I'd suggest Gotham bold

"I'd suggest Gotham bold"

I say, figure out the symbol first (stylistically they need to relate). And think about something the type should communicate other than meaningless market phrases (except for durability and precision).

Logos that rely on letterforms alone are usually modified or custom drawn letters: for uniqueness, better handling of white space, collisions ... the list goes on. Just picking a font is rarely enough to create something "durable" and "unique".

Thank you!

I thought that some custom drawn would be best. My drawing style is probably the furthest thing from clean and precise though. I suppose I could start with graph paper, a ruler, circle templates and some french curves. Then scan my drawing and convert the letters to vector shapes.

I am somwhat against using a symbol at all although my friend (client) seems to think it is important. I'm going to be including "construction" or "home improvment" in the logo so an outline of a roof, or a hammer or saw blade is not necessary imo. I told him that clever logos & graphics are cool if they work but you dont want people remembering "that cool logo with the circular saw blade for the "O", you want them remembering the name of your company.

I've got a few vector drawings of symbols i might use but I feel like im forcing them into the design. I was hoping that the right font would either be sufficient or suggest the proper companion graphic.

I really like that Gotham-Bold. In most fonts i tried, I had problems with the G which it the first letter of his name "Gannon" so I wanted it to be strong. Most of them were too "narrow and curvy" (pardon my lack of correct terminology, im working on it)
Thanks
mike

Mike, have you ever visited myfonts.com ? You can use their search box to search fonts by descriptive keywords ("strong" or "construction" or whatever), and when viewing a font you can use the "sample text" box to see how a word or phrase looks in that font. And if you find something you like you can buy and download it there. You might find it useful.

> I am somwhat against using a symbol at all

Mike, speaking as a designer myself, you're way too early in the project to draw that conclusion. You need to go through the design process of gathering info on the client, analyzing their marketing goals, researching what similar companies (especially the competition) use for logos, and coming up with a whole bunch of creative concepts, both for symbol logos and also for type logos. Then narrow it down to a few concepts you like best, fine-tune them, and show them to your client for his feedback.

Maybe the final solution will be all type. Maybe it won't. You're not going to know until later in the process after you've seriously explored a wide range of ideas.

Come up with some concepts and post them here for feedback. They don't need to be perfect drawings; just good enough to communicate your ideas.

James said what I was thinking, only better. And about the G: this is the kind of customizations that make sense in logo design.

thanks for the input.

one of the things i have to learn is to put any preconceived notions about how it should be aside. I have a habit of thinking of a logo idea first and then trying to fit it in but resizing, adjusting, changing color. I think its good advice to start with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil and just brainstorm, writing or sketching anything at all that comes to mind. Then narrowing it down from there.

ive come up with a few ideas. i might post them in the crit forum.

thanks again.

> one of the things i have to learn is to put any
> preconceived notions about how it should be aside

When I start a new project I often have a few ideas immediately that, at the moment, seem perfect. But a few days (or weeks) later, after working through the design process, I often find that the best solution is something different.

I always go for Arial when I want something simple, clean, bold and to stand out.

You can hardly do any wrong while going on the safe side with Gotham or Futura Bold. But you’ll hardly get something special by that way, something distinctive.

You may wish to perform a keyword font search at Myfonts, e.g. this one
http://new.myfonts.com/search/tag%3Ageometric/fonts/?sort=score

Look for “bold” or “clean” the same way. There might be something!

How about Gothic 821 Cn / Block Berthold Condensed? It's strong if not clean, and has a little warmth to it.

I for one think all construction companies should use Detroit-serifed typefaces, like Fairplex Wide Black. ;)

http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/emigre/fairplex-ot/wide-black/

Tungsten? (Bold or black.)

http://www.typography.com/fonts/font_overview.php?productLineID=100035

I was about to say Tungsten.

I also would say Avant Garde, if you want something geometrical and precise. Futura also works pretty well.

Soho Gothic
http://www.fonts.com/FindFonts/RecentReleases/2008/SohoGothic.htm
energetic but still stable.

Hi,Mike
I'm very glad to see your content, and first, thanks for your sharing!
I'd suggest Gotham bold, i also interested in logo maker,hope to see your better things!