The Garden on Park - logo

That little trail of text, to the right there? Lose it. Or do something better with it. I'd also get rid of the little leaf in the "G" and the "e"..that's just trying too hard.

I personally think the wheelbarow is an awfully awkward shape for a logo. Or maybe it's the fact that the text is visually misaligned in it. Try for something less "gimmicky"

Kudos for telling the client as it is though, even if they are just friends. Designers also have to be consultants in a sense, and not be shy to tell clients what works and what doesn't.

Thanks Penny. The leaf in the G & e, the clients like that and they like the "The" wrapped around the G like it is... That, they know for sure. I've tried just plain text but, and I quote "It's not enough".

This is a great illustration for a children's magazine about farmers' markets or something. It isn't a logo, though. All that teeny-weeny text, though cleverly worked into the handles of the wheelbarrow, will simply not "read" on a business card -- something your friend has already remarked on.

The old-fashioned wheelbarrow/flower cart is charming. If you want to use it, stencil The GARDEN on PARK" on the side, reversed out, maybe using a distressed stencil font to suggest the rough wooden surface of the cart. You could run that logo rather large on a business card and have some contact info run into it a little if you used a second, deeper color (brown, perhaps, or maybe even rose). It would look fabulous on French Speckletone card stock; two or three of their colors would work. Look at the French Web site to see what stock they have available in smallish quantities and get some to give to your printer. (Printers usually have to get whole palettes from French, which, understandably, they won't usually do.)

You might want to double-check what real wooden carts look like. The arrangement of wheels and handles on this don't quite ring true to me, but that doesn't mean much beyond that it's worth double-checking if a whole-souled organic gardener like me was a little thrown by the silhouette.

This will wind up being a very nice design, I'm sure. You're on the right track!

Train wreck. Next time please post a warning - you might blind some innocent bystander with that thing. BTW, is that a dead baby in the wheelbarrow?

Okay, I had some fun at your expense (hoping you're a good sport), but seriously - isn't my critique the closest to what you were already thinking? This logo is not working. I'd bet the house every one of your other 5 designs are better than this one too. So let's get right to the crux of the problem here... your fussy, indecisive clients. I would put the question to them - is it more important that they end up with a logo they LIKE - or that they end up with a logo that WORKS? You're the designer - they're the clients looking for professional advice. That means they need to listen to what you're saying. In the end, they will LOVE whatever logo you come up with if it works and they get positive feedback once it's out there in the world. Conversely, they'll hate both the logo AND you if people show up at their door looking to buy fertilizer and other garden supplies. IOW...

REBOOT!

Initial reaction: a baby in a wheelbarrow pointing at the sky with a Lisa Simpson kind of head. Almost like the garden variety of Rosemary's Baby...gave me the creeps.

I'd perhaps try my hand at a more sophisticated mark with a splash of fun MAYBE added in...will really hinge on what you work up next.

Oh wait. This isn't a farmers' market or garden shop? I didn't read the precis carefully enough. So now of course I see nothing but dead babies. And the point that people will show up at this eatery expecting to be able to stock up on flower seeds is one that shouldn't be ignored. Could we see the design YOU liked best before your clients fingered this one? I'm curious what you felt would be better for them. Maybe our reactions wold provide you with some ammunition.

Thanks for the dead baby joke... lol

I am a motion designer 1st and foremost, I spend about 10 hours of my day in front of AfterEffects and Final Cut. I am doing this because they don't have a lot of money to spend on graphics and such, since they are starting from nothing and are paying for coolers and freezers and ovens, etc. I don't do a whole lot of logos, I'm used to working with them after they have been made and they need to go into a commercial or presentations. So constructive criticism would be appreciated, as opposed to "dead babys".

Here are 4 of my earlier designs:

Now here is a banner they LOVE. I did not do this, a printer did this banner & I personally think it's horrible and that's why I stepped in and offered to do this for them for cheap:

Great work...now we're cookin....

I'd try comboing a few of your AWESOME elements and upping the size of your tagline. Nice work for being in another arm of the design field!

Cheers.
3dog

Absolutely - mama knows best. The tree also has potential. Being a non-designer you have to be concerned about trying to do too much. Less is more. You want simple, straightforward, iconic. These two fit that description - the others do not. So my advice at this point is talk them out of the Hobo font (which is almost as ugly as that poster, imho) and the curved "The". Maybe slightly adjust a couple of the leaves on the utensils so they don't all look like dupes of the same leaf.

BTW, the dead baby joke was said in a humorous vein - yes - but that was also my honest visceral reaction to the logo (mama also got the "creeps"). That's not a good sign for a restaurant logo.

Yes, I think bottom right is a great one. Change up the font and you've got something, there!

Thanks for the input guys! I like that rendition 3dogmama did too. I will play with that and the one with the tree a little bit more. I asked around for a good site to get a quality critique and Creative Bits was highly recommended by a few of the designers in the office. I'm glad I signed up. I will keep you posted on the outcome of this since you all have helped tremendously.

The two bottom ones are the best, I think -- the tree and the knife/fork spoon with leaves, which is charming. They're simple, get the point across that it's an eatery, and will "read" from a distance. Your clients might be font of that 60's font, but I think it's too clunky. The lower right one would have my vote if I had to choose only one. These guys are lucky to have you as a resource!

Well... Thanks everyone, but they don't like either of those either. I am completely out of ideas at this point, and I'm fairly convinced they don't even know what they want. If anyone has any thoughts, I'm willing to listen. The only thing they gave me to go by was "light and fresh" and then gave me muted colors and a bold font to work with.

Too bad...I thought your initial renderings were quite elegant and well done.

And my condolences...don't you just love having to break out the crystal ball to get the job done?!

First off, I'd stay away now from the park tree thing...it appears that they aren't too keen on that direction.

You could try:
- stacking the text "Garden on Park" with "The" still downplayed;
- text on an angled funky bowl or circular to denote a plate;
- reverse out images in the text's negative space.

Good luck with this one. I don't envy you.
Cheers.
3dog

Art, that was a good idea about asking them to find 5 restaurant logos they like. I sent my friend an email suggesting they do that and requested a face to face.

So last night I asked my friend what they wanted. And I got back "something that doesn't look computer generated". In my opinion, that style looks kids like and they are trying to cater to a more "upscale" audience. Seeing as you all are true designers and I'm dabbling in graphic design here, could you all point me in a direction of where I can see some good examples of more hand drawn type designs that don't look childish?

I forgot I did this also, as I was throwing things on the wall to see what sticks. She also told me that they now are leaning more toward this one because it has a non-computer generated look, according to them. Looking at it now, based on what everyone said a logo should and needs to be, it isn't at all working either. Plus, that color combination doesn't seem all that appetizing either.

On the up side, I did talk them into "humoring me" in exploring other font choices. Now, my question is, on My Fonts and Sudtipos, am I able to try them in my designs somehow before I buy a font they end up not liking? Or, for that matter, buy multiple fonts until I find one they like? Or not like any of them at all....