This is not a critique, more just a comment in general.

My favorite logos are the ones that have an idea to them. A concept that reinforces the message of the brand. There are plenty of lovely logos that are just a word set in type—and some do a fantastic job of setting a mood or personality. For example, I happen to like the Veer logo over there on the right of the page. But I believe that a logo with a strong, ingenious idea is always the most memorable. I don't mean an idea which overcomplicates the logo—simplicity is key. I mean an idea which provides the viewer with both a visual discovery and a mnemonic device. There is something wonderfully satisfying about seeing a logo which makes you go, "wow, that is really clever/smart/unexpected."

To me, as simple and strong as your logos are, they are merely a typeset word, and heck, a lot of people can do that. I know, there's a lot of logos that are mere words out there. I think that's because creating a logo with a real idea is so bloody hard.

Just a thought. ;-)

I have a beef (hehe) with the name. The first thing I'd think of when hearing 'animalia' is some sort of exotic steak house or rib joint.

It'd be like calling a steak house 'broccoli and such'.

But, as far as a logo, this certainly feels 'upscale restaurant' to me. I agree that a clever mark to go with it would be fun...and might be critical if the name sticks to reinforce the NON-meat aspect of the place.

Not to derail the discussion, but this is one of my favorite restaurant marks as of late:

http://www.twincitiesfun.net/images/est/002765/002765_icon.png

Ruth,

it's practically featureless and needs a strong visual/graphic motif to go with the type---something to engage the imagination and get the point across. If it's a vegetarian restaurant maybe a ghostbusters-style circle with cross thru it and a cow inside the circle, or something like that.

Consider using a softer-edged font. Vegetarianism is tantamount to humanism (human respect for animals), so how about using a Venetian (Benbo, High Tower, Jenson etc) and lower case letters, or even a script type.

Color would help make it more attractive too.

The by-line needs a hyphen: "A meat-free dining experience"

j a m e s

Maybe I'm chicken :) but I'm having some trouble with the horizontal lines. Because ANIMALIA starts and ends with A, the optical length of the two lines appear distracting. In this case, I like ANIMALIA in a box better.

I also think Micheal, Darrel and James raise very good points.

It might help to see the logo with the graphics, if possible, currently the lack of a graphic seems to be impeding some crits – I prefer the lettering in a box, however, there is either too little or too much space at the bottom, by which I mean that the baseline to bottom of the box seems not to be equal to the ascender to the top, if that is intended then I think you need slightly more space at the bottom, if it isn’t I think you need to reduce the height of the box. As for the name I would be annoyed by the name and the patronising strapline but then maybe I’m not a hipster and ultimately we have to work with what we’re given.

Tim

I disagree with James about the font choice. It looks a lot like something I'd expect to see stamped on a box of grade-Z meat or branded on a cow but given the by-line, it's perfect: ironic, yet clean.

I also agree there needs to be some kind of graphic element beyond the lines. Unfortunately off the top of my head the only things i can think of are super-cheesy, like turning one of the lines into a tail, or something ridiculous like that, so ... on your own on that one :)

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)

>I have designed a logo that will be simple and sleek, as the restaurant will have strong graphic treatments and I didn’t want the composition as a whole to be too busy. The logo will probably be reversed out of the images.

Tim

Thanks to everyone who left comments and critiques, you're honesty is honestly appreciated. Malbright I agree that yes, it's just a typeface etc but as I said, I did want it to be simple, but I will try to add a graphic element as I think this could really develop it, and I definately agree that it's awesome seeing something that is clever. And thanks James re the grammer, (the use of 'meat-free') I didn't realise... I'll also try the box width and spacing etc. The whole idea of ANIMALIA is to be ironic, and I like the idea of ANIMALIA with the box around alluding to an animal being branded, or meat. I think Timd really got what I was saying. But thanks again, and I'll try to post some new developments, and once again more feedback would be saweet.

>> The whole idea of ANIMALIA is to be ironic and I like the idea of ANIMALIA with the box around alluding to an animal being branded, or meat.

