Oof for the first one my eyes went straight to that awkward triangle between the t and the y where they don't entirely overlap. I'd say the bottom looks more "correct" but you should clean up the kerning around the "ate" area.

Thanks for the comment.

Would you say that for this sort of logotype, as a general rule, the letters should nearly touch (without touching as in the "a" and "t" below) even though the letters are not evenly optically spaced?

ty ligature? I would do something besides cramming everything together to make this a distinctive brand mark. Just a little touch would be enough.

From a few of my internships, I've always been told that letters should be as readable as possible, especially when it comes to a company's name (which is practically its essence). Touching letters on different mediums, such as packaging, can be hard to read, which is something to keep in mind.

I don't think there is going to be too much of an issue distinguishing letters in this logo, even if a 'ty' ligature was taken on.

I think Luma's thoughts are spot on.

Thanks guys for the comments guys. Much appreciated. I agree, it could use a tweak to make more special.