Logo Design Feedback

Hi,

The best looking one/most professional/catchy design is #99.

- J

Total,

I like the Raindesign one. IT brings a sense of flare to it while still being professional. 99/

Great work though and the idea seems to be worthwhile.

I do agree that set #95 to #97 do stand out from the others.

It was clever of the designer to adjust the background to complement the design, as good presentation is helpful for getting a win for this. If it were on a white background, it might not have been this strong.

The elegance and simplicity is good. The design is well-balanced as well.

The other designs seem to lack the type of elegance that this magazine wants to portray and they are just too over-starry.

I like #201. It really "speaks" magazine. The others kinda look like your pimping low-grade porn.

I like #193 the best.

Side comment: The name of the magazine is almost like a slogan; Everyone's Famous Magazine. I think it detracts to have essentially a second slogan; The real people's magazine. I would just drop that altogether.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind:

Is the magazine called "Everyone's Famous" or "Everyone's Famous Magazine"? Does the name imply that it is a famous magazine which belongs to everyone, or does the name imply that everyone is famous?

Who am I among all the recommendations you have had, and all the work that has gone in.

But touching on what Steven just noted....seeing as the magazine is actually called "Everyone's Famous"

Is there any need to have the M or the word Magazine in the logo itself? I would suggest having EF as the logo and have someone whip up new designs using that...rather than EFM

You rarely hear people refer to "cosmopolitan magazine" "good housekeeping magazine" "chatelaine magazine" or even "playboy magazine"

By looking at the actual magazine when it is printed, everyone should have a pretty good idea that it is a magazine, correct?

Who are you targeting with the magazine. Some of those left look too bubble gummy to me.

I like #95 and #96 by raindesign, but I'm not really sure about the colors. The pink and blue definitely doesn't say Seattle to me.

I do like the icons citali came up with, but who submitted logos with the skyline first?

IMHO, trash the lot. Only #200 comes anywhere within range for what you need for a mag identity.

Your creative brief sucks. Not your fault, the right questions weren't asked.

Who is your target market specifically? You mention "everyday people". Everyday people aren't famous nor do they deserve to be. You're featuring ordinary people who've done something or do something extraordinary in their everyday lives.

Look at the top 100 magazines at your local bookstore. Notice anything they have in common? Their identities come from typographical treatment of their name. Some of them may have a logo somewhere - but out of 100 mags, I'll just about guarantee you that you don't see the logo on the cover. Even the most famous logo of all, the Playboy bunny, isn't on their cover as part of the title.

Go look - Cosmo, GQ, Playboy, SI, Mad, Wired, Newsweek, Time - heck, even American Rifleman.

I think you'll get the idea, and maybe you can head in a different direction that would better represent the magazine.

Just MHO, of course

BTW, for colors - you have to be VERY careful locking yourself into colors for a title on a cover. What if you have a photo that clashes with the colors? You need to have the logotype be flexible enough that it can be displayed in any color that you need it to be without special treatments like drop shadows, background glows, etc.

The #200 I mentioned (I'm not partial to it, don't really like it, but it's a good illustration for this) uses large blocks letters that if changed just a little, could be the clipping mask for an image or something along those lines. Just something to consider.

Another edit:
The skyline is a cool look - but what do you do for cities that don't have a distinctive skyline?

#95 - #97 by raindesign does it for me too.

I like #193, 121, and 194 but I think it would look best if you changed the colors to the blue and pink!

Argggh, the hazards of quick written communication.

I didn't mean to imply that your design brief sucked from YOUR end - it is well thought-out. I meant to get across that for a mag masthead/title/identity, the correct questions weren't asked for you to answer.

And the 'ordinary' thing - what I meant to convey is that you aren't going to be writing about Joe Blow's average day as a worker bee in an accounting firm. You're going to be spotlighting (as I understand it, of course) regular people doing special, interesting things.

Sorry for the inaccuracies, I was in a hurry - which isn't much of an excuse, I'll grant you.

My MAIN point was that for magazines especially, the simpler the title treatment the better as you have more flexibility to integrate it into an ever-changing cover layout. Anything beyond typographical treatment tends to limit what you can put on the cover.

my initial reaction was #96

but the more I looked through them, I started to like #209 as well.

You're exactly right - it is called a 'logotype' as opposed to a 'logo'. The talent of a professional designer is to take your name - company, newspaper, magazine, whatever - and turn it into something that resonates with your target market.

Anyhow, sorry for the earlier miscommunication. Wasn't intending to step on your toes or hurl insults.

Since Seattle is the Emerald City, definitely green, but I wouldn't make it too primary.

Well since it is "opinions" you're looking for, that makes me very well qualified to throw in my backwater two cents.

First, forget what you have so far...

When I think of someone being famous, I think of them being in the spotlight.

Therefore, if you are looking for an image to go with the mag, it should be (IMHO) a silhouette of a person in the spotlight.

The image would be black and white.

The spotlight is shining down from above or slightly from an angle.

Both the spotlight and the light coming down would be black, with the person a silhouette of white standing in the black light.

You can experiment with several cool poses and even stylize each locale with a different pose.



Best of luck to you...

229 and 174 are pretty good.

174 looks more like a teen magazine though... I still like it, but that's the original impression I get.


Also, have you given any thought to your slogan "The Real People's Magazine" being frowned upon by the legal team over at People Magazine? haha Especially since you guys are kind of in the same niche?

I place my vote on design #121 by citlali. She did a really great job! The color combination of black and green on a white background looks both elegant and impressive. Also the green star in the middle is eye catching and gives the logo a touch of glamour.

I really like #119. I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned that one.

I've just been through the same process with my website. I think #236 by Citali. It's not quite there yet but stands out the most because:

It will look great on a transparent background because it has a very clear cut outline
It will easily translate to business cards and other promotional material
Is easy to change the colors.
Will be very easy for another designer to use or copy - like a web designer
Will be simple to blend in with a website look and feel

Needs to make everyone more prominent and add in magazine.

My other favourite is #131 by citali also.

Please don't forget to come back and show us the final design. You got some great feedback and I can't wait to see the finished product!

I like them all but I like 9, 7, and 6 the best. The ones with the skyline would you be changing that for every city? That might not work to well. I am no expert in design or logos in particular so my vote should not count for much.

I forgot to mention I think it is a brilliant idea with lots of potential. I wish you lots of success with it.

Paul:

Unfortunately, I find none of the remaining selections to be compelling. If forced to choose one, I'd go with 444.

On second thought, even 444 leaves a lot to be desired.

#445 is quite nice too.

I think the one with Michael Jackson on it does look great, nostalgic and direct to the point