Hello David, I think you should continue developing logos 1 and 2 from the first set. If you are going to keep the typeface then work on kerning. About the symbol, I've seen many similar logos with the same resembling shapes. That said, I think you are on the right path, however if you want to go further then start working more on the symbol then in the final stages on the typography.

SB

Concept 1 is very corporate, abstract, and easily interpreted as books, folded paper, a rocket, houses very close to each other, and several other things. Together with the colors it feels a bit like a bank identity, fairly reliable and not too specific.

Concept 2 speaks to hand work. Traditional craftsmen working in a union with time tested materials.

Concept 3 feels like handyman operation. Probably able to beat the price point of the others, but not able to deliver high end results.

Depending on the business, any of them could be the perfect fit. I have no way of knowing what the business is like.

You should also consider suggesting something other than IAS. It almost reads as a word or two and does nothing to communicate the essence of this business. What does it even stand for? It certainly is not very memorable, since I had to look back as I typed this to make sure I had the right 3 letters.

1a of the second set is very 'builder-esque'. Slab serifs are sturdy and seem to be a hallmark of the industry. That means it's not terribly original, but that's not always a requirement, either. Something to consider.

The 3rd option seems freshest, though the tools are perhaps superfluous.

You really can't evaluate a logo without knowing a lot more about the company.

But my offhand impression is that number one seems rather generic and corporate, but I guess it has possibilities if a corporate look is appropriate for your client. I'd make the roof/wall symbols a bit bigger inside the blue rectangle.

In the second set I like the symbolism, which seems much more specific to the business. However I'm not sure that we'll be able to tell they are trowels when the logos are reduced to small sizes.

Set number 3 is specific to the trade, which is good, but it looks top-heavy and somewhat disjointed. Maybe if you enlarged the symbols and put everything within a border or field it might help unify it.

Thank you all for your comments. There is much to consider from reading your feedback. I highly appreciate it. I'm not so sure about much of these concepts anymore. I'll share in a bit. I've always enjoyed the work of Steve Zelle and Graham Smith for their minimalist approach. There are times more complicated logos are called for and in the construction/building industry it seems there's always bold, strong, and power built fonts used. I'm still in the process of getting back a positioning statement from the client. This is probably the 2nd logo I've ever done.

Before I get into my reply, you can view some of the initial sketches that I dabbled with before I started putting things together.

Sketch 1

Sketch 2

Sketch 3

"About the symbol, I've seen many similar logos with the same resembling shapes. That said, I think you are on the right path, however if you want to go further then start working more on the symbol then in the final stages on the typography."

sans sleep, thanks for your reply. I really appreciate your observation. One of the upsetting things I just discovered while looking for a few logo sites by Logomotive, was that I found Logo Chief and it has a logo generator. I found this posted on there
http://www.logochief.com/logo-color-options.php?id=1076&v=thumb.png&font...

Quite a curve ball for me as I had only heard of Logo Chief but never seen the site. Then when I went through it that logo popped up. A bit frustrating for me now.

"You should also consider suggesting something other than IAS"

Luma Vine, thank you for your thoughts. I had suggested to the client that a name change would be better as it is a start-up which has had a very generic type to it. However, they are the owners initials and in my attempt to encourage naming and re-naming the owner opted for this name. It was originally the last name of the owner followed by the word "construction".

"The 3rd option seems freshest, though the tools are perhaps superfluous."

aluminum, this is very true and as I stated initially it was just to break away from the initial concept and move ahead. However, there's always the possibility that it might work if pitched to the client.

"In the second set I like the symbolism, which seems much more specific to the business. However I'm not sure that we'll be able to tell they are trowels when the logos are reduced to small sizes.

...Maybe if you enlarged the symbols and put everything within a border or field it might help unify it."

JamesM thanks for your input. The symbol is a bit generic and corporate, as I have just discovered. And you're right about the 3rd one being too top heavy. Again, I'm also waiting on the positioning statement from the client to narrow down concepts and colors.

I'm not normally a logo designer but I have dabbled a bit with it. The client is fairly easy to work with and flexible, except with naming. I'm going to keep pushing for more information and narrow down details. Currently the client is super busy and I do have a good amount of time for this project, so I'm pushing a few concepts around.

The business is located in the US in San Diego, California. Many construction and building companies do not have standard logos, they are constantly changing except for maybe two major companies. The smaller companies, as many in this industry, aren't too interested in branding as they are with what they do.

Thanks again, I'm still open to more thoughts and feedback.

> I'm still in the process of getting back a
> positioning statement from the client

I know it's tempting to jump right into developing concepts, but it sounds like you're doing things out of sequence. The first step in a logo project is to have discussions with your client to discuss their company, their goals, the image they currently have and the one they want to project, their competition, and so on. This will give you a much better idea of what you need to communicate through the logo.

Thanks for the suggestion. Discussions have taken place, and the client is a bit unsettled about what they want exactly. I'm developing some concepts to help better the client's understanding. Because I have the time to do it, and because I know the client personally, I'm helping them understand what the logo should represent. What we have nailed down so far is the color; they want blue and they want a corporate horizontal logo; not something vertical. The second set of the first link I posted in Set 1 gives us that. I'm looking to build on that a bit more as soon as I get the positioning statement. So while it may appear that the process is out of sequence, it is more of helping the client understand the need for the identity first.

Educating a client is a plus for me. At a time where too often I read articles written by designers who complain about what clients want or don't want, it's refreshing to work with someone who not only wants to understand their business, but the process behind the scenes to enhance their business.

My purpose in requesting feedback on the logos is simply to help me understand what might work where some details are a bit mirky. But I will definitely sit down with the client to discuss this further. Thanks again, you have some very valid points.

On the symbol:

Try using the same grid you used for the cubes to determine the size of the square around it. I feel the symbol would be stronger if you get rid of the round corners.

Make sure your symbol and typography are balanced.

On typeface:

Proxima Nova is maybe a nice alternative to futura. But maybe you could try something completely different. (example)
http://www.suitcasetype.com/index.php?lmut=en&part=fonts&font=27