A few logos not yet featured
I don’t often create a blog post for every logo I design. Coupled with a client recently asking why my portfolio was smaller than others, here’s a quick snapshot of some logos not previously shown.
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Update: 24 July 2008
The WDE logo and business card design has been featured with a brief insight of the process.
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Some were chosen, whilst others were concepts unfavoured by clients.
If you’d like an explanatory post for any of these, let me know by leaving a comment. I value your opinion.
If you want to know how I work, here’s my process.
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43 appreciated comments on “A few logos not yet featured”
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Fresh Drop and Hobby Store are so similar, they probably shouldn’t be next to eachother. If I were you, I’d try to keep the logos with the same gray font apart. Dang Orthopedics looks odd to me, with the line in the D, and your pointed ovals. I like clearwater and tender dove, they are unique and stronger than the others. I was wondering why you never use mixed-case.
Thanks for sharing! Where do you get your inspiration from? When designing a logo do you also create a seperate version for usage in signage? I mean when you blow up a logo it can have a different look/feel than a smaller version.
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Harris,
I switched things up a little, and uploaded a version where initial caps are used. It’s not that I never try mixed-case, just that these particular versions don’t.
Sander,
You’re very welcome. Here’s a blog post that mentions where my inspiration comes from. As for signage, the same logo should always be used for brand consistency.
If any of these were used, I would be curious to see how they were implemented on the company website.
Thanks for sharing David – I always enjoy seeing more of your work!
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All very nice, do like the clear water design.
I like most of these, especially Off the Rock. I must admit that I laughed at the name of Dang Orthopaedics, though. :-)
Any chance of a post for Off the Rock? I’d like to see any previous iterations of that logo.
Hmm, I hate to say anything that’s not constructive, but I’m a repro’ guy, not a designer. I like your designs, that’s why I read the blog, but here you’re presenting colour, greyscale and black and white versions of logos, and the greyscales just look soft. I know the need for a black and white, I just don’t think the greyscales use any printing options; where’s the screen patterns, choice of angle for single colour print? The colours are great and I’m sure sure you have hex references, but tell us more about how you made the greyscale and black and white logos.
Excellent logo’s as always David.
Blog numbers have shot up since my last visit.
Speak soon
Jamie
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LOVE Fresh Drop! That is a cool logo!
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Hi David,
I really love the Dang logo, I wondered about the relevance of the “leaves” but then I realised they illustrated a spine – very cool! I think of them all I would like to see more of your process for this one.
I also like London Walks, even though from looking at it I get no sense of what London Walks is. Perhaps this is because of a cultural or location difference – I’m from New Zealand. I just like the way this logo looks!
The off the rock logo is neat too, the symbol fits and will be recogniseable in any colour or size.
I like the symmetry of the Logo Design Love logo, offset by the heart looks great.
Group Writing Projects really does not work for me. The illustration looks like a bunch of theater seats, I’m not sure if it’s supposed to? And it is way to big in comparison to the text, which becomes barely readable at the smaller sizes. Perhaps if each word was a new line and aligned to the right of each row of seats? Perhaps show us your process for this one too so we can understand why you came to this result!
I love looking at your work David, it’s great inspiration to see your entire process.
I’d like to share with you a logo I made recently, for http://www.maku.co.nz – a site for my mother who has a hobby-business producing natural remedies.
You can either check out the site using the url above or go directly to an image of the logo:
http://www.maku.co.nz/images/logo.jpg
Thank you for your pearls of wisdom!
Anthea
The tender dove and clear water logos are the best imo, really enjoyed looking at them.
I would like to see some more info on the clear water logo..
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thanks for sharing with us some of your portfolio pieces, David. Great work. My favourite one on this list is Tender Dove logo. I’m curious to find out from you whether it was your or your client’s decision to stay only with a logotype with no logo for ChaseJarvis?
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I really liked the treatment of the logo for LONDON WALKS, I instantly saw the reference to a road sign (unless I really missed the point and it has nothing to do with that), it just looks nice and it communicates what I think it has to communicate.
Still, I would like to see a bigger version of it; it just caught my attention that you (seemingly) didn’t use Gill Sans for the type, being a typography so present in british signage and all around London. I even noticed how they used it in the movie “Children Of Men” in the posters and signs that can be seen in the film; of course the action takes place in London. Anyway, I believe it is a good type choice, and it can be seen as a nice departure from the usual Gill Sans approach.
Anyway, I tried to find more information about “London Walks” and I found what seems to be the official website, but they’re not using your logo, which is a pity; is this a very recent project?
