Thanks for getting into the contest. Here are observations on your early efforts. The all CAPS in Western Elegance is a good direction, but overall your three designs are too formal or too corporate. My client's business is in the rural west of the USA far from urban centers. Accordingly, the W (for example) would be better presented as a cattle brand or less refined type font (rough edges, if you will). The WE in Entry #1 is too frilly, but having the WE as a background element is appropriate.
Appreciate your modifications, but designs 26, 27, 28 and 29 are still to formal and or corporate. I believe if you incorporate a western icon, that will be closer to the look. Think big sky and expansive landscape.
creak, there is something promising with Entry #3, but it is still a bit too formal or refined. See if you can deconstruct the WE font into something more organic or rough. This business is in America's ranching country which is seen as being rugged. Thx
creak, you may have seen that the contest was extended four days. The client was hoping to see a mark that more resembled the logo of one of his current companies...(see WCRE&T Logo Art.jpg, 28KB in Contest Brief). If you're game, see if you can take Entry # 29 and #78 and modify the WE in the spirit of that. They certainly don't have to match, just be closer to a cattle brand. Thx