Logo/Bizcard for a new gourmet oil, vinegar & spice shop
mara06 (2548 pencils) | Fri, 2011-09-09 22:53
This has been approved by the client and printed materials are already in production, so it's late in the game for me to offer it for critique, but I'd like your feedback.
I'm using various combinations of 4 different colors ranging from olive green to warm spicy colors for spice jar labels, screen printing on tall, skinny dark green olive oil and vinegar bottles, and so on. Everything is on the same pale ivory color background as the business card shown here.
The logo will grace two rather dark, but large, windows flanking the entry of a 19th century brick building whose wood trim is also painted in these colors. It stands on a corner in an historic neighborhood of trendy food-oriented shops and restaurants. Would you do the logo all in ivory for max visibility, or would you go for lighter colors of the basic palette?
Thanks for your attention and comments.
Mara
Commenting on this Image is closed.
all i can see is a face.
Definitely a face.
O.o. I must have uploaded wrong. I'll try again. Thank you!
Mara
Are you guys saying the logo looks like a face, or that you're not seeing the logo at all?
Mara
The A and E make the yes, the giant S the nose, and the smiling green line the mouth. The line right underneath works as a chin.
Really? Oh wow. I don't see that at all. But you know what? I'm thinking it wouldn't be an entirely bad thing for this shop. It's supposed to be a very friendly, communal place, all about personal taste and pleasure.
Mara
well congrats on a big-ass-happy-accident!
wgzn -- I don't know how happy an accident it was, but now at least I won't be surprised if somebody else says something. It's a done deal, so I've learned my lesson. Here first, then client!
Mara
do you see the face now?
if anyone mentions it. act like t was intentional ; )
wgzn -- I like the way you think! :)
Mara
Think it implies a face more than actually looks like one.
I like it. The one thing I'd like to see is all the letters in TASTE the same weight as the S. You also have a little kerning problem with VINEGAR that you can still fix (after approval) if you're motivated - the "VINE" is not as tight as the "GAR".
Art D -- Yikes! How did that happen? My logo DOES give equal weight to all the letters in the word "TASTE." In this biz card layout, somehow the stroke on the non-S letters lost a point. Excuse me while I get in touch with the printer to stop the presses! I love you, thank you.
Update: Rats. The job's already printed. The printer could see that issue, too, but he thought it was part of the design and kind of liked it. He said it made the "S" seem like a tongue. Thanks again, Art. You have a sharp eye! I'll double-check all iterations of this logo before it goes out on anything else. Now? I'm going to go out an buy myself a nice little cup of gelato and pretend none of this is happening ;-)
Mara
this is why you should NEVER go to print with stroked text.
Here's an edit. (Sorry, I don't have time right now to work out why it's compressing horizontally when I upload it.) The printing on this is so cheap, I'll just get it redone for my client and chalk it up to experience. In this edit, I also adjusted the kerning that ArtD mentioned. Better? Thanks, all.
Mara
Yes, but this time you didn't blur out the info. So now we can freely harrass them through many different means of contact.
If you're planning on reprinting, the last change I would make is to raise the dot on all the E's, so that it's level with the A dot. None of your other letters have that extra low midline, it looks weird.
Mr. Coupon, I fix that non-blurred thing. You are all on your honor not to poach my client! ;-)
If you lower a guide to the bottom of the dots, you'll see that they do actually line up. Out of the box, the font had an even lower placement of the A dots, which the client didn't like, so I raised it to be on the same level as the dots in the E. After that, since I saw the same "optical illusion" as you are seeing, I tried nudging it even higher, but that really didn't look right, so I left it where it was.
Isn't it amazing the minute things we tear our hair out about in this business?
Mara
Like it better and always glad to help.
BTW, I thought you did that on purpose as well - I can see it working either way. Of course the best case scenario is to have the cards match everything else. ;-)
Art D., it's early days yet (store opens in 3 weeks), so I'll have a chance to coordinate everything going forward, starting with reprinting the cards. They'll only have to live with these bad babies for a few days.
Mara
the "S" on "Spice" is too much different from the main "S"
yes I'm brazilian xD
Ah yes. I see that. How did I miss it before? Thanks!
Mara
now i get y u tear us apart when we upload our own logos for critique. On other news, i cant wait 4 wgzn to upload something....it would b a pleasure XD!
Welcome, Scadden. I hope you'll find this community to be as helpful as I have. It takes time to sort out the personalities and get used to the snark, but it's worth it!
I was very close to being able to go to Kenya several years ago, to volunteer on an archeological project through the University of Nairobi. It broke my heart to have to give up that opportunity. I had even learned some Swahili (only a little of which I still remember.) Yours is a very beautiful and interesting country. I look forward to seeing some of your design work.
Bahati nzuri!
Edit: Oh, I see. You were just a troll. Too bad.
Mara
no am not! Hahaha! Yes am kenyan n th desyn scene here is pretty laughable...all corparates who can afford it have their work done abroad. I am actually an artist, bt i sort of fell in love wit th science n aesthetics behind design...so av been at it for quite a while. Am sucking up all the experience n info i can get, n i feel lyk i joined too late. Getting th hang of it though. Thnx to receptive n relatable people lyk u...i now c how u got all those pencils!
In other news, i study at kenyatta university.Ba. Fine art. I hang alot at nairobi university though! Glad to knw that thea r people out there who know us for more than just athletics and marathons! ...and knw more phrases in swahili than jurt hakuna matata and jambo haha! Ahsante sana!
Good! I'm relieved. :)
It is ironic that European and American artists base a lot of their sense of design on African motifs, yet in the birthplace of those motifs, "local" art isn't acceptable. So weird.
Be sure to post some of your work. I'd love to see what you're working on.
Kuwa na furaha!
Mara
i will !! Got loads of things that need critique...
Siku njema!(got it?)