look better here--less noticeable.

#199 This is the best of your recent entries. The stylized icon inside the question mark is the kind of nice little touch that adds a bit of class to the overall design, and looks a bit like a dpad. However, the icon and text seem disconnected/unrelated spatially. Try it without the green perhaps, and would like to see it on black.

#200,#201 We've seen a lot of question marks and lightbulbs. This logo seems a bit too simple, the logo doesn't come across as being as sophisticated. Would like to see True and Thought capitalized.

#202 This is a nice clean logo. Would like to see it on black, to see how you handle the head. The spiral design inside is interesting--not entirely clear what it represents, but it feels like motion. Would like to see more exploration along these lines.

Well done CH. You are a good person. You give as much feedback as possible even though an entry is not what you are looking for. I wish all CH were like you; save us from needlesly wasting time on designs.

Wow, really impressed with the stuff you guys have been putting up there. We are truly amazed. It's not at all easy to critique so many excellent designs.

#203 Nice look, really like the art style on the bulb. However, the icon is probably too simple, in the sense that it doesn't really convey anything besides "lightbulb". Like the simplicity of lines and style, just not the simplicity of concept & conveyance.

#204 Interesting idea, though I'm not exactly sure what it is meant to convey. And even though it's intentionally blurry, it's still... blurry. :-)

#205, #206, #207, #208 Think the lightbulb-questionmark-brain triple combo has real merit, though something about it still isn't quite grabbing us. Layout-wise, #206 is probably best. The naked upside-down abstract bulb in #207 lacks the intrigue of the other three submissions. In all cases, the 5 lines coming off the brain too much like sweat or blood, so either try something else these or cut it entirely. Also, the slogan is too small & indistinct on all but #208. Still, very clever and has a lot of promise... would love to see further iteration on this. Would also like to see examples on black.

#209, #211 Both are big improvements over previous logos; better colors, better definition. However, in #209 we are realizing that having the name & slogan "cut through" the middle looks a bit odd, and unexplained. The fact that TrueThought and slogan are on a borderless white rectangle (it seems) that occlude the arrows behind feels weak. #211 handles this much better by having the arrow itself be capped with grey borders where it is interrupted... In general, am liking #211 better but the two-arrow-halves were better since they were an homage to TT. What does #211 look split down the middle vertically as purple/gold halves, but without horizontal spacing or shadowing? (Also would like to see a version of that on pure white and pure black).

#210 Very interesting. Am liking this a lot. Need to spend some more time thinking about it, not sure what direction to give yet.

#212, #213, #215 Puzzle pieces are way too small to read in most contexts. Still prefer #179 to these. Slogan is also too small. Maybe try a sexier font as well?

#214 Hmm, now the logo seems too simple... maybe too programmer-y. It seems to lack some kind of organic quality, not sure what.

#217, #218, #221 Can't make out what the image is supposed to be (#218 looks perhaps like a person with a fist to their forehead?). Looks a bit like a watering can. :-) #219, #219 the aqua-shaded "True" feels very incongruous with the rest of the image.

#220 Lightbulb probably dominates the space too much, and doesn't say anything beyond "huge lightbulb". Any way to give the icon greater meaning/depth? Specular glare on TrueThought is overpowering, perhaps tone that down. Also, we are "TrueThought", not "True Thought", so the spacing in the title is misleading.

#222 Not sure what to make of the icon.

#223 Another interesting spin on an already great logo concept. (Am I correct in thinking that #224 is the same as #223 but with a slight gradient on the title?) Can we see both of these on black, please?

#225, #226, #227 the "boxed in" versions are not as strong as the standalone versions you've been doing previously. #225's background has a combination of distracting background noise (that line really disrupts readability) and a too-dark-purple-on-dark-background contrast problem on "Thought". #226 is nice except for the icon, which also has contrast problems and doesn't read well. What else can you do with the foreground/background colors and gradients in #226 to make it pop better? #227 has nice colors, but again the gradient is so severe on the icon background that the light-green balls don't pop against the silvery-white parts of the top of the icon. Also, black-on-near-black slogan in #227 doesn't read. All interesting variations, though... please keep it up! :-)

Also, we realize we're a little behind on updating the Rankings... don't worry, we will do another pass on that soon. We just have limited time and thought it was more urgent that we give specific comments/feedback/direction at the moment. Thanks for your patience and excellent work!

So, we are getting close to the end here, but there are still variations on several of these that we'd like to see.

Therefore we are going to EXTEND THE CONTEST BY 2 DAYS. Hopefully this won't upset anyone, but we want to make sure we have time for at least one more round of feedback & iteration.

