Hi Addison,

just a couple of spontaneous thoughts as they come to my mind:

1) First off, is that a comma after "catering"?

2) Personally, I'm not too much fond of off the peg letters along curves (it's something different with handmade letters) and the combination with an cursive-all-caps-with-expert-T's setting doesn't tend to have me change my mind. To me, especially the cursives seem too much in combination with the arced text. The T's as such are nice. The curved text does look less serious than the straight one.

3) I'm a bit undecided about whether the sharp, high-contrast letters ("Enviting Events") go good together with the uniform stroke width and the sketchy freehand feeling of the graphic. They might, I think. I guess I'm just not too happy with the letters - for some reason I don't yet know how to elaborate.

jpg

I was looking at the E in Edwardian Script Alternates and
thought, hmmm.

You have two words that start with E, maybe you can
use that in conjuring up something.

The red brackets distract, imo. (because of the color change.)

Also, you might take a look at some flourishes, such as the ones
that accompany Bickham Script.

I think you could do something flourish-ish with a spoon
and fork, etc.

bj

sorry, here are links

Edwardian Script by Ed Benguiat
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/itc-edwardian-script/

Bickham Script by Richard Lipton
http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/P/P_1421.jhtml

That is a comma after catering, and I suppose I don't need it. Thanks.

The serif type is Storm's Antique Moderne, and I was going for contrast between the type and the mark -- kind of an eclectic feel I guess (and I'm a sucker for those swash Ts). Perhaps a type that relates better to the graphic will do the trick... I'll try some things.

Sorry I didn't mention before -- they specifically wanted to stay away from "swirly and frilly." I've explored some options with the two Es and wasn't happy, but I'll revisit those sketches. Thanks for the type links, Bickham is one of my favorites.

I'll try to post some more options tonight.

Thanks for your advice,
Addison

'enviting'? Too cute and now impossible to spell. ;o)

But the logo is nice. However, the clean formal type + hard-line frame conflicts with the casual illustration. I'd suggest removing both the frame and the brackets, as they are just extraneous and distract from the type and mark...the two items that should be the focus.

'enviting'? Too cute and now impossible to spell. ;o)

I know. One of the women has an MBA and insists that "Enviting" makes the name more unique and memorable. On top of that, she likes it because E comes before I in the yellow pages. How can you argue with that?

I appreciate your comments, Darrel. I need to simplify.

-Addison

Here are a couple of sribbled concepts

Hi Addison

I think the drawing is perfect and I would keep it. I also like the type choice (the second arrangement, not the type on a curve) and the contrast of styles between the casual graphic and the formal type. I think this works because the people planning these kind of events (your client's customers) are going for this combination of casual elegance in their parties. (Although that's just a guess because I'm definitely not part of that world.)

Either element by itself would be either too casual or too formal, but combined they really play off each other nicely.

The graphic also has a soft, "girly" kind of vibe which I think would appeal to the kind of person planning parties like this.

The frame around the outside of the whole thing -- I don't see how it adds anything. I thought maybe that was to indicate the edge of a business card (is it?).

The brackets around the second statement add an element of whimsy that I think works here. I might think about colors other than black and red. Maybe if the red wasn't so bright but more of a burgandy, which might look good paired with a gray (instead of the black).

Overall I think you are very close to a really nice solution for your target audience.

Rob

I've got to run some errands, but I wanted to post some other options per everyone's advice. These are only typographic revisions. Oh, and sorry about the borders, I should have known better. Here they are -- I'll explain later.

Thanks for all your comments,
Addison

The third type selection matches the graphic the best.

I'm think I'm gonna go with Eric Sans for the presentation. It has a more youthful look and seems to better represent the three women starting the business. Thanks for pushing me to try some different treatments.

Scott, I had explored the Es in purely typographic ways as well as with silverware and the envelope/invitation idea, but nothing seemed to click. However, I appreciate your sketches, they got my wheels turning again. I'm going to sleep on it.

The red color was their suggestion -- they wanted bold. I suppose it will help separate them from the muted pastels and Martha Stewart colors that dominate most of that profession. Any ideas?

Here's the final for now:



Thanks again to everyone for their help,
Addison

Very good. This type treatment is the only one so far that manages to make the spelling look deliberate, as opposed to simply ignorant.

I can't work with people like that. I would be unable to resist including a version that said "(sic)" in the middle.

Thanks, Kevin. I'm very happy that I posted this to get some feedback. It's been extremely helpful.

As far as working with difficult clients, I've had some real hum-dingers. It's hard not be offending sometimes while trying to be helpful. With these women, for instance, my strongest complaint was people who only hear the name won't be able to find them -- they will look under "i" in the yellow pages instead of "e". Their name will eventually become, "Enviting Events spelled with an e instead of an i." But it was their idea and they do not want to let go of it. It's frustrating.

-Addison

I like the final solution a lot. The brackets were definitely not needed. The only suggestion would be to try bumping up the weight of both the illustration and the type just a tad. The composition seems a bit light as if it weren't 'hit' hard enough on press.

BTW, regarding the brackets, people often hate the brackets... why is that?

I think your going with the right direction for presentation. I agree with Darrel that some additional weight is needed, at least with the type

Nice, Addison. Much better.

Thanks, guys. I'm going to fine-tune things and present it. I'll let you know how it goes.

-Addison

Addison, If they want classy try getting them to make the logo printed as a pastel emboss or stamp. The contrast between the gloss of the logo and the matte of the paper would be dramatic. Ask your local printer if he/she can get a sample to show your clients, also contact a paper company like Strathmore.

Tiffany,

I do need to fine-tune the weights of the mark and the type -- Eric Sans is very light, definitely a display type. I may use Gill Sans for the the "Weddings, Catering & Event Planning." Does anyone think it's possible to stroke the type to get the right weight and then finalize it in outlines? (Does that make sense?) I'm hesitant to modify the points and curves "manually" because of the subtle tapers -- I'm afraid of screwing it up.

The apex of the envelope is pretty much a dot right now. Does it need some polishing?

Thanks,
Addison

Addison, if you are using Adobe Illustrator you can easily add another stroke in the Appearances menu and it won't hurt your type. You don't need to play with the points or curves.

but after stroking, be sure to expand the outlines to the final end-result is solid figures. Nothing annoys me more than having to make modifications to someone else's identity files only to find that the original designer created all the weights with varying strokes.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the logo was very well received by all three of the women. When I get business card samples, I'll see if can can post some scans. I really appreciate everyone's time and help with this. Hope I can return the favor.

Thanks,
Addison

I like all three of those type treatments (minus the fancy
brackets which are unnecessary and distracting ornaments).
It depends on whether the women want to seem traditional
and classy (Salmiak) or contemporary and classy (Eric Sans).

Addison - I didn't like the brackets because in this case they
added distraction to an already text-heavy logo. But I can
be a sucker for their beautiful forms if the settings is right.

Your final looks great. It may need a darker/heavier version
smaller uses (1 inch and under).

Not that this matters, because you've eliminated the brackets, but I don't think they were necessary to begin with. The smaller size already implies the fact that it is describing what "Enviting Events" does. Brackets can be lovely and can also add to a design, but I think in this instance that were superfluous.

Good choice on the type, and I also agree with Stephen's comments about needing a bolder version for smaller sizes. Your printer is going to have a coronary trying to get this type to print at small sizes.

Does the apex on your envelope need further visual description?