[Project Complete] Due: May 23- Logo for Game Studio- $200

[e1ven]

(Admin code added by Palmer - 61Y49686TA344513H)

Darkened Sky Studios is a computer game company, that is being formed to take ownership of several properties that we're unifying under one brand.

We want to create a simple and brandable logo to help unify the project line. We'd love to see some creative ideas in how to bring this about-
We know that you know more about Logo design than we do, so we'd love to see your concepts.


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

None

What type of product or service do you offer?

Online Games, in particular we're working on several flash-based original
IP games. The games tend to lean toward sword & sorcery/fantasy and dystopian
future worlds.

How long have you been in business?

We're relaunching several products that have been in business for over 12 years.

What do you hope to accomplish with your new identity?

We hope to create a strong brand for identifying across several project
lines. We want to signify seriousness, yet firmly plant ourselves as a
next-generation company.

What are your long term goals?

We want to continue to launch new and revitalized products, each of
which will have their
own branding and identity. We want to bring people new and innovative
games and experiences. We want
to let people play. We want to appear iconic.

When is the deadline for final entries before choosing a designer?
May 23, 2007


Audience Profile:
Please describe your existing audience

Or Audience is currently made up of veterans of existing games, each of
which with their own community. We want to try to unify them under an unbrella platform.

Who would you like to add to your audience?
We want to grow our audience both with the Web 2.0 affiliates, such as the
type who visit Ycombinator and Techcrunch, as well as bringing additional
people from the gaming communities, such as Wizards of the Coast,
GamaSutra, 1Up.com, Stratics, and the like.

Perception/Tone/Guidelines:
What type of logo would you like?
We’d like a logo that will work with a wide variety of products in the
gaming sector. Ideally the logo would work well in as few as 2 colors.

A “glassy” version of the logo would work well. (Similar several that Apple has done)

A simple logo, similar to
http://darkenedsky.com/logo/105952.jpg could
certainly work, but we’re looking for options. We want creative solutions.

Clever logos. Things that look like they belong on a web company.



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

Black and Grey work well, as do crimson and deep blues and purples.

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

We do not have any particular icons or images that we
definitely want to
see incorporated into the logo. Preferred themes would focus on an
impending storm,
smoke in the sky, or an ominous sunset.


Communication Strategy:
What attributes would you like your logo to reflect about your business?
We want to seem new and “with it”, but at the same time, reflect that
we’re expecting to remain for the long term. We want to convey that we
are "taking over" -
that this company expects to reshape every industry it touches and
leave the world altered
in its wake.

What is your tagline or slogan?
We don’t have one.

What is the overall message you are trying to convey to your target audience?
The Brand Darkened Sky Studios is designed to unify the market between
disparate games, and provide a single source of contact.

Where will your new logo be used?
Websites and Business Cards, as well as promotional posters and
marketing materials.
May eventually appear on printed retail products.


Logos that we like include-
Apple
Sun
IBM
FireAnt.com
Current_
Writely
Origin Systems Inc.
Blizzard
Mythic Entertainment
Firefox
New Line Cinema

[nhr]

Hello:

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

Thank you.

[e1ven]

Wow- Thanks for the quick reply!

That's a great standard logo, but I don't really like the graphical flourish to the right. Maybe it could be replaced with some other flourish, or dropped. Maybe replaced with a storm element, or something symbolic of one?

Lightning bolts are tend to be overused, but I can't think of anything else that's particularly iconic.

I'd also like to see a glossier/glassier version of the logo.

That logo is a great start, and a pretty cool entry, but I'd like to see some other concepts that play more, exploring some brandable shapes, not just logotypes.

I'm not sure what the right answer is.. But 37 signals has lots of creative logo types- They're abstract, but suggest idea.

There's a lot of abstract logos on http://www.logoholik.com/recent/index.html

(I know that he's one design person here, but I don't mean to single him out, just link to that STYLE of less concrete logo)

More at http://www.biz-logo.com/pre-designed-cat01.shtml


I'd love to see any concepts, and appreciate any help. I think it's a fun property, and look forward to working with you on an interesting brand ;/

[OffbeatDesign]

Question for you. In your brief (question 1) you say that you don't want any text included with your logo. Do you want the company name in the logo or do you just want a logo element? Thanks.