We are hoping to do another full review with comments and re-ranking on Monday.

Thanks so much for your incredible designs and stellar work!

cheers,
-TrueThought

Rankings have been pared down to the top 20 entries. Don't read too much into the current rankings within the top 20, however; every one of these logos is in serious consideration and has something we like that the others don't.

GENERAL COMMENTS:

Many of these logos feel very serious. We'd like to see many of them become a little more playful. In particular, with the various designs with heads in them, none of the heads seem to be having a good time. Happy eyes and smiles might help.


COMMENTS ON THE CURRENT TOP 20:

#17 Soften the icon, try to find a way to make it feel less robotic. Deemphasize or remove the question-mark.

#19 Gears look too sharp, like something you could hurt yourself on. Try softening them, possibly with fewer gears. Would also like to see more color used. Can the gears be made more distinct and memorable?

#35 Would like to see something different in the sphere, but similar in elegance. Also, "True" and "Thought" need something to separate them better. Could be a color change, font change, or something else (but not a space... we are not "True Thought").

#60 Dislike the question-mark. The biggest appeal of this design for us is the duality shown in the company title; right brain vs. left brain, creative vs. analytical, engineering vs. art/design. Would love to see another variation from you with a more abstract / modern icon, perhaps.

#63 We still love this design. We felt you were heading in the right direction with #104. Your gears feel very nice and very solid. We are dying to see several variations of your ideas: (a) #63 but with less fish-eye-lens effect on the gears; (b) #104 but with a different color for the small interior gear (so it doesn't blend in with the outer planetary gear), and a different configuration of gears (that could actually turn); (c) all of these variations on a black background.

#81 Can you do something more insteresting / more abstract with the icon? As with #19, we would like to see more color used.

#84 We love the abstract appeal of this icon. However, it feels too much like a person missing the top half of his/her head. Also, don't like Thought being heavier/bolder than True.

#87 Logo needs more color, and more joy. Dislike the moire aliasing on the energy/hair. The head feels too alien, but the perspective is less clinical feeling than most of the other heads we've seen.

#98 This is still our favorite in this series, not sure what other direction to give.

#125 We still need to see how this would work on a black background without having the bulb look burned out. Maybe have the light from the bulb illuminating the company name? Would also like to see some different color variations on this.

#148 Love the simplicity and elegance of the design, and the gender-neutrality. Is there any way to make it more fun, more joyful? More colorful, perhaps?

#161 Very memorable icon, has a lot of standalone value. The open-top head still feels a little strange, but mostly we are wanting the head to be "happier". Don't like the fact that Thought is more bold than True; weight them more equally, or bias True rather than Thought. Slogan is hard to read and needs to pop more.

#169 Logo icon is probably the happiest and cutest we've seen. Though we're still not *exactly* sure what it is. Make it more of a character. Also, try a more exciting font.

#176 Is very cool, but feels like the logo for a multibillion-dollar parent company, not for an independent game desgin & development company. We'd like to see some variants that are a bit less formal, less angular, maybe softer or more organic. Icon has great standalone recognition.

#185 We love the idea of the square thought-bubbles, but the fact that they drift up and away from truethought draws your eyes in the wrong direction. Also, the icon itself doesn't yet have enough "standalone" power, that it would be recognizable and memorable without the text.

#224 One combination we're curious about might be a continuous color gradient from gold (at the top of True) down to a deep red (at the bottom of Thought), or similar.

#227 Love this direction also, but the extreme gradient on the square containing the balls makes it very hard for the balls to pop out against it. Also, the slogan is almost completely unreadable in black-on-black.

#230 Really like this; the electron orbits say "invention", which we like, and the icon itself has excellent standalone power. Would like to see this logo on black, and also some other colors for the title. (Also, no need to include TM on this version of the logo.)

#237 Our favorite rendition of this bunch. But we would LOVE to see more character on the head, more joy. (S)he should be having fun!

#260 This is a great example of taking a sterotype icon (chesspiece) and making it fresh and new again. By having the king looking at / thinking about the queen, it brings depth to what would otherwise be an iconic sterotype. Would like to see this logo on a black background. The colors you've used for TrueThought don't seem to work here; try picking a new color combination. Also want to see the slogan shown in there somewhere.

hey CH please check new designs thanks

Do I have go to LC against so many designers here? Nups... I have not. I think as long as designer respect other works and designer code of conduct as well, I believe he/she will know what should he/she do as a fair designer. Thank you

All the best,
Herdian