Help & opinions needed for logo

TheAivons

TheAivons

New Member
Hey Guys,

I am new here and I am in need of help from all you mighty designers out there since I am a beginner with logo creating.

Basically my friend starting a coffee business and he asked me to create logo for him. He is planning on buying coffee beans roasting, grinding and packaging them into these nice resealable matte black 250g packages that will have label sticker on them with logo and all the other info.

He is being very specific about how he wants the logo to look so I haven't had much freedom about it. Here are the four designs that we have come up with. The label that will be going on the coffee packaging will be brown and there will also be pattern over the background in sightly lighter brown.

Sample_work_for_forums_feedback_b_w.jpg



Personally I prefer 2. and 4. out of these four, but the thing is that it feels like there is something important missing from them and I can't think of it, so maybe you guys could help me improve my work and say what are your thoughts about all this.


Thank you in advance :)
 
Without wanting to sound too harsh, the 'important thing missing' is a professional designer.

Where to start? Black on brown text - really? White out of brown might look better, but basically all you have is a badly-drawn cup with
some uninspiring text. Where's the spring? You need to sit down with a pencil and paper and come up with a few ideas. At least have a seed
growing out of the cup or something.
 
I know it sounds a little harsh but I have to agree with Wardy. When I see that logo I just think one person start up with little to no budget. Where is he planning on selling these resealable bags of coffee? I would never imagine seeing that sort of design in any serious retail shops or even smaller, independent ones.

It would be slightly different if he was a plumber, where (arguably) their presentation is less important than the quality of the service they provide. But this is a product that people will pick up and buy based on how it looks. Design isn't something you can just stumble into and expect to be good enough to start selling or providing your services straight away. It's great that you want to get into design and I wish you luck with it all, and as you say your friend is very specific about what he wants, but the best outcome for your friend is to hire a professional and to not remove all elements of freedom from the project.

No one is going to enjoy working with someone who controls every aspect of the project, and more often than not the final design suffers as a result. Let the (professional) designer do their job!
 
Like the others have said, those designs are rubbish (sorry it's blunt but it's true), I'd actually go as far as to say that you need to hire a professional to work on this rather than trying to do it on the cheap.

As I've said before on other threads, having the 'right' software does not make you a designer in the same way having the right tools doesn't make you a plumber (although I wish it did because plumbers out this way can be a pita).
 
Levi said:
Like the others have said, those designs are rubbish (sorry it's blunt but it's true), I'd actually go as far as to say that you need to hire a professional to work on this rather than trying to do it on the cheap.

As I've said before on other threads, having the 'right' software does not make you a designer in the same way having the right tools doesn't make you a plumber (although I wish it did because plumbers out this way can be a pita).
Click to expand...
True! I agree with everyone...

I think you not ready to do a logo project, but, anyway, if you really like the profession this can be your time to get experience for the next new challenges. You should start learning about the briefing and creative process.

In cases where the client knows exactly what he wants, most of the times, he doesn't know what he needs. You can create more than 1 idea option. Do what he wants and, after that, break the rules and create what you think he needs. Presents both creations to the client and keep more defensive on what you think he should choose, it's time to play with communication!
 
They're simple, but simple is often the result of a very thought out process, and I can't say this is one of those.

Do you have an original design you presented to him? :)
 
Wardy said:
Without wanting to sound too harsh, the 'important thing missing' is a professional designer.

Where to start? Black on brown text - really? White out of brown might look better, but basically all you have is a badly-drawn cup with
some uninspiring text. Where's the spring? You need to sit down with a pencil and paper and come up with a few ideas. At least have a seed
growing out of the cup or something.
Click to expand...
Sean Lee-Amies said:
I know it sounds a little harsh but I have to agree with Wardy. When I see that logo I just think one person start up with little to no budget. Where is he planning on selling these resealable bags of coffee? I would never imagine seeing that sort of design in any serious retail shops or even smaller, independent ones.

It would be slightly different if he was a plumber, where (arguably) their presentation is less important than the quality of the service they provide. But this is a product that people will pick up and buy based on how it looks. Design isn't something you can just stumble into and expect to be good enough to start selling or providing your services straight away. It's great that you want to get into design and I wish you luck with it all, and as you say your friend is very specific about what he wants, but the best outcome for your friend is to hire a professional and to not remove all elements of freedom from the project.

No one is going to enjoy working with someone who controls every aspect of the project, and more often than not the final design suffers as a result. Let the (professional) designer do their job!
Click to expand...

Levi said:
Like the others have said, those designs are rubbish (sorry it's blunt but it's true), I'd actually go as far as to say that you need to hire a professional to work on this rather than trying to do it on the cheap.

As I've said before on other threads, having the 'right' software does not make you a designer in the same way having the right tools doesn't make you a plumber (although I wish it did because plumbers out this way can be a pita).
Click to expand...
Thank you all for your great feedback. I think this was what I really needed some maybe harsh but honest feedback about this work.
As some of you already said there is not much budget for this project plus it is still in experimental stage and that is why I'm doing the logo for it.
I have made another design this time with the same font (regular instead of bold) and different cup.
I would love to hear what you guys think about it.

Version_2_ilustrator.jpg
 
It kind of reminds me of small French Cafe. Maybe because of the way the handle curls round. For me, it's hard to say whether this design is right or wrong because there's not much info on the business for anyone to say whether these logos are fit for purpose. Has your friend given you a brief at all? Are there any logos he has seen that he likes? What kind of people is he trying to attract to his business? How will they learn about the business? Who are his competitors? These seem like pointless questions, but unless he is actually opening a French Cafe or something else that comes to mind when viewing this, the above may not be suitable.