[Leclerk]

well, since you mentioned me :)

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_01.jpg

[Leclerk]

and second one...

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_02.jpg

[e1ven]

Question for you. In your brief (question 1) you say that you don't want any text included with your logo. Do you want the company name in the logo or do you just want a logo element? Thanks.

I think that the strongest logos reinforce a brand, without having to actually contain it. SUN's logo self-referencing logo is brilliant, but there's very few companies which have names that work for that ;)

Look at MySpace.com or AOL.com- Each have a small Logo element, and they use that as the brand next to their name.

[Leclerk]

and third one...

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_03.jpg

[e1ven]

Logoholik, I love your style.
The first logo seems a little Generic. It's a cool mark, but It doesn't really have anything to do with skies, darkness, stormes, or anything of the sort. It's cool, but how did you derive it? ;)
If I understood the origin, it might make sense to me ;)

My partner and I have been talking about the second sets- I love the way you're adding the half-circle at the top, to give it that glassy feel, and I particularly like the gradients/lighter areas in the square version.

He really likes the Lightning element, particularly in the square version with multiple bolts.
As I mentioned before, I worry that the Lightning motif may be overuesd, but he may overrule me on that ;)

My only concern is that is lightning itself seems a iconic- It seems off, in a way that's hard to describe. Perhaps because it's the same variation three times, or perhaps because it's the popular image of lightning, not very lightning itself. As my partner put it "slightly more jagged line, and a little less Tampa Bay Lightning."

Please don't let that criticsm take away from either you, or NHR's work. I really like both sets, and I mentioned, I'm still hoping for some other clever logos that aren't necessarily lightning related.

The people on this forum have a better eye for design than I ever will, and I can only stand in awe of the things you achieve.

-Colin

[OffbeatDesign]

Thanks

[OffbeatDesign]

Version 2

[e1ven]

Offbeat design-

I like the way you laid that out, and the cloud idea another great variation on the theme.
The monotone version looks the coolest of versions of it, IMO ;)

I think the could is certainly a cool idea, but that particular cloud seems perhaps too entrenches in the popular psyche- That cloud with a Lightning bolt tends to mean Rain on a Weather map, not Darkened Sky.

That's cool, and it's easily recognizable, but it won't brand in people's heads- They'll see it more outside of context, then in the context of us..
Granted, the Square adds a distinct element, which makes it clearly us.


What about modifying the cloud, so that it's less traditional? One cool example I found was
http://reidyoung.com/portfolio/print/asPoster1.png


I really like the idea, I just want to find a way to do it that we can make unique to us.

[OffbeatDesign]

See where you're coming from. Working on a new cloud, but wanted to throw this out there in the meantime.

[e1ven]

Ooh.. I like that concept.
.
I've always been a fan of having the logo reflect the name.. As I mentioned, Sun's Logo is amazing at that.

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_7wire_08b.gif is also good.

I really like you Gina Salvator logo from your site, but I can't find a way to link to it.. ;)
Go to http://www.offbeatdesign.com/, click Logos, then click the one on the bottom row, second from the right.

Another good example is http://www.nhrdesign.com/thumbs/tn_impacthost_site.png




The Y as lightning is a really clever concept. The darkened in black also works well, implying the dark areas of the sky.
The design seems a little empty though- Since the Cloud is on the bottom right, the rest of the design is open..

I really like this design, I'm just not sure how to integrate the Darkened and the Sky parts ;)

If our name was just skY, this would be ideal- My partner worried that it might be gimmicky, but I wonder if that's just an artifact of it being disparate parts.

-Colin

[OffbeatDesign]

Thanks. Horizontal layout isn't as empty.

[OffbeatDesign]

Version 5

[nhr]

Hello Colin,
Thank you very much for the feedback :)

Well, looks like my storm on the "y" hits the wrong target...

