Whitworth Logo

I think the W in the red is nice here but as you've prob guess from everyone else's comments comic sans isn't the way forward. The W in the red could become a nice icon with 'whitworth art gallery" written alongside it in a nice typeface...
 
To be honest guys I do feel comic sans actually works in this case and I do know the views of many designers towards comic sans, but I do feel it is given a roar deal and has its place, after all this is an art gallery this should be fun, it should be accessable, it should not seem stuffy .... this is not a logo for for an estate agents or bank! I have used this typeface because I feel it has a nice contrast to the harshness of the red logo. The red logo itsself is architectural in influence. I have taken the side elevation of the galleries RIBA award winning sculpture court designed by Ahrends, Burton & Koralek ... this was the galleries own attempt to bring the 'outside in' .... if its good enough for them its certainly good enough for a 1st year graphic design student who is only on her 7th week in to her degree!!!!!
 
Hi Katie,

I understand your reasoning behind its use now, but I think unless it's used in an ironic way(?), that reasoning won't hold up, that's just my honest opinion. I think the suggestions from Paul (pcbranding) about bringing in the environmental element in a subtle way sound promising, and if you have the time would consider thinking those through. With the latest logo as tbwcf says the red W mark on the left works nicely, but it's difficult to appreciate it when it's coupled with a typeface that is so contrasting to the W shape.

If you went with an approachable sans serif like a Myriad Pro I think it would work well the W mark, whilst not being 'too stuffy', and giving the overall branding a more contemporary look. As a very quick starting point on that, it would shape up something like this...

whitworth.png


I like your thinking of bringing in the architectural shape (the side elevation) that has a nice link, but remains subtle, and as a mark itself the W could then be applied to various applications without the full text logo to the right.

Hope that helps, I wasn't trying to be negative with my reply regarding the Comic Sans, just wanted to make sure you knew there's a lot of opposition for its use across creative industries ;)

Good luck, and please keep us updated on your progress :)
Greg
 
Thanks Greg I dont mean to sound like I dont appreciate the feedback because I do ... and your takes on the design are an obvious improvement and I will now try some different Ideas ... but as I say I am only in my first few weeks of my degree and mistakes are expected at this point ... its all a learning curve... this project has been one big headache for me so far but I think that was the point of this project ... we are not expected to create anything ground breaking at this stage. this project is more about learning the creative process its self rather than the final designs they are more interested in effective research and measuring our level of ability with the adobe packages so they can tailor future lectures to our weaknesses. As i stated before this is a huge project with many parts and ongoing for many many weeks and this logo design is a very very small part of it. I do however want to create designs that would work in the real world ... start as I mean to go on so to speak. So I thank you all once again for your feedback.
 
Katie, I hear you, but trust me. Trust us: comic. sans. is. bad.

It's simply a poorly designed typeface. There are myriad other beautiful typefaces out there that will convey the same sense of openness and friendliness you're looking for.
 
Hi Katie,

I completely understand where you're coming from, I was in your position myself a few years back, and from the sounds of it you're on the right track :) keep exploring ideas and getting used to the creative process, as you say it's about discovering your strengths and weaknesses so you can get the best from the course.
 
Thanks for your expert opinions and advice guys ... and yes I admit I was wrong ... I have gone with a nice simple sans serif now and yes its a definate improvement

3045385105_4fe250d334.jpg


Thank you all for you help with this its a weight off my mind ... hope you like this one?
 
Ya see? Much better.

I know you want to put this to bed, but I feel too involved now, so here are two points you can choose to ignore: you may want to kern the H and I a bit closer to each other. And you may (or probably not) want to consider lifting the W up so it sits on the same baseline as the HITWORTH, it's a little too easy to misread it as HITWORTH ART GALLERY at the moment.
 
LOL!!!! grrrr ....I agree with you on kerning the H and I closer together but I dont want to move the W ...I think it will lose its figure ground effect if i do
 
Dear Kate,
As I'm sure you've worked out, the world of designers is one of never being totally happy with anything!
(Which isn't a bad thing as at least we have the skills to create something that does work.)

So, I'd suggest that you stick with the logo that you're happy with (at this stage of your course/level of training etc.) and learn from the feedback that you get from your fellow students and tutors in the overall scope of your project. (When I say 'learn' I'm not patronising, just picking up what you're saying about how much you know after 7 weeks.)

We're only casual bystanders throwing in our opinions - only you have the full picture in your head.

Ask 10 people what they think will always result in 10 diffferent answers on a theme, some you may not want to hear and others that are spot on and make you think 'bugger, why didn't I think of that', but that's design for you :)

Go with the logo you like and can talk about comfortably and see what happens. Presentation and committment to your concept is part of what your course is about, not just creating something that is right ....does that make sense?!
(I had someone in my course who could sell any concept no matter how rubbish, because he had the gift of the gab and believed in what he'd created. He's now a VERY respected designer in the States.)

Enough rambling, hopefully you'll have made a decision and can move on to the other elements of your project :) without our ten penceworth of input!
 
Well this thread has opened my eyes alot to the world of design and to be quite honest I was very much stuck in a rut with it. Discussing this with people in the know so to speak has been inspirational to me, I feel I have learnt more in this single thread than I have in 7 weeks of uni ... but having said that, yes you are correct ... I do feel I need to find my own voice in the design world and I aim too!

Its been interesting for me to see the vast amount of conflicting opinions along the way ... personally I think it all comes down to taste, obviously there are certain guidelines to follow but in the end, at this stage in my development. I need to create for me not for anyone else because if I dont experiment with many different ideas and styles and learn from mistakes along the way whilst i'm at uni, I will never get to
 
Great advice Paul, and good to hear it's been a beneficial thread for you Katie, it's been an interesting one to follow and as the stapline of the Design Forums logo says "It's Subjective" :D
 
Well it certainly showed the trials and tribulations a new student goes through when faced with such a project ... perhaps it will be a help to any other students who may face similar issues with logo design ... It really got me thinking about my designs and they're relivance to the briefs
 
pcbranding said:
We're only casual bystanders throwing in our opinions - only you have the full picture in your head.
Presentation and committment to your concept is part of what your course is about, not just creating something that is right ... hopefully you'll have made a decision and can move on to the other elements of your project :) without our ten penceworth of input!

Good points PC.

Many Designers fail because they lack self conviction and seek acceptance from others.
Great designers are single minded, ruthless and completely committed to their product.
Good CD's simply point out 'schoolboy errors' and steer the ship in the right direction.
Take advice and opinion then sort out what is valued and what is not. But KNOW why you are going in a certain direction, otherwise you are just creative sheep.
Commitment and selling the idea is often more important than what you produce. Remember we are salesmen first and marketeers second!

As for your design... personally.... I would made you develop the very first concept.... But that's just my opinion. I think too many cooks, spoilt the broth and you didn't know which ingredients to leave out.

I've always said anyone who didn't make a mistake ( and i've made bucketloads) didn't learn anything.
 
Well this logo is in the bag now .... time to move on ... If this logo was being produced for the real world it would have been 'put to bed' along time ago in my opinion ... after all time is money is it not?
I shant be posting anymore on this particular subject for the simple reason its finished and I havent time to experiment with it anymore .... its a tiny part of the overall project and I must move on with it.
 
good points agreed.

you have to determine when others opinions are approriate (or valid).... all of us have an opinion and a horse designed by commitee is a camel (or sometimes worse like a frog or a sheep). ((not that i have anything against frogs or sheep))
 
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