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"The company is an “Independent Marine and Cargo Surveyor Company” based in Germany"

If you have the actual name, that helps in choosing a font

"...with images of cargo ships and containers."

Or if you can post images of the symbol, one could visually match the typeface to that

"Can anybody give hints as to what typeface I should use"

With the information you've given, it could be just about anything :)

PS. The BA logotype btw is, I believe, customised

Hi, this is the first version I came up with. The focus in this project is on the website by the way, I haven't given too much attention to the logo as yet. Basically, I took their old logo (that ugly cube on the left) and chose another typeface to go with it.

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"Hi, this is the first version I came up with... I took their old logo (that ugly cube on the left) and chose another typeface to go with it."

Maybe you're a little harsh on the existing logo, it's not really so bad! The slab serif gives it a slightly heavy and rigid look.

See if you might want to do something like this:
.

"Maybe you’re a little harsh on the existing logo, it’s not really so bad! The slab serif gives it a slightly heavy and rigid look."

Haha, funny. Actually, I made the text and also chose the font ("Union"). With "their existing logo" I was referring to that cube thing. Sorry for the confusion. The current logo is in blue though, without any orange. You can see it here. Be carefull though, it's UGLY!!

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How about this?

I wonder if the font could be more "wavy" to reflect the maritime business they're in. Also, how about the compass. Do you think it will still be visible when scaled down to smaller sizes? Thanks for any input...

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"How about this?"
Nice concept. however there's too much happening. Since the compass is your focus, it may be better to have a nice unfussy sans serif. Perhaps the third colour (the brown) and the staggered layout could be reconsidered.

"I wonder if the font could be more “wavy” to reflect the maritime business they’re in."
That may be making it too literal. Unless you want to make that your concept and not have the compass at all.

" Do you think it will still be visible when scaled down to smaller sizes"
Shouldn't be a problem. You might need to tweak the forms a bit, but very do-able.

Hi Arun,

thanks for your recommendations! Please let me know how you like my new version. The font is Frutiger (not too innovative, but I couldn't think of anything else). Thanks for any ideas...

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Much better! I feel one shouldn't innovate for it's own sake. Frutiger is a classic, and like all classics it still remains quite robust.

A couple of observations:

1. A dark, warm-grey may be an improvement over black.

2. You'll have to evolve some sort of relation between the logo and the descriptor (Independent Marine...). Right now it's somewhat hanging in the air. There's also too much contrast in scale between their sizes. In a business card, for instance, the descriptor may go too small.

3. The kerning looks a little awkward in a few places. You may want to work on the first A (CAP) and the R which comes right after the O (compass).

The logo looks maritime, I like the simplicity of the compass.
Now the compass reads N/NE (North/North East) and any sailor will read that instantly. Maybe you have an opportunity to make a nice connection between the logo and the company right there?

Hi,

I changed my mind about the whole thing. The shipping industry is a fairly conservative line of business and the "ö" should be clearly visible. Right now it isn't. People may read "o" instead of "ö" or may not read anything at all. Also, the font Frutiger is too square in this case, a more wavy font should be used IMHO. What do you think? The shape on the left still lacks character though...

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Justice League hits Germany!

I'm afraid I don't understand...

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I like this. I wonder about the placement of the needle. If you need clearance beyond the edge of the needle you may end up with situations where the neg. space around the mark feels odd.

Do you think it is different enough from this logo?

"I’m afraid I don’t understand..."

They used to have a whole series comic book super heroes who formed the 'Justice League', with characters like Captain Marvel, Captain America and so on. Typically they'd have some sort of insignia - often a flash or a thunderbolt - emblazoned on their suits :)

That apart, I still prefer Frutiger to the new face. Even the symbol is somewhat generic. But of course you'd know the client best, your call.

I think you should step away from the nautical imagery. Compasses etcetera — every company even remotely situated next to a seaport has that. Why don't you step out of that frame and try to do something with the juxtaposition of the two words in the name (anyway, I become seasick as it is, just seeing the word Captain — that should suffice…).

Does this guy have something peculiar you could use, like does he smoke a meerschaumpipe? Or have whiskers?

. . .
Bert Vanderveen BNO

"Does this guy have something peculiar you could use, like does he smoke a meerschaumpipe? Or have whiskers?"

Good idea! If the captain has the sense of humor and wants to vehiculate the image of a friendly captain.

Tintin81, you should ask him what does he wants people to know about him...

-----------------:
Jean Chouinard

Hey, thanks for your feedback. Just to clarify things: Maybe the term "captain" is a little misleading to some people. The company we're talking about here is not actually just a captain. It's a bunch of people working together as an "Independent Marine and Cargo Surveyor Company". And the eponymous "captain" has been in retirement for many years now.

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Sorry for the confusion... I'm not perfect in English.

------------------------------------------------------:
Jean Chouinard (formerly emerjean on Typophile)