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I'm sure that most customers would not want that spider anywhere near their new house, shop, restaurant or small building.

Well, a Katipo is a well known and respected spider in New Zealand, since it's the only poisonous native animal or insect.

However, I agree with everyone else. Ditch the spider and try to communicate your company's values and strengths instead.

Thank you all for your comments.

The spider is my idea, not the graphics designer. I have had the spider logo since 2004, and I am still OK with it. Partly my argumentative nature I guess, because everyone says "most people are scared of spiders, so don't use it", just makes me want to use it more LOL.
May I point out that Alfa Romeo has a snake, Lacoste has a croc. Scorpion sports moto-x gear, Balmain tigers, etc etc, so the scared of spiders argument doesn't convince me.
There is a definite "viral" advantage to the spider - the ladies who work at the various Council Offices we deal with all remember the spider, so when I need help they often know me by name, likewise with many of the sales reps, Engineers etc, all of whom we require to complete a job.

So seriously, how offputting to the typical civilian is a spider name/logo?

I think the issue is less with the fear of spiders per se and more with the feeling of dislike or yuckiness/disgust they evoke. Something that is not an issue with either a snake or a crocodile.

People are not disgusted by spiders - they are afraid of them, but they respect them too. They admire their fastidious, diligent nature, not to mention their beautiful but incredibly strong webs. Tarantulas might be visually unappealing, but something like a Black Widow is incredibly elegant. I myself have no problem squashing a cockroach, but I will do my darndest to avoid killing a spider.

HOWEVER:
1) It should definitely be a representational, not a realistic rendering.
And maybe something faceted, like this: http://typophile.com/node/64559
2) No gradients, please. One or two solid colors.
3) That font has to go.

hhp

I am genuinely appreciative of all the comments, so my counter-arguments are for enlightenment, not enflamement :) (sic).

Well people don't find Spiderman yucky....girls love him I believe, at least black Spiderman in 3.

One of my local competitors has the name "Fat Hippo Design Group", www.fathippo.org/ which seems to me no better than "Katipo Design", in fact sillier. At least occasionally I have a client who is interested in Spiders (actually only one client ever).

There is another large firm in NZ called IGNITE Architecture, www.ignitearchitects.com/ and I bet every person they canvassed about their name said "sounds like your buildings burn down".

NZ's biggest architecture firm has the name JASMAX www.jasmax.com/ (innovative website BTW) which as a name has nothing to do with architecture, or the values of the company.

Sounds like I am trying to defend my choice of spider as brand identity without any consideration of my clients......

What comments have you all?

I see no need to ditch the katipo as the connotation in New Zealand isn't negative, and there is an argument for continuity.

Otherwise I think Hrant sums it up perfectly

I'd say that's pretty much the opposite direction that an architecture logo should go in.

"I have had the spider logo since 2004, and I am still OK with it. Partly my argumentative nature"

Poisonous spiders and argumentative nature seem to be the last two things you'd want to communicate about your business.

Now, that said, Katipo is a great word. Looking at your work, you appear to design sleek modern houses. I think the logo should reflect that aesthetic.

Focus on simplicity, stability, geometry. If the name of the company is 'katipo' there's no real reason to have a literal spider be a part of the logo. That's overkill.

Now, don't take this the wrong way, but, in general I've found architects to be wannabe graphic designers and graphic designers to be wannabe architects. While there is definite overlap, I don't think the skillsets are interchangeable. I'd love to design my own house some day but know that an architect would do a much better job than I would.

Reading up on the spider, I'd consider going a bit more abstract if you really want to have a image based logo:

- The common name, katipo, is a Māori name
- is only found near the seashore living among sand dunes
- Spiders inhabiting dune grasses construct their webs in open spaces between the grass tufts
- Spin an irregular tangled web

However, I'd also consider explorer type only solutions. For an architect, your brand image is really more about your portfolio than the logo itself.

> you appear to design sleek modern houses.

So maybe the spider should be a lo-res bitmap?

hhp

This looks to me like a pest control logo. I think you can use a spider, but play it down a little, use something abstract. Make the spider more approachable.

These are probably all wrong for what you are going for, but the tone is more approachable. And think of the Spiderman logo, it is an abstraction. That is where I would go.

evan

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