[Project Complete] Due Apr18-Poker Room Resource:1st place - $200; 2nd place - $50!!!

[espionage]

Admin code added by Abby - 1F774064H9134261N , 86512826DE3575646 (additional $50 4M955600EN186635T)

Hi everyone,

Project Summary:
What text should be included in the main part of the logo?
FreeOnlinePoker.net
Free Online Poker.net

What type of product or service do you offer?
A portal destination for everything related to free online poker room offers and bonuses.

How long have you been in business?
Just started.

What do you hope to accomplish with your new identity?
Convey to the user that we have an informative portal on the latest free poker room offers.

What are your long-term goals?
A simple, professional, catchy logo that will be able to brand our site to new visitors when they want to find good up-to-date poker room offers.

Audience Profile:
Please describe your existing audience
None. We are looking to attract primarily males between 18-35.

Who would you like to add to your audience?
See above.

Perception/Tone/Guidelines:
What type of logo would you like?
A simple logo with a good font is preferred over a busy one.

Do you have any colors in mind for your logo? (If so, why?)
No. Perhaps contrasting colors that clearly distincts between the words/extension.

Do you have any specific images or icons in mind that you would definitely like to see incorporated into your logo?
No. But I am open to ideas. The normal images associated with poker (e.g. ace, heart, cards, spades, etc.) are fine, but something that's distinctive and brandable would also work.

Just please make sure it's done in good taste (ie. it complements the rest of the font and not overly applied).

Communication Strategy:
What attributes would you like your logo to reflect about your business?
Professional. Informative. Social (as in social interaction with other players on the site). Entertaining.

What is your tagline or slogan?
None.

What is the overall message you are trying to convey to your target audience?
FreeOnlinePoker.net is the place to go when you want to find and play online poker games.

Where will your new logo be used?

Homepage
Print and digital advertising
Favicon (Address bar icon)


Competitive Positioning:
Who are your competitors and what do you think about their logos?
EuroPoker.net - Good, distinctive contrasting logo
PokerLoco.com - Has a fun and playful feel
PokerListings.com - Professional, but a little bland/generic
PokerMaster.org - Very boring, nothing distinctive or brandable

What sets you apart from your competitors?
We are a comprehensive poker resource that is easy to navigate and provides our visitors with the best online poker offers.

Targeted Message:
State a single-minded word or phrase that will appropriately describe your company:
The place to go for free online poker offers and bonuses.

Miscellaneous:
<br>

Would like it in vector format

[imot]

Hi :)

Here is my design for your projerct. Let me know what do you think.

http://www.myoujou.com.ar/outpost/FreeOnlinePoker.gif

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Hi, one from me...
Thanks, Deanna

[espionage]

Hi everyone, thanks for kicking it off!

imot: nice mockup, maybe try a variation that gives off a "professional" / slick look

RelevantStudio: good try, but isn't quite the direction i'm shooting for. would love to see some other ideas based on my guidelines

shnickerdoodle studios: it's different, but the mouse doesn't work. it doesn't seem to fit the theme too well. can we try some different concepts (e.g. font and symbol)?

[imot]

Hi,
Thanks for the comments. Here is a Revision :)

http://www.myoujou.com.ar/outpost/FreeOnlinePokerV2.gif

[xpressions]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/nemagazine/freeonlinepoker.png

[pracus]

:)

[espionage]

Hey guys,

Thanks for participating!

Additional comment: For all designers, please try and aim for something that gives off a "slick/edgy/fun" feel (think FullTiltPoker.net, PartyPoker.net, PokerStars.net, pokerloco.com)

pracus - good entry, but i'm looking for something with a little more flair. please see designer comment above

RelevantStudio - the font you chose looks old-fashioned (it isn't good or bad atm, i am still testing it out), but i would like to see another color thrown in to make it easier for the viewers to read the name of the site. also, please see designer comment above

xpressions - the borders around the name is too thick. the symbol has already been done and i'd like to see something original to be used. please try a different font while taking my designer comment into account

imot - good revision and i think i have a good feel of how far that version can go now. if you can tangent off and create different concepts not based off version 1 it would help to show off some contrasting ideas

[DraganB]

:)

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Another from me...
Thanks,
Deanna

[espionage]

DraganB: cool first try. Can you proper-case (e.g. FreeOnlinePoker) the letters and include the .net (but either smaller or slightly different?) What is the symbol suppose to represent w/ the dashes?

schnickerdoodles: That looks like a fun concept. My main concern is that it's too busy. Perhaps if we can have contrasting colors between "Free" and the background, space it out a little bit more, make the background symbol a bit compact/relevant to name (e.g. the way slickdeals.net tied their symbol to their name while still appearing artistic). Overall, I think we can explore variations of this concept a little more

[DraganB]

The main part are the two playing cards, but I did not labeled (Q, J, K, A or numbers). The wave-like circles present the technological and Internet part of the logo and the site and also resemble growth.

Hope that answers your question :)

[espionage]

DraganB, can you turn the .net 180 degrees (upside down) and add some type of an effect around it (similar to, but not exactly like partypoker). The symbol isn't exactly quite right. I am not sure if it's because of the circular background or the dotted lines. It does seem original (which I like), but it hasn't fully made the connection with the name. You can also try and play around with the font. Italize or even a complete different font might produce good comparisons.

[DraganB]

Thanks for the feedback, here is another variation:

[abby]

Project Update: The deadline has been extended to Jan 11th 2008

[espionage]

Happy new years everyone!

I am really looking forward to seeing some of the new concepts coming off the holidays. There are a few good contenders currently, but nothing that's blown me away just yet so the top spot is still open.

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help make the contest a little smoother and easier for you.