I know sometimes a client pays for a logo but they end up not using it; we had such a case with a big company that exports tomato (and other vegetables) to the rest of Europe. Their logo was soooo… lame? Well, if only I told you the history of their logo, which we heard from the CEO himself… makes you laugh and cry at the same time, perhaps someday I will tell it. Okay: we proposed a new logo and website, make some sketches, just something done in 2 or 3 hours; then make a presentation and they love it! But… the CEO changes his mind and no matter how his close executives try to convince them that they should adopt a new corporate identity, he wouldn’t budge.
I also love O:-) the LOGODESIGNLOVE logo… My, what a recursive sentence that was!
So it’s you who did it!! Congratulations…
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Phyllis, Randa, Mike,
Thanks very much.
Joshua,
The Off The Rock design is a very recent one, and my client actually chose a different version to run with (although I preferred this idea over the final creation, which was mostly driven by them).
It’ll make for an interesting read, how that process panned out, so I’ll make a note to work on it soon. Cheers.
Mark,
As you work in repro, I’m sure I could learn a thing or two from your experience. The black logos were mainly created using 100% black, simply to present the appearance. The greyscale ones are the colour options switched to greyscale. This was done purely for the purpose of this blog post, and not final artwork.
Jamie,
I hope all’s well with you too. Lovely weather in Edinburgh today, isn’t it? :(
Kristarella,
The Fresh Drop design is another very recent one, and although a different design was chosen as the finished article (which should go live on a new web design shortly), I also liked the option shown above.
Anthea,
The working relationship with the Dang logo client didn’t go through to completion. It’s a funny one, even though they’d recommend me to others, they weren’t happy with any of the options I presented. The leaves are based upon the orthopaedic tree, which the client requested. Thanks for leaving your thoughts though, because the spine idea ties in somewhat.
As Angel picks up on, the London Walks logo is geared towards the London street signs you’d see if you were to use the walking tour company.
You make a good point about the Group Writing Projects logo. There’s a certain imbalance between the icon and text, and this was another where the client had a big input, moving away from the initial ideas I presented. I like the simplicity of your Maku logo. The idea works with the current website header.
Jermayn,
The Clear Water is one of my favourites too, and I’ll offer more info in the near future. Thanks.
Vivien,
Good question. For Chase’s design, it was his decision from the start to go with a logotype. We’ve yet to finish it up, as he spends most of his time jet-setting around the world. Some of his photography is amazing: Chase Jarvis: photography in motion
Angel,
You’re spot on with the London Walks idea. The project was placed on hold pending an indepth look at the legal side of using the street sign idea. Sadly, the local council have recently placed restrictions on using such a design for commercial purposes, and you need to pay a fee (which in this case I reckon would be pretty hefty).
Gill Sans was presented as an initial option, but the typeface shown in the street sign above is called Old Road Signs. It was used for British road signs prior to 1964, and a historical impression was aimed at with this design.
Great sentence!
Very good work David! The logos immediately appeal to the eye. I wonder what time you devote to each such project.
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Hi David
Good work. My fav has to be Fresh Drop and WDE. The Tender Dove is reminds me of Dove soap in many ways. What does that company do?
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London Walks – David, Im presuming the inspiration for that was the signs seen in London? I feel like that sign design is a very English image…am I right? I haven’t spent much time in England but that’s the thought I get when I see that logo.
I think it stands out so strongly because of that image used.
I just created a post you may be interested to see! :)
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Impressive as always.
I’d really love to see the design process behind the WDE engineering logo. Your creative process articles are fascinating and that particular logo blows me away — one of my favorites in your portfolio.
Does it break your heart when clients choose not to use something you’ve created? I think it would be tough to invest so much time in something and have them turn it down.
Awesome logos, David! I love seeing your art. I wish I had a creative bone in my body, but at least I know to leave things like that to experts like yourself.
Hmmm… It’s almost time to get a professional logo for my small law practice.
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I’ve always really liked your logo designs, David. They give me a lot of inspiration from your great use of simple shapes and colors. Love the “tender dove” one here :)
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Some nice work there David.
I initially saw the WDE logo as a Phillips screwdriver head, or maybe a drillbit/router head – is it based on any of those?
I love working on logos and identity but rarely get that sort of work. I need to find more!
Good work as ever David.
I like every logo there, even the group writing project though I don’t really understand the concept of it, the design of the type makes up for it.
I love the freshdrop logo, it’s almost exactly what I had in mind when I designed my temp logo for myself and what I was looking for when I hired you originally.
I’m glad you changed my mind though, although i wold have been very happy with something like that now, I think the logo we came up with will not have dated as much in 5/10 years. The freshdrop logo is stunning now but it’s more of a style of the moment with it’s web 2.0 look which won’t be around for ever.
What font does it use btw? I like it a lot!
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Hi Abhijeet,
Thanks for the compliment. Timeframes vary, usually between two weeks and two months (involving a fair bit of back and forth with the client).
