So far, I think we still like your first entry the best. And we're not excited about the color palette in #246. Maybe keep those colors but make them a little more muted. Perhaps experiment with color in the YINS lettering as well?
on 251, keep the lines between the nodes straight as you were doing before. wavy lines are very tricky, as they don't usually appear in depictions of networks in research. It's an artistic move that only works in a few cases.
Hi - I've stopped changing the rankings because I now need to get clear input from a number of key decision-makers. I'll be showing all of them a representative sample of your work in order to arrive at their pick of the best designer. The specific placement of the top logos now may not be entirely accurate by the end of that process, but it is the best estimate based on feedback so far. So everyone still has a chance. Thanks for your great designs and good luck! ~Tom