New concept coming soon.

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/Darkenedsky20_nhr.png

Thank you.

[e1ven]

Offbeat design- I really like the concept of the darkenedskY, I just don't know a way to make it come out. It's cool because it's exactly the sort of tie in that I'd love, but the specifics just don't seem ideal.

I wish I were better at figuring out ways to make it work, because it's cool, but I don't know if there's anything that'd do it directly. I really want it to work.
What do you think?


NHR- I like that new logo- I'm not sure I understand what it signifies though. It's very professional, and very nice, but I don't Get it.
Maybe if the dark was on the top, it might work as a Dark-Sky?

I love the Feel of it, I'd just like to make it feel more related. Could it be modified to resemble a sky image, or something?

It's very solid, very professional. It's the sort of image that I'd like to give off, and it has nice gradients. I just want to find a way to make it more meaningful to us, and more recognizable.
How do we make people change it so that pople can make the connection between that logo, and DS?
-Colin

[OffbeatDesign]

Thanks Colin. Here's another option with stylized clouds

[shnickerdoodle studios]

One from me..
Thanks, Deanna

[e1ven]

Offbeat- I like that design. It'll be tough to reproduce in two colors, but I think it's very interesting and unique.

Deanna - Thanks for submitting an entry! That's really interesting... It really expresses the Darkened Sky- The lighter part on the right is kinda of interesting- I had though thtat was gloss, but you reproduced it in the 2 color version ;)
What the gloss symbolize?

This is a really interesting logo. ;)

My partner has asked to see it in an un-tilted version, which I don't think would be as interesting, but I do agree with him that having the name broken into two colors (darkened & sky) makes sense.

Thank you all for such great entries. You humble and amaze me. I love the creativity, and the best brand for DS.

[nhr]

Hello again :)

My previous and current concept is very special light bolt:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DO_/Darkenedsky3_nhr.png

Thank you very much

[e1ven]

After talking it over with the team, we're of the opinion that LogoHolic's third design is still the strongest of the page. We'd really like to see some other versions of that, if he could.

Would it be possible to see it with the third lightning bolt removed? Maybe with a softer text?
I think that the logo is very close to right, but I'd really like to see some more revisions of it. I'd love you to play with it more.

NHR, I really appreciate the new version, and certainly see where you're going with it, but I don't think that it's right for us right now. It's a cool looking logo, but it didn't resonate with any of the team members.

Snickerdoodles is the other one that has real traction. It's neat, it's solid, and we'd love to see more. Maybe it could be simplified a bit? Remove the element to the right, perhaps?
You know a lot more about this than I do.

OffBeat design's cloud logo is another that I personally like, but I'm fighting an uphill battle.. My partner is saying that it's too complex, while the earlier version with the skY was too iconic, and "too cheesy".

Relevant Studios' design is one of the most daring, and I love the idea, I just find that actually seeing it isn't as cool as it is in my head when you imagine it. I know that you did it as well as it could possibly be done, but it seems to be muddled- The idea that it's supposed to be pixels gets lost a bit, I think...

In any event, I wanted everyone to know exactly the way we're feeling. We're still willing to go with any logo, and we're hoping a new one hits it out of the park.

-Colin

[BlueCherryGraphics]

I know you had mentioned ominous sunsets/clouds/etc., but I thought a solar eclipse has a good tie-in to the name & is definitely "ominous"

v1

[e1ven]

I like the black version of the cloud a lot better. It's easier to see, and comes across as more pixellated.
Could you try putting it in a different frame? Maybe a circle, or square?
Could you use a different color than Pink? ;)

BlueCherry- This looks like a Stargate- It's a lot of fun, but I don't think it's the direction we're looking for right now.

[BlueCherryGraphics]

v2 another idea w/ DS combined as abstract lightning bolt

[Leclerk]

Thanks! Here are some variations...