Hello Umberto,
I had to be very careful creating the Tender Dove logo, so as not to encroach too much on the ‘Dove soap’ brand. Kind of difficult when using a simple dove icon, but I think this idea is far enough away. The company produces textile ranges, and this logo was for a sub-brand.
Brian,
You’re right about the London street sign. Sadly, I wasn’t the first to think of this idea (not surprising really), so this one isn’t going to be finalised.
evh,
The WDE logo is one of my favourites too. Thanks very much. It doesn’t break my heart when a client decides against using some of the ideas I present. What’s not great is when a client doesn’t want me to include the design in my portfolio, even though they’re delighted with the result. I have to respect such decisions though.
Andrew,
Should you wish to work with me on your law practice logo, it’d be a pleasure to help. Feel free to contact me anytime for a chat.
Tom,
That’s kind of you to say, cheers.
Steve,
Interesting what you saw for the WDE icon. Have another look, and tell me if you see the forks off a fork life truck. I wanted to create a strong, imposing icon, based upon this vehicle (primarly what the company deals with). The perspective is from beneath the forks, looking from in front of the truck.
Shaun,
The Group Writing Projects is one where the client drove the design quite far away from the initial ideas I presented, but I’m delighted that Jacob Share (my client) was happy with the outcome. He was kind enough to leave me a great testimonial too.
The typeface for the Fresh Drop idea above is Segoe UI.
I am not much into designing stuff but I think the logo’s what you have designed are simply awesome.I think you have done a wonderful job David.
Yup, I saw the fork lift (admittedly only after someone else mentioned it). It’s interesting to see a logo that can get that many variations that all work for engineering though.
Wow, those are some really nice logo’s there I just love em all, All of them have a nice neat and clear feel to them, very nice. I wish you can do a logo for my website, but I’m pretty sure I can’t afford you :)
The DANG logo is my fav :)
Professional logos for sure, you are talented. Good luck!
Wow. Some nice and fresh logo designs. Love the Fresh Drop logo especially. Keep up the good work!
My favs…
Tender Dove – beautiful form, lovely colours, just generally wonderful design.
Chase Jarvis – So simple, don’t quite know why I like it so much!
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Thanks a lot, everyone. It’s good to get your opinion.
David
It looks to me as though Westminster have bought the copyright (is it a registered design?) for existing street signs, so you may be alright with different wording – but, as you say, it would require a careful look.
Matt Wardman
Wow, David you really should enter some of these in the Communication Arts Design Competition. I was flipping through some of my prior CA design annuals and your logos are every bit as good (and better!) than some of the ones that win, imho.
My favorite is Fresh Drop. It looks so tasty! That’s a great color, too; it’s not very common. Normally I would think that showing the seeds is not a good thing for–a juice place?–but it balances the design quite nicely.
And Chase Jarvis! Wow!! I remember when you featured him here. His photos and the process to shoot them were quite amazing to look at.
Hello Matt,
I think there’s a London tourism initiative that have copyrighted a similar mark too. Either way, it’s one for the lawyers to decide.
Lauren,
Thanks! Fresh Drop is quite tasty. Not the chosen design though, but one I liked. It’s not for a juice drink company, but a domain name marketplace. Who’d have thought? Chase Jarvis is one of the best photographers I know. WIthout doubt.
Hi, really love your work. What’s the significance of the little strikethrough in the “D” on the “Dang” logo, please?
-Thanks! NK
Thanks very much, Nathan,
The strikethrough was added as the tie that bonds the orthopaedic tree to it’s post. It was part of the design brief.
Hi David,
We are starting a new company and we are looking for a logo work, business card, letter and stationary designs. I like your creative thinking behind each of these logos. I don’t know what is your availability in regards to new project. Let me know if you are taking on new project ? My cell is 310-560-8258. We are based in Southern California.
Jonathan
Thanks for your message, Jonathan. I’ll contact you today.
I really love the logos fresh drop, tender dove and dang. I think these ones stand out to me as I really like the subtle natural feel to the designs. All the logos are very good though. Very nice David.
Hi David,
I have spent hours and hours since discovering your website engrossed in your articles and design processes. I find it so useful to see the thoughts behind all your designs and also reading the feedback from others.
Your pay such attention to all the details and this really shows in your finished pieces, keep up the fantastic work.
I particularly like the Fresh Drop logo, any chance you can explain how you came up with this final design?
All the best,
Ellie
Hello Ellie,
That’s great you enjoyed some of my articles. I’ll see what I can do RE: the Fresh Drop logo.
I’ve always really liked your logo designs, David. They give me a lot of inspiration from your great use of simple shapes and colors. Love the “tender dove” one here :)
That’s good to know, Jim. Thanks for the comment.