Hmmmm, seems to me like you might be mocking vegetarians if what you're trying to do is to visually convey animal branding on food boxes. Isn't it repulsion to acts like branding of animals that make people become vegetarians in the first place?

There is nothing wrong with irony in and of itself; just don't be cruel to your audience. Maybe spin it in a different direction?

Sorry Mikefats, I don't think you understood what I was saying or maybe I wasn't clear. I'm not trying to mock vegeterians, but just using something they're opposed to, and incorporating it into the logo. So ideally I'm using their beliefs etc and trying to work that into the theme of the restaurant. I definately wouldn't want to (or intend to) mock the target audience! I think that's what they call professional suicide.

I'd say keep the rigid type but give it a tail or horns or ears or another animal-like feature. I agree with Ken that the lines are distracting.

- Lex

"and I like the idea of ANIMALIA with the box around alluding to an animal being branded"

I'm in a brain storming idea today.

What if you made a brand element (a real cattle brand) to go along with ANIMALIA logo (such as an A with a bar above and below) and then apply that to silhouettes of things like broccoli and carrots? Push the irony a bit further. I think the trick is to make it ironic enough that people get it while still retaining a sense of elegance.

"Isn’t it repulsion to acts like branding of animals that make people become vegetarians in the first place?"

I'm not a vegetarian, but I think that's a rather small demographic in the larger market of vegetarians. Most are more about environmental and personal health issues. There's plenty of meat to be had raised in humane ways if one so desires.

Sorry folks, I was in a hurry when posting and failed to explain my point properly. What I'm driving at is this: I honestly think a plain sans serif is too sterile and a far from ideal type for a restaurant, as it lacks organic qualities. If the brief feels instinctively off-target and the specs appear set to produce an ineffective design I have no qualms about bucking the specs.

You shouldn't either. If it doesn't make sense, try something that does.

Using a Venetian type for this logo is an exaggerated alternative. Here are some mock-ups using types closer to the original brief:

Serifa black, plus Serifa regular for the by-line. Graphic effect without the sterility of a sans serif.

Serifa bold caps. Effect as above but the capitals make it less endearing. Some patrons might think they're being shouted at.

Clarendon black plus Clarendon regular for the by-line. The bracketed serifs and tails on the a's make it much more organic. But it's still graphic in effect. Dectractor---Clarendon is widely used and may not stand out enough for some patrons.

Chianti black plus Chianti bold for the by-line. Closer to a sans serif without being one. Not as graphic in effect but friendly and organic at a glance.

Chianti weights as above but all capitals. A more graphic effect from the same type. If it must be done with all caps this one avoids the sterile quality of a straight-laced sans.

j a m e s

How posh should this restaurant be?

Most of your by-lines have too big type. And some of them also too tight.

If you're referring to my comps---they're just roughs, not finished art, to quickly demonstrate. Of course they need refinement. I only spent ten minutes on them.

Try not to take everything I say and do so literally. It's the spirit of the work that counts, not the letter.

j a m e s

I didn't get the answer to the following question:
How posh should this restaurant be?

I would look at making the logo more organic like vegetables. The looks you have posted look corporate.

@animalia.jpg
For me it is great, demanding! Does the owner and the staff of the restaurant can go with the idea behind it?

>The logo will probably be reversed out of the images
Yes, i thought the same as timd.

I've been following the thread some and had a thought to share which may be somewhat out of left field . . .

I get the assignment but agree with the group there is no concept being expressed by just the setting of the type . . .

The only way to pay off a concept would be to select typefaces that are contrasting that pay off the idea of meat free eating . . .

I think there would be a perfect irony in using some sort of a distressed 'ragged' savage looking tagline to pay off the clean sophistication of the restaurant name.

Something akin to the sophisticated savage of vegitarian fare which creates a nice contrast to carnivores like myself who enjoy licking meat cleanly off of buffalo wings!

My 2¢
Stuart :D

aluminum's idea is awesome - creating a branding iron-look but using it to brand vegetables and tofu squares instead of cattle.

