Don't mind the 'we' part, but 'collaborative' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and at first I even thought it might not be a real word until I looked it up in a dictionary.

I don't think any of the logos where youv'e used the 2 c shapes to form the w work (1, 3 & 9). It just doesn't look like a w. Number 2 has that grungy feel and could work in certain environments. I quite like 5, it has a lotus flower sort of feel and once colour is introduced could work quite well. I also like number 6. if there were 3 of you in the company it would be a clever play to make the w out of one 3 and the c out of another. I just don't like the name.

I dig 2 and 3. Number 2 is the coolest, but I don't know if it looks "really professional"; number 3 is cool for the simplicity.

I think the W is very legible. I disagree with the first persons comments about that completely.

That being said, I like number 5. I would make the symbol three colours though, rather than just two. And if you MUST use only 2, then make the W one shade and the C another.

My second choice is number 1, and it's not my first choice only because it dosen't strike me as original, I've seen similar logos before....maybe brand:nu? I can't put my finger on it...

Although looking a bit dated, number 8 is good too.

Go with number 5, it has a nice "bauhaus" style to it which will always look good. And once you add colour, that logo will pop.

First off, I designed my first logo for my freelance biz 4 years ago and it was the TOUGHEST design assignment I ever tackled. I feel your pain.

My votes: I'm thinking #3 or #5. However...

Trouble is, I'm not really seeing much of what you do in the name or in the logo. I'm leaning by accident toward reading your biz name as 'web collaborative' which isn't really correct, and the collaborative doesn't really denote print design to me; it's more artsy than anything. Like an Art Collective (Collaborative). A simpler version might be We Collaborate? Or just Collaborate?

Second, I think the icon is too literal (using the letters WEC in different combinations isn't very imaginative). Can you do some further brainstorming to break out of this box?

They are some great sketches, but not for a future design firm; more for a student project. Hope that doesn't sound harsh. Try to encapsulate your well worded mission statement into an icon, and then tweak your business name to match.
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Powerpoint is not a design application

The first one isn't very legible and I agree with the poster who said the C shapes don't look like a W. They look like tilted Cs. (Though I like the shape you've created in #3, I just don't see a WC)
I agree with you that 5 is too heavy.
I do like the type treatment you've used for the smaller text: wecollaborative

I'm not digging the 'wc' or 'wec' direction but you could just modify it into 'we'.

BTW: What's your partners last name? (Praying it starts with a C)

If it's a C name you could justify making the 'w' out of the two 'c's' and it would have a hidden meaning. (Campbell and Cooper)

Thanks for all the replies. I'm off to work for the day and will get a chance to respond to them all later. Creative NRG, i've entertained that idea but there's something I don't like about the horizontal line in the e (damn these limiting 26 characters hahaha). I've tried, and am open to suggestions on how, to make it look like a lower case e, without that line.

Natobasso, what we are looking for, and are designing for, is a "logotype" of sorts, rather than an iconic logo. If we can kill two birds with one stone I think we're set, but we are looking for a type-influenced design.

More on this later. Off to pour artful cappuccini.
Ciao!
Jesse

This time from your friendly neighborhood domineditrix. Using an adjective as if it were a noun might seem creative, but it may tell potential clients that you have a problem with English.

"We collaborative."

"Me Jane."

See what I mean?

But that aside, I think your friends and family are wrong about #5. You're right. May I cast a vote for #4? I can see, though, how the registration mark feeling of it might pin you down in people's minds to strictly print media.

Mara

I love the look and feel of #2. The attitude speaks of creativity. The calligraphic letterforms are bound within a frame which speaks of "union" and collaboration. It brands the firm as being more humanistic and less corporate. It speaks of individuality and uniqueness, 'hands-on' and expressive ... all good things in a world of design firms with hard edge corporate logos.

Yes, this design fits in a "professional" environment and should be considered as a good choice ... and the name "We" stands on it's own as a creative name. It implies the collaborative goes beyond the design firm (referring to yourselves) and that you're talking about the client too.
I would suggest a study to edit what you have to just a simple calligraphic "We" with a typeset "collaborative" as a tagline.

i have sweated the task of making my own logo, it wasnt fun at all!
my vote is for number three. no question!