[Project Complete] Due: Mar 31 - Software Logo - $250

[OutlineProber]

Admin code added by Abby - 8JY44330EU945864Y

Project Summary:

What text should be included in the main part of the logo?

Outline Probe

What type of product or service do you offer?

Software that analyzes Microsoft Word documents. Word counts, readability scores, and search results are sub-totaled by outline level, in a row and column format.

A still-primitive website at http://www.outlineprobe.com displays a screen image which pretty much sez it all.

http://www.outlineprobe.com/web_main.png

How long have you been in business?

Since 1980 as a software sub-contractor. But this is my first independently produced and marketed software product.

What do you hope to accomplish with your new identity?

Logo is for a product, not a company.

It should emphasize Outline Probe’s link with Microsoft Word, and the data it extracts from Word documents. While Word already has the information, Word provides no way for writers to access the info. Many writers may not realize they can examine their documents this way. Ideally the logo will convey this.

What are your long term goals?

1) Sell enough copies to replace my sub-contracting work.
2) Respond to customer requests, enhance product, and generate more revenue in upgrades.
3) Note customer requests which do not belong in this particular product, then introduce related products.

When is the deadline for final entries before choosing a designer?

March 31, 2007.

Audience Profile:

Writers using Microsoft Word to create large, structured documents:

1) Books (authors and would-be authors)

2) Business proposals, procedures, manuals, etc. (managers, trainers, sales)

3) Theses or long academic reports (PhD and MA candidates, any student with long writing assignments)

Perception/Tone/Guidelines:

What type of logo would you like?

Visually communicate what Outline Probe does: it probes Microsoft Word documents to display statistics.

Do you have any colors in mind for your logo? (if so, why?)

Blue is associated with the Microsoft Word logo. But that’s not necessarily related to anything.

I like the Web 2.0 and OS/X glossy look, but color (and graphics in general) should not overshadow the product.

Do you have any specific images or icons in mind that you would definitely like to see incorporated into your logo?

My first image was a Word document pierced by an old-fashioned meat thermometer: insight by number. Not very digital, but satisfying.

I can also imagine glossy cables/wiring forming letters.

Or a Word document, like a hospitalized patient, harnessed to an array of monitoring instruments.

I’m not wedded to any of these.

Communication Strategy:

What attributes would you like your logo to reflect about your product?

Add value to your Word document, by adding insight.

What is your tagline or slogan?

Numeric insight for Word documents

What is the overall message you are trying to convey to your target audience?

If your large Word document is structured, Outline Probe helps you understand it better.

Where will your new logo be used?

First, and foremost, at top of website. My marketing strategy involves driving people to website. The logo becomes their first impression, before they read about Outline Probe's features.

Products About… screen, which is very secondary. By the time someone checks the About… screen, they’re already interested.

Competitive Positioning:

Who are your competitors and what do you think about their logos?

To my knowledge, no one produces a product like this. Some apps compare word counts between multiple documents; others examine word frequencies within individual documents. No one else provides statistics by outline level, within a single document.

List competitive URLs if possible

Other Word-related products (though I don’t see them as competitive, nor am I impressed by their logos):

http://www.wordcountsoftware.com/
http://www.hermetic.ch/wfc/wfc.htm
http://www.practiline.com/

Bonus answer: non-competitive URLs with product logos I like:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/mail/
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/ical/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/
http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/

I love Apple’s distinctive product logos, which show you what each product does. Some other interesting stuff I’ve seen:

http://www.passmark.com/products/bit.htm
http://www.winzip.com/
http://www.everythingadmin.co.uk/

The visuals describe the products.

What sets you apart from your competitors?

I have this product; they don’t. In other words, I have a useful way of looking at Word documents; no one else has bothered to implement it.

Targeted Message:

State a single-minded word or phrase that will appropriately describe your company:

Numeric insight for Word documents

[Leclerk]

hi!

