Although the connotations are a bit strange to me (the name), I feel like you could do something much more memorable / original with your look than big type + a weapon... knife... thingy?

Few things... in my modest opinion and experience:

1. Looking at your mark, I would lose the blade knife thing, and stick with the diminishing line and the cleave mark through it... having the knife seems redundant and a bit blunt for any viewer with some intelligence... also really focuses too much on the negative connotation in my opinion.

2. I would lose the combination "g + n" in Design – or is there meaning there? Was the "n" cleaved? (cloven?), if you are aiming for something like that, perhaps a pure type solution could be found that does it in a more intelligent way, and would also make the mark unecessary?

Good luck! bm

I agree that the cleaver/knife is awfully prominent... you could try to show the logo "cloven," perhaps between the "Cleave" and "Design" words, with a cut/tear between the words. If you like the knife, how about showing less of it (more the handle sticking out from the cut "page" with the blade beneath)?

I like the start of the idea. Your tagline really says it all without the meat cleaver. You might be able to incorporate the "clean-cut" idea in the company name like Scott mentioned and maybe it's not a a tear, but a clean cut through the words horizontally starting small and increasing as it goes through the whole word. I would also agree in not combining the 'g' and the 'n' unless you have a reason for it. I like your color choice.

@hola: thanks for your thoughts -- yah, I like the text, but I wanted some graphic to go along with it - I'm having a hard time visualizing the tear that you and Scott mentioned...any more ideas? Or any help visualizing it?

Cleaver as-is is clip-art hokey looking. But if I had to use the cleaver I'd put it splitting the 'gn' in design.

Disclaimer: I value my opinion, but there is little reason for anyone else to do so (except maybe for the fact that I am usually right)
; )

Sorry, I posted an opinion then noticed the name was Cleave not Cleaver. I don't like the cleaver imagery at all. If I were a potential client, I would find it off-putting.

Sharon

The "gn" ligature (or is it really) doesn't work at all, and is totally unnecessary too.

Maybe "cleave" one of the letters. The "v" already has a natural split you could use. I include a quick sketch to illustrate what I mean

Wow, Mr Pallarp, what a great idea!

I'm actually not opposed to the cleaver itself, though I think the cleaver interacting with the text instead of with some random line would be far more interesting.

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"If someone's 'been around the block a few times,' it might mean he didn't have the good sense to give up and park in the lot." ~ Mike Nelson 'Mind Over Matters'

I will say it the way I usually say it when I see such logos: This logo is more of a clipart than an actual logotype. You will have to minimize the number of elements and colours and all the things that make it look like clipart.