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_04.jpg

[OffbeatDesign]

Thanks

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Revision from me...
Thanks,
Deanna

[Leclerk]

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_05.jpg

[Leclerk]

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_06.jpg

[Leclerk]

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_07.jpg

[OffbeatDesign]

Contained version

[e1ven]

I think that it's the most fair to everyone involved to say that we've essentially decided on Logoholic's logo at this point.

I greatly appreciate all of the entries- They were exactly what we wanted- Clever, new, interesting.

Deanna's logo in particular was amazing, but I can't stress enough how much we enjoyed all of them. Digital clouds ROCK, and the lightning Y is still the best integration of the name and logoform.

I'd like to thank you all- As I have said, I acknowledge that I have only a barely functional ability in design, and you're designs may very well be far superior. I know that there was a lot of debate on the team, but in the end, we felt that the Logoholic lightning worked, and worked well.

Logoholic's has the perfect feel for this project, and brings about the design elements we're hoping for.

You put in an amazing number of versions of this logo, and It's greatly appreciated.

Perhaps unfortunately, it inspired us to start talking about what is possible. We love both the mostly black, and the mostly blue versions, and are uncertain which works better. We're exploring different site designs to find what works best for us.


We do agree that the font you used in version 7 is the best. What font is it?
Could we see a monochrome version, or perhaps a subdued colors version?

One concern we have is how best to display the logo against a dark or black background. Is there a version you could give us to address this? I'm not sure how to resolve this.



For after we've finalized a specific version: (I understand this isn't yet)
What was this made in? Once we have a final version, If there is one, we'd love a PSD with layers, so we can play with it. If it's in illustrator, that'd be great too. Differently sized PNGs rendered against transparency are probably the easiest.

Again, thank you all for the amazing logos.

[BlueCherryGraphics]

Hi,

Have you decided to move forward with Logoholik's exclusively?

If so, I can move this thread to revisions where he can work on the other changes you mentioned.

If you are still open to other entries, I will leave the thread in the open forum.

Just let me know.

[e1ven]

I think that's it's the most fair to everyone if we accept that. If anyone has something that's still waiting, we'd be happy to see it, but designers spending more time on it probably wouldn't be fair to them.

Ie- We aren't ruling anything out, but what we've seen is a pretty great logo.

[BlueCherryGraphics]

OK; as long as the project does not have a declared winner (in other words, "X designer has been chosen"), it remains open to entries in the Logo forum.

Once you have specified definitively which designer you wish to work with, I'll move it to the Revisions forum.

So for now, it's open to entries until you declare a winner. Designers can weigh whether or not they wish to submit further entries taking into account your comments.

Thanks!:)

[Leclerk]

Thanks!
http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_08.jpg

[e1ven]

Logoholic- Thanks!

The monochrome looks great (!), and the font is fine. The one against a black background doesn't get as good of a response, when we show it.. Is there some other option?
Maybe we'd have to reort to putting an ultra-thin border around it? Maybe there's something that could be done with the Gloss, that makes it show up on black?

I don't know, but I'm sure you do!

We greatly appreciate it.
-Colin

[Leclerk]

:) here are some possible implementations on dark background. If you ask me i would go with option c.

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_08abc.jpg
Cheers,
Bojan

[e1ven]

:) here are some possible implementations on dark background. If you ask me i would go with option c.

http://www.logoholik.com/do/logoholik_darkenedsky_08abc.jpg
Cheers,
Bojan


I like option C as well, but I've been outvoted. If you could put C's white text, with logo A, we can declare that the winner.

-Colin

[e1ven]

For the final version, could we have the Photoshop file, and any other relevant files?

A series of differently-sized PNG's rendered against Transparent, with and without the border?

The name of the font.

Bojan, You rock!
-Colin

[Leclerk]

Thanks Colin! I will have your files ready soon.
Cheers,
Bojan

[Leclerk]

OK. Check your private messages at http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/private.php? for download link to your logo files.

Cheers,
Bojan

[e1ven]

We've gotten everything we needed, and are very happy with the results. I want to thank everyone again for entering, and I look forward to returning for any other logo work that we need!

-Colin

[BlueCherryGraphics]

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