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_outline_probe_01.gif

[OutlineProber]

Logoholik --

What I like: Emphasis of the word Probe, particularly with a different color.

What I don’t like: Eye in document logo could just as easily be for a dating service which checks references on prospective dates. I don’t associate it with Microsoft Word.

Overall response: Too generic.

[nhr]

Hello:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe_nhr.png

Thank you.

[OutlineProber]

nhr --

What I like: “Drawing part” of page attached to screen. The “clamp” on the page resembles a magnifying glass, and conveys the idea of getting information from the document. Nice concept. I prefer the magnifying glass in the top version, because it has the color/texture that sez glass. I prefer the computer monitor in the middle version, because the dark background on the top version is distracting (and dare I say, depressing and more difficult to read).

What I don’t like: The word “outline” in outlined font. Clever, but I find it distracting. Definitely differentiate the 2 words by color or something, but not an outline font. I do like that the word "Probe" is emphasized more than "Outline".

Overall response: I can work with this. I like the middle version best: dump the B&W, and the dark screen on the top version doesn’t feel right. The color scheme feels nice, but I’m not wedded to it.

Stuff to play with: Since the logo's primary use will be on my website, I wonder if it's too tall. I like the image too much to reduce it's relative size. Would it work with the “drawing part” on the left and the text to the right – stacking the words Outline & Probe atop each other?

ImageImage Outline
ImageImage Probe

Or would this lose the effect of the blue top-left document and bottom-right "Probe" playing against the green top-right monitor and bottom-left "Outline".

The “magnifying glass” clamp obscures the letter "W", which ties in with the Word document icon. Move the “W” so it sits in the middle of the magnifying glass? Maybe lighten the blue to further differentiate it from other text on the page?

Should the “text” on the computer screen be indented (maybe lines 2, 3 and 5) to hint at outlining?
1 xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2 _____xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3 _____xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
4 xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5 _____xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Should the “text” be digits rather than a line, or does that complicate a clean design? (This is from my head, not my gut. Not sure I’d like it, but just asking.)

Capitalize Outline Probe? I know lots of logos go lowercase; am I missing something?

Sorry for using technical terms like “drawing part” of logo. You can tell why I’ve been locked in a room to code!

[nhr]

Hello again :)
Thank you very much for very descriptive feedback.

Revision(s) are here:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe2_nhr.png

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe3_nhr.png

:)

[OutlineProber]

nhr --

Overall response: I like it. We’re in the ballpark. I feel frustrated that I lack the graphics vocabulary to express myself, but let’s try:

Colors: shifting to a horizontal look changes the way the colors work. I’m thinking that “Outline” should be in green to balance the monitor next to it; “Probe” should be in blue to balance the document on the left. The word "Probe" should probably be emphasized by the darker color anyway.

I’m also thinking the blue (excepting the magnifying glass area) should be lighter. Maybe not as light as the green, but definitely more blue than black.

Font: The word “Probe” is less legible than the word “Outline.” I don’t know if this is because it’s bold, or a different font. For example, the last “e” in “Probe” is hard to distinguish. I’m thinking that the color change above will provide enough emphasis that you can use the same font and weight as the word “Outline” (which is nice).

Overall size: I don’t know how sizing works, so you may have just scaled it differently. But version 1 had both larger image and font. Now that it's gone horizontal, I think they can easily be larger without being too tall for a website. The real limit is probably what works with a 500-600 pixel width, which seems to be what aesthetically pleasing websites aim for. Enlarging the image probably takes priority over the font size, because I like the image and think it communicates my product's function.

Magnifying glass: In shrinking the image, the document seems to have been the loser while the “clamp” stayed the same (but grew proportionately). I prefer the version 1 concept with the document and text lines clearly visible on the magnifying glass’ top, left and bottom. Note: it's OK that the document size is closer to the monitor size, but I don't want the magnifying glass to take over the document.

