I spent another couple hours on the logo concept. In Draft 4, I filled in the top and added the mysterious eye for the sake of seeing what it would look like. Kind of cheesy. The vertical hashes mean nothing. Empty design. It’s starting to look like a weird sea creature too!
I worked on the nurturing tree idea, by grabbing some of the old elements and adding a leaf. This I like better, though I’m not sure if “greek column” really is being communicated by the swirl. I may grab some books and research a bunch of ionic-style columns to distill the quintessential shape, but for now I kind of like the way this logo is going. I’m still using Arial Rounded, but it kind of works with this logo. Draft 5 is the first pass. Draft 6 changes some of the curves so they convey a slightly more vibrant feel; the variation between the two swirls makes them a tad more organic (not an obvious copy/paste), and the leaf is slightly curved upwards.
If I can’t think of anything better in the next few days, this will be the logo, and I’ll start picking some color schemes.
Tags: Logo
I like number 6. I see growing things — like your clients’ businesses. I also see why I’m not a designer — I can’t be bothered to spend that much time on a logo. I like seeing the improvement your investment makes, but would have no clue how to spend that time myself.
I think #06 looks great Dave. “Agenceum” is a quite floral/frilly word and the spirals complement that.
It’s a word I can picture being written in a calligraphic way/scripty font, but here you’ve got modern type with that arty touch elsewhere.
I like the length of the stem in 05. Feels more vibrant and growing.
Another vote for #6! I think simplicity is always the way forward. Plus, the regal looking v1 to v4 are not necessarily appropriate for you “super low budget” target client base.
Rich
Cricket: That’s interesting that you “can’t be bothered” to spend that much time. What’s more important to you? I’m not being confrontational, I’m just curious what is a better use of your time, from your perspective and with your particular priorities? I think this might be a clue to something I’ve been pondering for years.
Richard: Heh, “floral/frilly” is a good way to describe the word…like Chrysanthemum, perhaps! I am probably using the modern heavy font (which I still need to research for a slightly heavier version) because I want a weight to the logo (a firm foundation) from which things can grow (hence, the columns now transmuted into more flowery things).
Erin: Good eye! I was struggling with the stem to height ratio, and purposely tried suppressing it in #6 to make it more restrained. But perhaps I do want it to be more growing…the feeling of opportunity trumps the desire for stability, I think, and I should heed that because that’s the entire point of my life experimentation. NO MORE REINS!
Rich: That’s a great observation…”regal” is where it was going. Well, maybe it will be a nice logo for someone else someday
The right logo means everything, its worth the time investment, and if done right will produce serious results. If I had a nickel for everytime someone once said to me “I called those guys first because I loved their logo” I’d be alot richer.
Liking the direction of 06 the best so far. If it were me though I’d consider simplifying it more. The Agenceum strategy appears to target for “budding” businesses (perhaps a kinder way of saying “super low budget), businesses just breaking their “seed”, with aspirations towards “growing” and scaling upward!
The symbol of the leaf is a homerun in my book. So, whether that leaf is sprouting from a seed, showing promise, pushing upward, etc., thats inspirational symbology everyone immediately gets, and I think would connect with clients perhaps just starting out.
I feel you’ve confused the 06 illustration a little by carrying over sort that architectural element and trying to make it work, perhaps since you’ve made an emotional investment in that direction previously. Always feel free though to discard, especially if you happen upon something that really works.
However, if you really want to embed additional meaning with the idea that the Agenceum provides some kind of “structure for future growth”, you may want to play with adding in some kind of trellis/grid pattern for this leaf to climb on to. For fun you could also fall back to showing a vine climbing up perhaps the upper part of the top segment of an ionic column.
Lots of ways to play it, but I believe a logo has to tell a story, it impresses clients, and reassures them they have chosen the right service to work with! Have fun with it Dave!