Typophile

Unique Logo problem

link190

Please give me some criticism here!

I'm graduating an undergrad design program this year and we (the senior design students) are putting on a senior portfolio show. The concept involves how writing about design issues (in books like Looking Closer, and sites like Design Observer) are finally affecting the academic student level. We want to celebrate what these writers have done in helping us think about design in a more socially conscious way, a more intelligent way. We are having Richard Buchanan (editor of Design Issues Journal, MIT Press) come to speak.

So, since I sort of put together and presented this concept to the other students, they put me in charge of the identity for the show. This is going to need to be a mark adaptable to posters, fliers, web, banners, and a book cover for a book we are producing to sell at the show.

We are calling the show "Critical", because these things discussed by design writers are all critical issues...but we couldn't focus it down to one critical idea. So to comprimise we decided to try to make a logo that encompasses a broad scope of what design writing discusses.

Anyway...here are some directions...I'll quit talking.

This is the most recent idea. More 'all encompasing'

Above: My most recent idea. More 'all encompassing'. It is very large, and I'm not sure what might be a good way to deal with that, but on smaller media we could just hint at portions of it, and finally on the book use the whole thing. I think i like how that effect might work.

Something like this would allow us to highlight certain 'critical' aspects depending on where they're used. We might do 'Critical: Influence' on the speaker's podium, and 'Critical: Writing' on the book. I dont' think its all that attractive though.

Something like this would allow us to highlight certain 'critical' aspects depending on where they're used. We might do 'Critical: Influence' on the speaker's podium, and 'Critical: Writing' on the


Thank you thank you thank you for any criticism

link190

Yeah, I'm glad you picked up on a wheel or rotation on the second one...that was the plan.

I tried putting some sort of dial or hand (like on a compass or clock) on the first to point to and highlight different ideas, and it actually looked pretty good. I just thought it looked too much like a clock or compass, and led the concept astray a bit.

Any ideas on making the first one a little more adaptable?

speter

The main problem with the second one is that it looks too much like

Office:mac

(even the colors echo it)

squeeze

JT:

The first design is a nice concept for a book cover, or other applications that would permit such a large image. Maybe you could create a horizontal oblong oval shape to replace the circular shape. The oval could hug the "Critical" type a little more, overcoming many of the spacial issues. On large applications you could include the surrounding words and on small applications you could remove them. That's just one idea. I think there are a myriad of different ways you could morph the background for different applications, such as leaving it as is, but cropping it around the "Critical" word, creating a rectangle or some other shape.

Aloha!
Scott

aluminum

I think the first is prettier, but the second, much more prectical in terms of being able to carry out the concept physically.

Chris Rugen

I prefer the first, even though the second is definitely safer and probably easier to work with. The second one feels like solutions I've seen before (and not just Office:mac). The critical circle doesn't need to be the logo. It could be a central image that is echoed either partially or completely in other pieces. The cocentric circles will fall apart at small sizes and on screen, but you probably don't need so many, or so many every time. The logo/small print version could be 'Critical' in a solid red dot (perhaps with small radiating rules).

I have a tendency towards difficult logos, so keep that in mind. ;)

I went to CMU when Dick Buchanan was the head of the design school. He's a very interesting speaker. Very concept/thinking oriented. Can I ask where he'll be speaking?

Tiffany Wardle

The second seems more capable of mutating and changing to suit needs. You could make an interactive (or simply rich media) display and have the words rotating and changing as if they are on a wheel. (?)

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