Maybe ask him some of those questions?

:)
 
 
 
The second post is an improvement but still quite away from what it could be. Those links are a good start for inspiration.

Think analytically:
- why do they look professional?
- what fonts are used and why?
- what colours and/or shapes are used?

Also, when using very thin lines (like in your second version) you will find it very difficult to scale when going for smaller size both in print and web, just a tip.

Looking forward to seeing the next version :)
 
iDesign said:
It kind of reminds me of small French Cafe. Maybe because of the way the handle curls round. For me, it's hard to say whether this design is right or wrong because there's not much info on the business for anyone to say whether these logos are fit for purpose. Has your friend given you a brief at all? Are there any logos he has seen that he likes? What kind of people is he trying to attract to his business? How will they learn about the business? Who are his competitors? These seem like pointless questions, but unless he is actually opening a French Cafe or something else that comes to mind when viewing this, the above may not be suitable.

Maybe ask him some of those questions?

:)
Click to expand...
Alex Gilmore said:
The second post is an improvement but still quite away from what it could be. Those links are a good start for inspiration.

Think analytically:
- why do they look professional?
- what fonts are used and why?
- what colours and/or shapes are used?

Also, when using very thin lines (like in your second version) you will find it very difficult to scale when going for smaller size both in print and web, just a tip.

Looking forward to seeing the next version :)
Click to expand...
Once again thank you for your feedback I really appreciate it.
Unfortunately I couldn't really get answers to the questions that iDesign posted from my friend, but since I have the basic idea of what he is planning I was kinda trying to reflect it in the new logo.

I also looked at all of the links that createamake posted and thank you for that it was really a great inspiration, but I'm still not sure about thinking simple.

In this version of the logo I was trying to associate the image that the customer will see with the name underneath it.

The spring (as a metal part) is used to create the cup and the green side of the cup also represents spring (as a season) since green associates with freshness and plants growing. In surveys made in Europe and the United States, green is the color most commonly associated with nature, youth, spring, hope and envy.

I'm really inpatient to hear what you guys think about this version :)
Spiral_cup.jpg
 
Well, it's certainly an improvement on the previous one! I would probably take a closer look at the outline of the shape and make sure its symmetrical, or at least close, the top left section needs looking at.

Something that I see a lot of new designers do is viewing their work at 2/3/4x the size it's going to be used at. The problem with this is that often when you go to shrink it down, it loses its effectiveness and then you have to spend more time tweaking it to make it look better.

For example:

0dffebf8e1.png


In the smaller version, and arguably the larger version, the typographic element feels to me like it's being drowned out, it looks like a description rather than a brand name. I'm not sure that font works overly well with the rest of the design if I'm honest.

I think the saucer could do with a bit more work put into it, and be made slightly larger - as it stands, it's very small!
 
Sean Lee-Amies, could you suggest a font that would look good with this design ? I have been trying to find something for a while now but I'm not sure what would look good.
 
Sean Lee-Amies said:
Well, it's certainly an improvement on the previous one! I would probably take a closer look at the outline of the shape and make sure its symmetrical, or at least close, the top left section needs looking at.

Something that I see a lot of new designers do is viewing their work at 2/3/4x the size it's going to be used at. The problem with this is that often when you go to shrink it down, it loses its effectiveness and then you have to spend more time tweaking it to make it look better.

For example:

0dffebf8e1.png


In the smaller version, and arguably the larger version, the typographic element feels to me like it's being drowned out, it looks like a description rather than a brand name. I'm not sure that font works overly well with the rest of the design if I'm honest.

I think the saucer could do with a bit more work put into it, and be made slightly larger - as it stands, it's very small!
Click to expand...
Steeph said:
I think that an condensed font might be good, but not bold.
Click to expand...
I increased the saucer and made the middle part of the handle thicker, but I can't really see any problem with the outline of the shape because there is no outline.
Mainly this post is about the font. I looked at some condensed fonts and chose few that looked good to me. What are your toughs on these fonts ?

Fonta_meklejumos.png


1. FJALLA = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/fjalla
2. ENCODE SANS = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/encode-sans
3. ROBOTO 2014 = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/roboto-2014
4. COOPER HEWITT = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/cooper-hewitt
5. Delicious = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/Delicious
6. YANONE KAFFEESATZ = http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/yanone-kaffeesatz
 
Saucer is looking much, much better now :) Well done!

So in regards to the font, I personally think that a brands font says a LOT about it and should be chosen carefully, based on purpose and reason, not simply what might look good.

What kind of people is your client trying to attract with the packaging? Does the clinical look suit the product or will it need to be a bit more rough or rugged? Does he want to push the 'nature' or 'health' aspect in any way? All these things are relevant.

Personally, from what you've said so far, I think it might be better to go with a slightly bolder font, like 1 and 2, maybe even bolder. I don't think geometric fonts are going to work massively well here or it's going to end up looking like a hospital brand.

Every shape has an outline, whether it is drawn or not. What you need to look at is the outline of the shape you have created, for example:

7fa83ed4fe.png
vs
77c1dab7bb.png


I think it needs to be a bit more symmetrical.
 
Wardy said:
At least have a seed growing out of the cup or something.
Click to expand...
Loving that idea Wardy :)

The new design is looking much stronger than the original concepts, though I agree with Sean it could do with a little more tweaking. Great progress though.
 
I'm coming a bit late to the game here but if you want to achieve that wrap around look there's a way of getting it spot in in Illustrator using the 3D revolve and mapping the ribbon onto it thus:

ai02.jpg
 
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