I'm sorry, I don't read that as reese at all. It just looks like a jumble to me. Have you tried just connecting the letters?

have you tried a much more straightforward approach?
i'm not saying this is it, but just to try:

Thank you both for your replies and thoughts!

Patty -- I tried that a bit, specifically the second E into the s, and the s into the third e. the transition between the two es, as well as between the r and the e, seemed awkward...though maybe there's a graceful way to accomplish it that I missed.

Chuck--I like where you're going w/ the straightforward approach. I suppose I worry about that being a little less memorable. What are the pros that you see in using that kind of approach? That lowercase r does make for a nice mark :)

reese:
i would say this: close your eyes for a moment. (really)
think about the first few logos that come to mind. they are the most immediately memorable to you.

i'll bet they were very simple marks. the nike swoosh. the macintosh apple. ibm. 3m...
it's my opinion that the most memorable marks are the most succinct marks. not to say simple, but succinct -- saying what they need to directly, cleanly and clearly. like the gettysburg address. 286 words. wow.

an interesting note:

Boy Scout Oath: 40 words.
The 10 Commandments: 179 words.
The Gettysburg address: 286 words.
The Declaration of Independence: 1,300 words.
The US Government regulations on the sale of cabbage: 26,911 words.

LOL. Thanks, Chuck. I particularly liked the last one ;)

Thank you also for your idea--you make a strong point about memorable marks being quite succinct. I always found the Nike swoosh story endearing. And I need to remember that the logo is not the be all and end all. Nike's brand is strong today not because of the swoosh, but because of everything else. The swoosh is just an immediate way to identify it.

Thank you again. Most appreciated.

oh my, can i tell you something COOL? I don't know why this didn't occur to me.

My husband is my business partner. His name is Jason. Check out that r. Flip it, and you've got a j. I've tried, for a LONG time, to find a mark that could somehow represent us both. He disliked what I would do, and I dislike the ones he created.

Yet..now we have a J and and R. I could keep it just that simple r, or I could try to play around to represent the J, too...though really it accomplishes both. Astute clients may realize this, but it doesn't require them to realize it to be a strong mark.

I got that font for its "s", actually. But now...the r may very well have saved me. Thank you again. truly.

Here's what I worked on briefly. Needs a bit of help with spacing, etc. I think the 3rd and 4th ones down are the strongest in terms of balance, proportions, etc. I think the "dot" on the bottom of the r complicates things and may subconsciously trigger thoughts of a question mark, but I'd welcome any thoughts on that.Thank you!

Hello,
I am impressed with your willingness to embrace suggestions made by other readers so I hope I'm not out of line offering my thoughts on your latest logotype ideas.

I think the dot under the r/j makes it look like an up-turned j, it no longer reads as an r.

The third idea works best for me because the lowercase thing seems a bit played out; I like the shapes of the lowercase letters but there is a risk of it looking too Web 2.0 (something you're trying to avoid).

The combination of the lowercase, the rounded type, the rounded corner (the 'r'), and the colours are all Web 2.0 staples, so it might be worth dropping one of those elements if you want to keep away from that style.
A list of Web 2.0 logos

Are there small caps in the font you're using? this might make nicer shapes and a more classic, timeless logotype (just an idea).

The simple r shape would be very flexible across a range of media and would work without any accompanying text.

Good luck

Apologies in advance for what I am about to say:

To me, the lower case r shape used in the later samples immediately triggered thoughts of the wilting impotent cigarette used in the quit smoking campaigns. Maybe those ads are in Canada only? But perhaps you would want to change the angle on it some just to make it less similar.... :(

K.

Thank you both,
Kristina, thanks for bringing that up. It's something I didn't see/know about, but there's no need to apologize. The majority of my target market is going to be American...but I'm going to look into the campaign you reference as well as run this by a few Canadian friends of mine to see if they have similar reactions.

"An accident." Really good points about the web 2.0 aspect. Last night, I tried one out with the font "Priori (San)" (LOVE that one) for the title part. I've included it below in a couple of variations, as well as two versions with "Mrs. Eaves." I think I like the 4th one down best, because the lowercase "d" in it has some similarities to how the "r" is handled. Priori or Mrs. Eaves might help give it a bit more of a classical feel versus all bubbly/high techy.

Although I like the centering of the bottom one, centering like that can be tough to work with at times.

I appreciate your insights. I've gotten to the point where I don't take criticism personally much--the only way my work will improve is if others help me see the weaknesses or potential problems in it as well as bring up potential "associations" like Kristina did. Thank you!

The last seal is nice, but there isn't enough contrast between the gray and green. Maybe with a white "r" on a green background...

I like the r/j idea. Why don't you play with both in separate shapes, instead of combining them in one symbol? For starters, you can use them to frame something else. Just an example, I'm sure you can come up with something better :)

An Accident,
Thanks also for that link. What a great write up--it will help a lot with my "what's that font" questions for clients ;)

Nell, thanks. One of the things I've enjoyed about posting this here is the brainstorming it's helped me do. I have a hard time with sketching/coming up with concepts. Sometimes other's ideas help trigger new ideas in my brain. I wish I had a few outsourcers or employees who I could brainstorm with all the time! :)