changes made

is it supposed to be a fingerprint?

While this is a nice change from your beginning iterations, I think this may come across as automotive, in fact, it reminds me of Autozone (www.autozone.com) which is a car parts store if you're not familiar with the franchise.

The type treatment of "Zilpher" with the red text, gray outline, and black stroke seem very mechanical in nature. And the "evolution by design" tagline is also very clean and tech-y. If tech is what you're going for, you're on the right track.

However, for a design firm, I'm not sure it's hitting the target market you're potentially aiming for. A good idea would be to google other design firms in your area and see what your competition is doing. Figure out exactly who your target market is. Then do something that stands out from the crowd and sets you apart.

What always helps me is I look at all the award-winning designs and I take them apart and see what makes them work. I think you'll find that 99.9% have a clear concise message behind their identity system.

Keep going and try new directions!

Not liking the Z thing...

Still don't like the fingerprint motif.

SIMPLIFY.

The Z-thumbprint thingy needs work, bad. Edges need refinement. Ask yourself, why are you doing the thumbprint? How important is it to keep?

Typography is nice, not sure it is the best font face for your use though. Reminds me of a motorcycle company or something?

< old cronies > Since you seem pretty much married to this design and typeface you need to finesse it a whole lot. I would still argue that the graphic is a mess and the typography looks woefully outdated. < /old cronies >

1. Tagline: fix the kerning, there are big flaws. Fix the word spacing too ... logos require more care than default settings.

2. Tagline: the shape of the "Y" is dreadful and the placement calls even more attention to how ugly it is.

3. Tagline: in print the tint on the type will look horrible at small point sizes

4. Headline: fix the type's double outline. The inner gray outline is too thick at unions and inconsistent throughout

5. Graphic: A blood red grunge pinwheel ... please, give us a clue. By the way, is that a happy face in its center?

6. What is "Evolution by Design" suppose to mean and how does it in any way relate to the graphic? The problem is that the question even comes up ... and for a successful logo that might be a big issue.

The graphic says "trendy grunge skate culture". The headline says 1980 Auto Supply Store. The tagline with this imagery seems to say Zilpher is a rad Creationist ... Darwinists beware! :)

Advise ... start over in a completely new direction.

Stop squeezing it all together.
Spread things out a little more.
It's taken me three attempts at looking at this to even notice the tag line due tot he proximity of it to the main name.

Did you actually sit and chose a colour palette first?
If not, go and do that now before you revise it.
Choose some colours that work well together and then experiment with them on different parts of the logo.

Red, black, grey and white reminds me of the colour most people had their kitchens painted in the 1980s.

P.S. I keep reading it a ZUPHER with that stroke there.

9 Rules to Logo Design

everyone can learn alot there... some REALLY strong points.

I find the name Zilpher really interesting, and something strong could easily be done with it. You're headed in a better direction, much better one, it just needs to be massaged/finessed/fine tuned (whichever damn word people like hahaha).

With that said, i'm curious of one thing. Do you sketch freehand before sitting at the computer or do you just open up illustrator right away?

Again, everyone should take the time to read that link when it comes to logo stuff.

I totally agree with GaryW's comment about you being overly attached to this particular concept. (That happens when you jump right to the computer and invest time and energy playing with one particular idea)

Let go of the current design. (Put it away and don't look at it for a week as it's limiting your level of thought)

=======================================
Here's a design process I use for logos
=======================================
[1] Fill out Ivan's great identity questionaire
http://creativebits.org/corporate_identity_client_questionnaire
[2] With those aspects of a business in mind I'll fill a sheet of paper with 25-30 initial pencil sketches. (The goal is to capture a variety of possibilities and letter form combinations)
[3] On a new sheet I'll trace the best aspects from the first to create a revised set of design ideas. I continue to fill sheets in 1-2 hours sessions over the course of a week. (Don't forget to rotate pages 180 degrees looking for interesting ideas. You'd be amazed what you see upside down)

--------------------------
[4] Take a break
--------------------------
I set everything aside and don't look at it for 2-3 days. This gives my mind some time to 'process' all of the new information and provides a 'fresh perspective' when I come back to continue.

[5] I read the questionaire again and evaluate the original concepts with the understanding that I want to narrow it down to 3-5 core designs.
[6] I create refined pencil sketches of each.
[7] The selected ideas are scanned into the computer and I use them as templates in Illustrator to convert everything to vector.
[8] I select anywhere from 5-50 typefaces for consideration.
[9] I explore color combinations and prepare final comps.
[10] Final comps are shown to others for reaction.
[11] Logo designs are filtered down to 1-2 and refined (on occasion an idea from one discarded is incorporated into the final set)
[12] Final logo selection and print preparation.

Good logo design is a very involved process and often takes weeks to months to years to get it right.

On the outside looking in it seems you have skipped important steps and are cranking these new iterations out every few hours. Hopefully an aspect of this helps you with the design process.

Here is another process overview. (Amazing work!)
http://rajasandhu.com/graphic_design_rates/graphic_design_rates.html

P.S. Raja's logo only took him 3 years. ;)

most of those rules I've never followed ... but I have a system that works well for me.

I research as much as I can about the client ... but a formal questionaire would make my head explode.

I'll jot down conceptual ideas on paper, but I do all my design on my computer. 99% percent of it anyway.

I do all my initial design in inDesign ... because I'm most competent in that app. I can work quickly with typography, for me that's the main thing.

If I don't immediately have an inclination for the typography I'll display the text in FontAgent and scroll through all my font libraries, activating the ones I want.

I always design in color. I'll always show a client an initial presentation in color, usually as a PDF. Most cases an initial presentation can be produced in a matter of days. Once preliminary designs meet client approval and move on to revisions and production, that may take a lot more time to complete.

Sometimes there's a mental block and a solution isn't found quickly, other times it happens on the spot (and I can feel a little guilt about charging a flat fee).

The thing is finding your own formula on how to work efficiently. This crit with Zilpher seems highly inefficient because on a third draft we're still covering the same ground.

Using the same basic graphic elements that Zilpher has shown I would come up with at least 12 ways to design it. I bet it would take 10 minutes on each. Then at least there's some variety of design (although he's still without a solid concept).

This critique has some great links on brainstorming and developing a logo, which is a great idea to start some new thoughts and ideas, I think. But, being a critique thread, I'll tell you a few specifics that I don't or do like.

One, I don't like the font. Simply put, it looks like something off of a snowboard. Second, Also, you might want to be careful about using red and black together. It can turn grunge into blood. Finally, I haven't critiqued your earlier concepts, but I've seen some - and you seem VERY set on using a fingerprint/zebra stripe stuff. I'm not sure why, and in my head it doesn't at all connect to design. (This has probably been stated a over and over, but bear with me.) I would ditch it for a while, and as stated earlier, forget it so you can come up with something totally fresh.

I agree with Plugz, space things out. No need to cram. Specifically the tag line.

------------
Perfectly Lost Designs