How about keeping the text lines outside the “clamp” area? Maybe just a tad at the inner edges of the magnifying glass, to illustrate continuity with the document, but center the “W.” Also, would coloring the “W” a lighter (or glassier Web 2.0ish) shade of blue better emphasize the examination of Word? (I find myself thinking of the Mac icon for Word.)

Outline on monitor: Indented lines work well. Can numbers also be indented?

Can the lines be split into columns, to illustrate my product’s row and column UI? Something like this (except lined up properly):

1__XXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____2__XXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____3__XXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
4__XXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____5__XXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX

[nhr]

Thank you for another detailed feedback.
Here is result of your instructions and my experiments:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe4_nhr.png

Thank you.

[OutlineProber]

nhr --

Overall response: Great! I think we’re on final approach and just need minor adjustments. Well, minor to me.

Document size: In version 1, the document extended below the monitor stand. In version 2, it crept up to the bottom. Now version 4 brings the document noticeably above the stand. Can you lengthen the document so it’s at least level with the bottommost pixel of the monitor stand? I don’t think I’d mind extending it below the stand, though not as much as the document’s top is higher than the monitor top. (There’s something about the document’s skewed angle that moves the eye rightward, and I like that.)

Document text lines: In lengthening the document, you’ll probably need to add another text line. I’m thinking the document text lines are too prominent. Can you make them thinner, maybe the same height as the text lines on the monitor? I’m not sure we need more lines (other than one to compensate for the lengthened document), just less prominent lines. Same for text lines in the magnifying glass, but the “W” size and thickness is fine.

Text spacing: Stacked “Outline Probe” text looks good, but the words seem too close. Can you move “Probe” down to level with the bottom of the monitor stand? This, in combination with lengthening the document, should also create a smoother left-to-right flow from the document, narrowing into the monitor, to the words. (Oops, am I doing here what my clients do when I’m programming?)

Monitor clamp: The back of the clamp, extending left of the document, reinforces its functionality. Yet I wonder if the magnifying glass and horizontal connector already provide enough info. Would it still work if the back of the clamp disappears? How about if the horizontal connector between clamp and monitor is a bit longer, putting a tad more space between bottom of document and monitor?

Outline on monitor: Rows and columns look great. Now the outline numbers seem superfluous, perhaps distracting. How about dumping the numbers and extending the first columns a bit left:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____XXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____XXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX
____XXXXXXXXXXXX__XXX__XXX

[nhr]

Overall response: Great! I think we’re on final approach and just need minor adjustments. Well, minor to me.

:D
Thank you very much.

I will be able to make it later today.
In this part of the day I can make only promises :)

[nhr]

:)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe5_nhr.png

Thank you.

[OutlineProber]

nhr --

I think at some point I’m supposed to say you’ve been selected to complete the project and move it to the revisions sub-forum. There, I’ve said it! But I’m not sure how to move to revisions sub-forum, so I’ll continue here.

Overall response: I’m very pleased with your design. The image visually communicates what Outline Probe does. It feels clean and inviting. The following are more questions than requests: I’m probably looking for verbal feedback more than changes.

Document size: Document’s bottom is now level with monitor’s bottom. Would symmetry and the left-to-right flow be enhanced by lengthening it below the monitor bottom? This may tie in with next item.

Tag line: You never included the tag line, and I only noticed now when I reviewed my original specs. Does that mean 1) you think the tag line would complicate an appealingly simple image? 2) you save tag lines for last? or 3) you wondered if it was important enough for me to notice?

If we included a tag line, would it work to lengthen the document below the monitor to the same extent it’s above the monitor? The tag line could start beneath the monitor, level with the document bottom, in a much smaller font.

BTW, my urge toward simplification has now shortened the tag line to: “Insight for Word documents”. (no punctuation or quotes)

Document text lines: You kept the same height for document text lines. Does that mean you don’t think they’re too prominent? I still find them drawing too much visual attention and want them thinner. But is there a design reason favoring their current thickness?

