Critique this wedding monogram, please?

underscore7 February 2009 · 10:24

Hey 'philes,

A friend asked me to take a stab at her wedding monogram (details: August, outdoor ceremony, "rustic elegance"), so here are a couple of my favorites. She's flexible on the green, and on which letters are featured (last name is M, bride is B, groom is R), so I'd love to hear any thoughts on the design. Have at it!

Thanks in advance.

AtoZ8 February 2009 · 16:16

Well, since no one else has stepped up to the plate, I guess I'll give it a shot.

At first glance all three logos look OK, but there are problems in the details (it's always the details):

Some overall comments: the design brief calls for "rustic elegance." I see the elegance, but I don't see the rustic in any of these monograms. This is an odd combination of attributes since the concept of elegance usually would preclude the concept of rustic. If you're trying to hint at the rustic element through the choice of color, you might consider using a dark brown instead of black. But color alone won't get provide a rustic feel. Perhaps the look of an elegant script carved in stone or wood would provide the combination, but that might be difficult to convey in a monogram.

Top Monogram
Two main problems for me here: 1) There are several awkward areas in the merged letters: specifically where the lower bowl of the B merges with the M, and two odd little remnants of the finishing strokes at the base of the M and R; 2) at the size shown here the thin strokes of the B and R are already filling up. This monogram should only be used in larger sizes than shown to prevent this.

Middle Monogram
For me, this is the most successful of the three, but it still need some work, especially in the areas where the three red arrows point below You need to do some subtle shifting/stretching of the three letters to avoid these awkward overlaps.

For the top and bottom areas, either eliminate the little white space showing through or increase the visible white space so that it doesn't look like the letter elements almost converged but didn't quite. For the area pointed to by the middle arrow: Try to adjust the bottom of the top bowl of the B so that it is at the same height as the bottom bowl of the R, or else raise it up further away. Next, I suspect that the intertwining of the two letters would be enhanced if the back stem of the B (near the top red arrow) was placed on top the R rather than below it. Finally, this monogram would benefit with a lighter green to help differentiate the two letters.

Bottom Monogram
I'm not sure what your intention is with the elipse (...). It is usually used to indicate either that something has been left out or the something is to come. I'm not sure how either applies to this monogram. Other than that it's just a script M inside an oval. OK, but nothing special.

Hope some of these comments help.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         When going from A to Z,
         I often end up At Oz.

underscore9 February 2009 · 15:29

Outstanding. I'm looking forward to incorporating these (very helpful) comments. You're right that the combination of themes, rustic and elegant, has me a little conflicted. Thanks for giving it such attention.