How awesome would it be to actually brand the veggies!? Imagine your waiter setting down a plate of "A" branded mushrooms or something.

Great idea, Darrel!

-Scott

Just thought of something - Maybe use an animal made out of vegetables as a mark. It could be very intricate like the Unilever logo, or something as simple as broccoli with a tail. I'd do it in silhouette form.

- Lex

Love that idea Lex!

Animalia set in type that simulates stark meat packaging or cattle branding doesn't strike me as particularly ironic. I suppose if the word were VEGETABLE and it looked like meat branding, that would have some inherent irony. But since the name is ANIMALIA and the type looks like something on a package of MEAT, there's no inherent conflict that would present itself ironically. Actually, they kind of look like they belong together.

Branding vegetables, creating an animal out of vegetables or broccoli ... those are ideas that are interesting because of the juxtaposition. They also truly underscore the concept of the restaurant. And by the way, they're pretty ingenious too. It's that kind of intrinsic counterpoint that could make this a logo people will remember and enjoy. I believe such a mark would do a better job of selling the restaurant and bringing people in. I believe that on a subconscious level an intelligent, ingenious design causes people to raise their expectations about the whole experience, and it gives them a helpful mnemonic by which they can hang on to the memory in their busy brains.

There's something very pleasing about discovering a visual irony ... or a vegetable irony, as the case may be. I could just hear one of my vegan friends saying, "Lets go to that restaurant with the broccolli animal thing. That was cool." I cannot imagine someone saying, "Let's go to that restaurant with the really stark type that says Animalia. Just looking at that logo makes me smile and feel happy. It's very wecoming"

I also agree with James that there might be a better approach than something so sterile. In just a few minutes he put together some rather nice treatments that have personality and warmth. Very thoughtful and kind of you, good man. If you're not going to have a pleasing ironic interplay, at least make the customers feel warm, welcomed and enticed when they see the mark.

If you want to stick with the stark, cold MEAT-like labeling motif, in my view you're going to have to add something to it to make it ironic. Otherwise I think it just looks cold, flat and not particularly relevant.

Anyway, It's really fun to read everybody's opinions and see their examples. That's why I love this place. You learn. You meet really smart people who provoke thinking. And you get to bathe in gorgeous fontrocities. A delightful way to spend an evening indeed.

,... irony... well id make a logo symbol a broccoli combined with a cows head, just a simple illustration, nothing scarry...

First, I question the use of hipster and vegetarian together; it's not a clear message. Are you saying hipsters are now vegetarians, or it's hip to be a veg, or it's only a place for vegetarians who are hipsters, or you want to create a cool veg eatery that has some style to it?

As a vegetarian, if someone told me it was a 'hipster vegetarian restaurant' I'd probably be immediately turned off. In my impression hip no longer is what's new and cool, but a bunch of annoying young people wearing bad neon clothing, and ridiculous fashion that would otherwise usually be left on the runways of fashion shows.

So, that being said, I don't believe that mark is the right fit. Personally, I find it plain and if I was looking for my restaurant to stand out from the crowd I'd probably a more daring feel as opposed to conservative.

--

In response to aluminum's statement about why people don't eat meat – I personally don't for health reasons, and my wife doesn't for environmental reasons. Neither of us are non-meat eaters because we think it's about animal rights or a statement against cruelty to animals.

Just an observation that the name might not always connect with your target audience either. It's also slightly hard to pronounce IMHO.

And so it comes full circle.

The present logo is too plain and not really connected with the idea.

Being a hipster myself (I've tried to get away from it, but I'm too ironic...), I can appreciate the stark minimalistic logotype you display. But I agree with the masses, I wouldn't want to eat there.

I think when I see the word "Animalia" I think of some flowery design with things spilling out, and lots of color. That may be because I am reminded of Fruitopia, that fruit drink, and their logo. Here's an example: Link.

Perhaps it also sounds like Cornucopia, which is so often depicted as a cone flowing over with food.

If the name of the restaurant was "Däs Animal" or something like that, I'd totally see it. But Animalia? That's not a minimalistic image right there.

-Andrew Welfle