[nhr]

nhr --

I think at some point I’m supposed to say you’ve been selected to complete the project and move it to the revisions sub-forum. There, I’ve said it! But I’m not sure how to move to revisions sub-forum, so I’ll continue here.

Thank you very much for selecting my design :)
Moderators will move this project to Revisions forum soon, I am sure.
This is what I can tell you now.
Detailed and illustraded answers coming later today.
Thank you very, very much for your patience with me and my time :D

[BlueCherryGraphics]

Congratulations Neb. ;)

This project has been moved to the Revisions Forum.

Client, please post a note once you've received the final files.

[nhr]

Hello again.
My answer comes from the end:

Document text lines: You kept the same height for document text lines. Does that mean you don’t think they’re too prominent? I still find them drawing too much visual attention and want them thinner. But is there a design reason favoring their current thickness?

Answer:

Actually, lines are changed, you can see more space between lines in version 5, then in any other previous versions. But, chagnes has been maded before document was enlarged... That is the reason why they still look too prominent.
That is fixed:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe6_nhr.png

[nhr]

Document size: Document’s bottom is now level with monitor’s bottom. Would symmetry and the left-to-right flow be enhanced by lengthening it below the monitor bottom? This may tie in with next item.


I understand what you mean. True, I think:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe7_nhr.png

[nhr]

Tag line: You never included the tag line, and I only noticed now when I reviewed my original specs. Does that mean 1) you think the tag line would complicate an appealingly simple image? 2) you save tag lines for last? or 3) you wondered if it was important enough for me to notice?


4) Just folowed this part:
"What text should be included in the main part of the logo? Outline Probe"
So, I understand you don't want tagline included...

But, after many experiments, only those layouts works in this case:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe61_nhr.png

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/OutlineProbe71_nhr.png

Please, tell me what you think?

[OutlineProber]

nhr --

We have a winner!: 7.1.

Vocabulary sometimes gets in the way. Now that you mention it, I see how the document text lines got more spacing between versions 4 and 5. But the thinner lines in version 6 are what I want. (And the extra spacing probably enhances the perception.)

"What text should be included in the main part of the logo? Outline Probe" I understood the question as meaning the tag line would be included in the less main part of the logo. Of course, I failed to notice that no question asked what text belonged in that less main part of the logo. I have similar problems talking about software with my clients.

Including the tag line definitely required unstacking the words “Outline Probe” and laying them out side by side. I appreciate that you provided two versions, 6.1 and 7.1, to better illustrate how the visual flow changed. 7.1, which lowers the document beneath the monitor stand, while still keeping a proportionate area above the monitor, feels more symmetrical and flows more naturally. As I said, the winner.

File format(s): What file format(s) do you typically provide? I know that PNG is commonly used on websites, but not all my development tools recognize it. Can you also provide JPG or GIF? If so, do I lose image quality? (File size is not an issue.)

If I ever want to re-size the logo for another purpose, are the format(s) you provide scaleable?

Would you be able to provide the RGB values for the blue and green? I’m thinking there might be some places in the application where I can play off the logo colors.

Work order change: icons?: I know this wasn’t in the original specs. The document clamped to the monitor (without any words) is just the right shape and feels perfect for the application icon. Do you have software to provide Vista-capable ICO files? If so, what would that cost?

FYI: Microsoft states that Vista requires 256 x 256, 48 x 48, 32 x 32, and 16 x 16 icons. I know that XP would also require 64 x 64 and 24 x 24 icons.

[nhr]

Your files and answers has been sent by Private message:

http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/private.php?

Thank you very much again.

[OutlineProber]

Files received.

I am very pleased with the logo nhr designed, and enjoyed working from the initial concept to create the final design.

Satisfied customer,
OutlineProber

[BlueCherryGraphics]

PROJECT UPDATE: This thread has been moved to Logo Project Archives.