It might sound heretic at typophile, but I find the red initial sketch the best. There might be something nice in the orphaned "e" too.

what you saying is more artistic than typografic, not necessarily heretic
i really like the limp leg|evil e version
the "a" however bugs me a bit, those two white lines meeting... and i think the p from te evil leg version is better... you should find a way to connect the p with the a...

what i find intersting in the first logo
is the space that "s" lets between "pa"
and "te". The impression that the line of "s"
pastes together the two separated parts would
work nice, giving typographicaly the meaning
of the written word.

Propably this idea would work better with clear
forms as you try bellow, though the world is full
of clean cuts and pure linear forms. A bit of
"strangness" (the long "s") would make
the difference.

The last one definitely reads "poste". Hey, I can reappropriate it for my own uses...



MUHAHAHAHAH!

ya ya - use the initial sketch...no reason it has to be so clean and computerized.

the name "paste" already suggests hands-on...why not

I like the "one path" version best.

Just one major problem: that "s" is more of an "r".

hhp

you could approach this one of two ways.

1) clean up the original sketch with a vector outline

2) give the single path version some stroke modulation
(and round the endings too)

in either case, try to make the 'a' and 's' a bit more
identifiable. I think the key to your design is to
preserve the hand-drawn look, as if it was skillfully, but
whimsically, drawn with a sharpie.

Why not?

---jacques

PS: just kidding

no really I wouldn't kid.
I really think the initial sketch - no cleanser required. red and black plate...the smudges and everything would leand well to any letterhead - it'll look real...well hell it is.

I agree completely, Tanya

So, Paste, where are you? What do you think about our comments?

I like plan*clothe's suggestions - they are what I had in mind when drawing the initial sketches. So this is what I have now: I think the "a" is better, and the "s" is elongated and more identifiable. I have wasted a couple of hours trying to do some stroke modulation in illustrator, and as much as I'm all about vector, I think my next step is going to be printing this out in a nice big size so I can play with it by hand. I want to add little endcaps/swirls so that it looks more hand/marker drawn.



Parte, Porte, Poste, or Paste? How's the legibility?

I think the identity of the "s" is still too weak. In many languages "parte" is a more recognized construction than "paste". I would introduce some backslant into the spine.

hhp

the a kills me, negatively

I dont think the "s" looks too much like an "r", but i do think the s doesnt look like its there at all. It could look, to some people, like a line connecting the "a" to the "t". maybe if you disconnent the "s" from the continues line of the a-s-t, and make the "s" start from somewhere alittle above the baseline it would make the "s" and the "a" clearer.
and i think this is much better the the initial sketch. just my personal feeling about it.

Yay!

After a couple sessions of hardcore bezier'ing, I think I've arrived at it's natural conclusion

I like it very much the way it is now, but maybe you could do something more with the "a", I think looks also like an "o", but I think is the best of your posts.

I really like the character of this one... more informal. Kind of reminds me of the Veer logo.

The e looks sloppy to me for some reason... I think it might have to do with the stroke not being consistent with the a and p. Might want to see what it looks like if you think the stroke out on top a bit.

Try putting a spur (not the right term again... I know) on the a... it'd definitely make it more legible, but I don't know if it'll kill the monoline quality of this. I think even a really subtle spur (like this would help things out here. Seems to me like it's really hard to pull off a completely curved script a.

>..."a", I think looks also like an "o", but I think is the best of your posts.

Damn, Ignacio, you missed a funny by not adding a trailing "e" towards the end of that last word.

[grin]

I tend to agree with Tanya. I personally love the red drawing at the top. I'm sort of missing the concept in the latest iteration. I think the "hands on" idea is very strong. Perhaps try to push that idea further?? Let's see some "paste"! (but maybe spend more than the 3 minutes this took me...)

BTW, I do like your rendering. Although I think the "e" is missing the fluidity of the "a". The upstroke seems flat.

Si Jay!!! I don't know how I missed that one!!!
Maybe the HEAT, is the WORST summer in years: 40

I have to say, it's much easier to work with now that I have a clear direction.

I definately see the Veer resemblence, but I personally like almost everything they do, so I will take that as a compliment.

As far as the concept - I'm not really trying to express much (just a bit 'o style) via the logotype. I want to start with something solid and and eschew the 'cut'n'paste' aesthetic through the design of other identity materials... For example the business card is just a thick piece of card, with the logo and information "pasted" on via a sticker.

Anyways, I've tweaked all the letters and adjusted the "tracking"... I'm worried it's getting too thin, but it seems to gain perceived weight in print, and I guess I can always add a black stroke to it.

Does the "p" look too slanted now? How's the "poste" effect?

Before & After:

I like the overall look. A couple of thoughts: I think I prefer the descender on the original "p". It seems a tad short now. The "e" is still troublesome. In your attempt to smooth out the curve, it has changed its proportion relative to the other letters. How would something like this look?...

Tom - thanks for your suggestions! And that's a fine looking "e", but I think I want to keep the "one-strokeness".

I have consulted with my personal astrologist on the matter. He has read the moons and predicted life changes for the letters "p", "t", & "e"

That's so much more polished looking. It's really coming along.

Much better. Nice and consistent.

I really like where this has come, and I agree with Joe, you could kill it with too much fussing. That said, here are two observations:



1. You've got a nice thing going with the thick-to-thin transitions in the p, a, and s. The t-to-e connection still seems a bit fat, and the tail of the e also seems slightly less fluid than the other rest of the letterforms

2. There's a little "bump" or "kink" near the top of the bowl of the e that is a tad distracting.

Otherwise I think this is a great solution - well-crafted enough to be taken seriously, while retaining much of the playfullness of your original sketch.

Wow, truly beautiful, just wanted to say that. I just think that, in the latest versions, the acute angle in which the "p" and the "e" glyphs strokes end might take much from the flow the logo would originally have.

Also, on the first few attemps, the "results after show grid" one is pretty cool too, loved it.

(removed duplicate)

Indeed, beautiful.

Christopher's sharp eyed advice is valuable.

PS @ Zeh Fernando: I always get an error message when posting a message, but the message is posted anyway.

> I always get an error message when posting a message, but the message is posted anyway.

Yeah, noticed that here. Got a timeout error and pressed "back"... then reposted. I've learnt now though, thanks.

i was rooting for the hand-drawn sketchy thing. but the script is nice too, i guess. like i always say, if you want that hand-drawn feel, hand draw it.

i was rooting for the hand-drawn sketchy thing. but the script is nice too, i guess. like i always say, if you want that hand-drawn feel, hand draw it.

Yes! This is a huge improvement over the first post. Just
know when to stop--too much more fussing could
detract from the spontenaity.

(I'm so glad this no longer says porte. Or was it perte? =)