Typophile

Trent's Prints

Tom Cannon

Two years ago I created a logo for a company called Trent's Prints. The company sells artwork by Trent Altman who also has autism.

The company wants to build a website and make brochures, catelogs, etc. Until now the logo has been on business cards only and before alot of money is put into things I want to make the logo better.

The font used is Rundfunk. Adobe Garamond is used as the secondary type. My customer liked Rundfunk because it has an "artsy" feel. The icon is a "T" brushed to give a feel for what the company sells. Pms 262 is the color used for the purple and pms 241 is used for the pink.



(The purple appears duller than it really is)

The brush stroke looks like an airplane to me.

I like that Rundfunk font, though I think it calls for a more radical companion than Adobe Garamond. I'm thinking that Vendetta Italic might look better.

Also, don't forget your curly quotes on the slogan.

Actually, I don't see why it should need quotation marks at all.

Why do you have a dead guy on the ground above the type?

- Yes, that's an airplane. Or maybe a really stiff bird (that just pooped).
- The Adobe Garamond is too soft. Vendetta is a great suggestion.
- I'd bring the apostrophe down to inside the "T".
- I would make the rule much shorter.

hhp

I think as long as it is a "T" it will look like all of those things (except I don't get the dead guy association). Is it hurting the logo? I am curious to know.

Hrant and Chris, I worked on your suggestions. I see what you mean by the type treatment.

Bring the pointsize down for the slogan, and increase the tracking, it's very crowded.

I think I liked the apostrophe above the text better.

For the apostrophe I actually meant putting it lower, a little bit inside the "T".

hhp

I do like the apostrophe above the line of lettering. I have decreased the point size and added kerning. I also altered the icon so it doesn't look like a bird or airplane...or a dead guy.

is the line rule too thick?

I can't tell without playing with it.

Rundfink really wears my eyes out with all that vibrating.

I like the mark.

I am willing to try new typefaces in place of Rundfunk if anyone has any suggestions.

I actually think the type works.

hhp

Here is what I am presenting to the client tomorrow. I want to thank everyone who helped me on the logo.

I still say the slogan should be more open, but I like the rest.

<font class="dontLookLikeCrap">

Chris,

Do you mean I should increase the kerning and lower the poin size?

I'm sure he means increase the tracking.

BTW, I would also lower the rule a hair.

hhp

double post, d'oh!

What Hrant said, increase the tracking. Also bring the size down a bit.

Is this better?

Disregard last post. I think this is what you are telling me to do.

The slogan, not the title. "Trent's Prints" was fine. Open "Breaking through autism with artistic expression" more and make it a bit smaller.

I read the post too fast. I see now where you said "slogan".

I like your suggestions Tiffany. Below is the logo without the rule and I think it is better without it. Also below is what Eunoia Condensed would look like. I would rather not stack the slogan because I don't want too much importance on the slogan. I do like the period at the end.


Eunoia is boring compared to Rundfunk. Not keen on it at all myself.

I like Eunoia too. It just seems to match better - more serious or mature.

There was something rigid or "computery" about Rundfunk...that dosen't seem to have much ado about Trent's prints

Rundfunk makes it more interesting to look at for me. Eunoia just looks like it's floating there with nothing better to do. It's not as engaging.

I stuck with Rundfunk because my client loves it. I see what you are saying about the business Tiffany, but I think I look at Rundfunk as playful more than you. Runkfunk does call attention to itself, but I feel that by adding tracking I decreased the activity.

The bookmarks were taken to the printer today. I didn't have alot of time to play unfortunitely. My clients are happy with the end result.

"My clients are happy with the end result."

In the end, that's what really counts. Even if you did it entirely with Arial, and the client made you put a picture of their dog faced kid in it, as long as they're happy... At least you don't have to put it in your portfolio, heh.

Tom, I've been thinking about this, and reading what the others have been saying. It seems to me, that while the illustrative part of this is playful and organic the type is toooo rigid, and I'm not referring to the Vendetta, not necessarily. The rundfunk seems to call so much attention to itself (to me) that the illust. loses it's impact.


What about typefaces with similar bone structure, but without being "fussy"? Nick Shinn's Eunoia Regular? It has the same contrast as Rundfunk. You might even think about something without so much contrast.

Just ideas.

More spacing in the Vendetta was a good call.

Do you "need" the rule at all? It also seems to drive away from the illustration more than it helps.

One more thing. What if you stacked the slogan and made it a little bigger opting for the lighter weight?

Breaking through Autism
with Artistic Expression.

I think it makes too much of a statement not to be punctuated too.

Tom, I think Eunoia is better. Do you think the name is too big? Do you think if you scaled it down, oh about 85% it would be in better relation to the slogan? Do you think the whitespace around the illust is uneven, could the type be moved down? Is there not enough space in between the company name and the slogan in relation to how much space you have in between the letters of the company name?

Just thoughts.

I disagree with you Chris. I recommended something less decorative because the logo (illustration) seems to me to be the most important part of this. The "artistic expression" is in the illus ... the type was too dominant and not allowing a more natural hierarchy. Not everything in any given compostion can do the shouting.

True, true. Tom, I was only making suggestions. :-)

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