I see the butterfly just fine, the only thing is that it seems a bit feminine which may not be the best image to represent your design studio.
But 513 reads well, and I do see the butterfly if that's what you're going for.

Ha, I am a woman so feminine is me all the way!

Kim,

i really like the butterfly mark. Not 100% sure about the spacing between the right 'feeler' and the 3, it seems slightly too tight. Also, have you tried replacing the upwards stroke on the 5 and implementing a ball terminal here as well? Might look more balanced. I'd love to see some subtle refinements to really bring it home.

Seb

PS. I have a few pointers about your website (even though you didn't ask for that) IM/email me if you are interested.

What are we looking at?

What are we looking at?

Kim's butterfly mark as seen in her avatar.

I'd appreciate pointers on my website! You can email me at TheStudio513@aol.com.

Thanks!

Oh! The butterfly. Umm...it's cute. I think you could go a step further and use some hand drawn calligraphy to give it a more organic feel. It's a bit rigid for a butterfly right now.

As for your site...it's an 5mb flash file. You're going to loose a chunk of your audience right there.

Hmm should I divide up into several flash pages? It is getting a little big. :(

I'm no fan of using Flash for your entire site. Like all things, Flash is best in moderation, IMHO...so I'm probably not the person to ask.

About your website, i don't see any reason why to use Flash at all as everything you are doing/showing can eassily be achieved in HTML/CSS. Why don't you look into a free blogging software such as Wordpress to show your work (have a look, this is what i use) - You don't have to be a technical whizzkid to implement it and it can be easily customised to meet your needs.

And this might just be a personal opinion, but it might be a good idea to remove that counter at the bottom of the page.

Ohhhh me likes flash. The counter is for other reasons, I'm trying to see how many people actually visit. It's only going to be there for a little while. Eventually, I'll take it off.

"Ohhhh me likes flash."

OK. We're just saying many people don't...especially when it is used for somethingthat could have been done without it.

"The counter is for other reasons, I’m trying to see how many people actually visit."

The counter won't tell you that. You need a web stats analysis tool...this is usually provided free by most competant web hosting companies. If not, there are 3rd party apps that can do it for you (like Google Analytics).

Hi Datura

Does the butterfly (and your tagline) describe what you do? If so, stick with the butterfly, but I think you could try to make it fly (it's a bit rigid for a butterfly).

Are you totally happy about '513'? Is it well-known among your customers? I mean, choosing a firm name because it is your grandmother's birthday is not the normal way of making an excellent firm name. I knew a person who set up a design firm called 'Magnolia' because she liked the movie. I would say that this is not the best approach.

--
soren olsen

Maybe I should explain a little more. I am no where near a "design firm." My full time job is for another company. This is more of a place for me to display my freelance work. I'm prob considered and amateur to the people on this site!

My tagline is "Embracing the butterfly effect." Which to me is a metaphor for the design process--how one thing effects another in the design itself.

About the 513--my grandmother was more of my mother and I lost her when I was 18, it changed my whole life. I feel like she is still watching over me which is why I named the studio after her. My goal is for her to be proud of me and my art.

My point is that you must not choose a firm name (no matter how small a firm) that becomes an obstacle. If your grandmother meant a lot to you, then fine. But if everyone that sees the mark misinterpret it, then you should not use it, but change to something else.

I was in fact only talking about principles. And choosing a name for personal reasons that are not obvious to the spectator _must_ be the wrong way of thinking.

That said, your mark probably works just fine. '513' has really no irrelavant connotations. I was more worried about the Magnolia case.

But one weakness about your mark is this: when people see, they go: "It reads 53" or "It reads 53 or 513" (the middle digit has a different style than the other two).

I like the way you have flipped the 5.

--
soren_olsen