I think it's a little too busy and there are too many details that will get lost at small sizes. My advice would be to simplify.

- Lex

hi, picard

you have 3 symbols incorporated. they are too many. you have to clarify the message of the logotype, imho :)

Yeah, far too busy. It took me about 5 full seconds to realise what's going on in the picture. Maybe choose one of the three ideas (buildings, leaves, or water) and stick with it?

Web Designer Hamburg

I was trying to read the leaf as a bird, but I'm sleepy.

There are seven sketches with only two items. Two elements are too many?

Even with two elements your designs tend to feel busy. Top right and middle are the only ones I could see working as a general-purpose mark, but neither one really gets the point of water across, right now they seem more like radio waves.

The first thing I saw was a face but the ones you tried after are way better.Simplify and strip down as much as possible.

The stem of the leaf feels a bit heavy to me. I was trying to see something in it.

I think the water and the leaf could be used together, but simplify.

The first issue is definitely complication. There's no real center or focus to the logo with the buildings, leaf and water. That doesn't mean there can't be a focus, but right now they are three separate elements that aren't working together.

The second issue, and more important to me, is that none of the sketches are unique enough to serve as an identifier for your community. Any leafy suburb with a creek could use those logos. Maybe you should try combining those pieces with something typographic, like the K or a KL monogram that would be more unique to your town.

I agree with many of the other postings. It's too complicated looking. It is also too generic looking. Where are you? What is unique to your community? Perhaps use a leaf that comes from a native tree, or an architectural element from your town. I would also recommend that you start working with your type element at this early design stage. Try to get the type and image to work together.

There are no unique trees or architectural associations in this neighborhood beyond that of the gang tags all over the place. It's a suburb/ghetto.

How about you draw the veins (and stem?) of the leaf in blue, so that it looks like some sort of river delta, and consolidate the buildings into a Frasier-style skyline.

The Central Park Conservancy uses a Maple Leaf, thats it, No trees, no water, no lawn. Distill it to one key idea

I just meant to give your drawing more character by using an oak, maple, sycamore or whatever leaf instead of something that looks like generic clip art. If the residents most closely identify with the park and river focus on those elements and forgo the buildings. Draw on the community's strengths not it's weakness.

If there no trees to speak of in this area... By all means don't put one in the logo. It will ring as a falsehood, and compromise the brand. But since you say that "the residents most identify with the parks and river in the area so I tried using a leaf to represent the nature", then leave the computer and go take a walk. Collect leaves. Post pencil/pen/watercolor sketches, and then return to the computer when you've refined your idea. If the logo is inspired by the community, then it will ring far truer.

Good luck!

Central Park uses a primarily typographic logo, the Parks department however uses the maple leaf. Personally I think that's as generic as what I have going here.

I don't think I ever said there were no trees, just not one specific kind that can be pinned down as this suburbs tree.
I've been to the parks in question, I live next door, and have done sketches in the park of different things, this is one of the sketches. Based on White Elm, Hackberry, Manitoba Maple and Linden in the area. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Wait, where are you going to use it?
If you were to use it like a seal, things are traditionally complicated, which is why those who study the design of flags say that the worst thing a state flag can have on it is the state seal.

It's only going to be used on a newsletter.

While this depends on size and placement, I would say that such usage allows complexity, especially if placed in one of the top corners like an officiating mark.

Some other developments.

I like the lightness of 6. l like the unity of what is going on in the bottom half of 8.

In general, the elements are working against each other, as if they were rigid and could only be superimposed over each other at different scales. Use your drawing skills to combine the leaf with the water in a unified shape. Consider that in a way the buildings are repeating the land/earth part of the equation already represented by the leaf. Simplify.

i agree with some of jupiterboys comments and the further this mark gets along the more i feel like the leaf is inhibiting the idea. although in the lower 2,3,4 i like what's happening to the leaf and creating a circle shape although cutting it off at the lower right edge seems weird. there's a nice sense of containment going on those examples

w|m

Use the buildings from the one in the first post, all the new ones are overdone.