Logo critique & suggestions

Designer156

Junior Member
Hi, I'm helping out a local guy with a new logo for his business.

I'd thought I'd done a half decent job of updating it, but he's not happy - too basic and not dynamic enough.

The brief was to modernise his logo whilst maintaining the DNA so his clients would still recognise his business.

I'm struggling though and would welcome any feedback or suggestions for where I could take it. Normally I would steer well clear of cogs in a logo, but I don't see I really have a choice here.

Thanks in advance

all-logos.jpg
 
Designer156 said:
The brief was to modernise his logo whilst maintaining the DNA so his clients would still recognise his business.
Note I'm not a logo designer but honestly I'd say you've taken this bit too literal. Maintaining the DNA of the existing brand doesn't necessarily mean taking the logo and making it flat (which is basically what you've done). Sometimes you need to think outside the box, BT for example went from the blue/red trumpet man to the 6 colour 'sphere' design.

Oh and me being overly picky (my background is product design) here the smallest cog should have one more tooth :)
 
Thanks for your feedback, Levi.

The client specifically told me a story about another company he knew that changed their logo and no one recognised them, so he definitely gave the the steer that he didn't want to depart too far from the current format. He also said how hard it was to have the existing logo stitched onto jackets etc. So I really thought that the simplifying approach I'd taken would be what he was after. But I guess not.

I have to admit I'm a big fan of flat, simplistic logos, and certainly that seems to be the trend many major brands are taking... just look at Microsoft and Netflix for example. BUt I think the client expects more, rather than less, even though we all though that often less is more. The word he used was more 'dynamic'. He also referenced the fact that he could have done something similar himself - the kind of think my son would say looking at some abstract painting like a Mondrian.

Never the less, the customer is always right. So if anyone could suggest some ideas, that'd be great.

Thanks

(oh, why does it need another tooth?)
 
it needs an extra tooth due to the spacing between the teeth being too large, the teeth would end up catching on the next tooth as it's rotating stopping it from turning in some cases. In essence there's space either side of the tooth, in the real world this isn't the case. It's not the easiest thing to explain lol
 
“I could have done that myself” as well as requesting visual interpretations of abstract words like ‘dynamic’ is client standard 101.

Can we see the original logo?
 
I think the second attempt looks more 'dynamic' than the first to me. It's a little hard to read the 'Mon' so a bit more of a space would be good as at the moment looks all like one word. I like the perspective on the cog, maybe just making the right hand side a bit smaller may help make this direction clearer and more purposeful, but just having it this way already looks more of a developed logo than the first.

A couple smaller cogs at the top may help the client feel like it's less of a deviation, but I'd prefer just the one cog as it is!
 
wac said:
“I could have done that myself” as well as requesting visual interpretations of abstract words like ‘dynamic’ is client standard 101.

Can we see the original logo?
Yeah, that's classic isn't it! The original is on the second row, right hand side.
 
Vanessa said:
I think the second attempt looks more 'dynamic' than the first to me. It's a little hard to read the 'Mon' so a bit more of a space would be good as at the moment looks all like one word. I like the perspective on the cog, maybe just making the right hand side a bit smaller may help make this direction clearer and more purposeful, but just having it this way already looks more of a developed logo than the first.

A couple smaller cogs at the top may help the client feel like it's less of a deviation, but I'd prefer just the one cog as it is!
Thanks Vanessa. Agree a bit of spacing between 'Mon' and 'Maintenance' would help - will take a look at that.

No feedback from the client yet. Will chase now and see what he thinks....
 
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