[abby]

Project Update: The project deposit has been raised to $200

[nhr]

Hello :)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP_nhr.png

Thank you.

[espionage]

Hi everyone,

I know this contest has been somewhat in a state of limbo, but hopefully a break is just what was needed to get with some fresh ideas. Going forward I'm going to clarify and offer as much feedback as I can; communicate the direction of the concept.

A majority of the logos, the symbol are chips and cards. I'd like to do away with the generic chips/cards. I'm looking for something more distinctive in shape, weight, and contrast.

Shape: For example, if the symbol is a chip, there should be sharp contrasting colors presented in a slightly unique way -- e.g. Slickdeals.net, Ultimatebet.net. I just don't want a generic poker chip as a symbol. Something with a spin... that ties into the rest of the concept.

Weight: 1 distinctive bold, solid feature on the symbol that is unique. Otherwise, something that "makes sense" to the viewer... that they would instantly recognize and connect to the domain name.

Contrast: Good contrast at the edges of main visual elements to help in making recognizing the shape/name easier. Of course the end result is to brand the domain name into the user's mind....

If there's anything I can do to help (e.g. more examples of logos I like? something not too clear? color combinations? etc.) -- please let me know.

Thank you!!

[abby]

Project Update: The project deadline has been extended 03/07/08.

[nhr]

More contrasts:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP2_nhr.png

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP3_nhr.png

Thank you.

[espionage]

Hi nhr, thanks for keeping up the effort, but I'm not too keen on this concept (symbol + font) in general. A few things that might help make this better:

- Make it case-sensitive. FreeOnlinePoker.net or Free Online Poker *.net
- Change the font and play around with the interaction of words (eg. raptr.com or jifflenow.com -- notice dots in "i" are outlined. in different colors. playful. etc.)
- Play around with the style of the font. Maybe italicize (eg. Fixsor.com). Maybe bold certain letters. Or empty out a letter and outline the structure
- Symbol could be distinctive (eg., raptr.com) or incorporate generic elements (such as the poker chip symbol you've been using) BUT modified enough that it has it's own personality

If you want to have some more inspirations, check out www.killerstartups.com and browse through some of their logos.

[espionage]

bump. Anyone else want to give it a shot?

[guetizo]

Hi espionage,

Here's my try.

http://pvdesign.com.sapo.pt/free/originall_free.png

[shnickerdoodle studios]

A variation from me..
Thanks, Deanna

[nhr]

My new concept coming tomorrow. Thank you.

[nhr]

:)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP4_nhr.png

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP5_nhr.png

Thank you.

[espionage]

quetizo: thanks for your entry! here are some feedbacks. the name seems too compacted. Especially with the thick borders. it may be better if it's spaced out, or if the borders are made subtler (eg. dropshadow) instead.

also, I'm not understanding the symbol. are they suppose to be people sitting around a poker table? it's taking too long to decipher and guess what it means -- which is not good when you only have a few seconds to have the logo make an impression on someone.

for some reason, i feel a lot of the entries so far are "flat" -- can we try a different font and perhaps add a VERY subtle dimension to it?

shnickerdoodle studios: your entry is good, but i feel there's quite a bit of work to get to where it should be. in particular:

- i like the fact that you're thinking about integrating art into the name, but please see below

- it has TOO much of a "cartoony" impression and doesn't take on a more professional feel. Please see post #25 to get an idea of what i mean

- can we try a different font, something that adds substance and projects a more authoritative/masculine/poker portal tone

- temper off the quantity of symbols integrated into the name. i feel the spade AND the cloverleaf is getting to be overbusy and a little too playful.

- the square with the 4 symbols in it is a good start and may have the potential to be molded into something unique. try and see if you can put in the words free online poker inside the square. have it align to something like below:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;e &nbsp;&nbsp; etc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; etc.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;e &nbsp;&nbsp; l &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; k
&nbsp;&nbsp;r &nbsp;&nbsp; n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; o
f &nbsp;&nbsp; o &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; p

Sorry for the crude alignment, but i hope you see what i mean.

In addition, this is where catchy symbols can shine, so something unique that makes sense (eg. slickdeals.net symbol) would help. card symbols would be fine here.

- color scheme. i'd like to see something different. black, silver, gunmetal, blue, navy blue, are all possible. try various combos to see what works better

nhr: your two concepts are great, but i'm not feeling the energy behind them. i know that you have the talent, but so far, i feel these logos are somewhat flat and not as inspired as some of your past work. i feel that i've given enough examples for at least a general sense of direction over the course of the thread. i really look forward to your ideas, so please let me know if there anything in particular that i can do on my end to better help make things clearer.

All designers are welcome to read through the thread and get a sense of the feedback whether they're directed for them or not. Thanks!

[nhr]

Me again:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP60_nhr.png

Thank you.

[espionage]

Hi nhr,

Alright - lets see if we can break it down. Instead of both, lets just focus on the font first. I took a look at the xDestination contest (http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15773) going on here and liked post #26's font style and creative integration of symbol/font. Is this a direction we can maybe try for?

[abby]

An additional $50 deposit has been made.

[imot]

:)

http://www.myoujou.com.ar/outpost/freeonlinapoker3.jpg

[espionage]

Hey Guys,

I _really_ appreciate all the effort so far. As such, I'm giving away an additional $50 to the 2nd place winner!!

1st place: $200
Runner up: $50

Thanks for all of your interest, lets keep this rolling!

imot, I feel that we're pigeonholing ourselves into one type of design. Would we be able to branch out and try new styles? I'm not feeling the font very much. I wrote a lot of feedback in my earlier posts to the various designers. Take a look at post #25 or #34 in this thread and see if it helps. Thanks!

[freetime]

Hello! v1

[espionage]

Hey RS and freetime, glad to see you two jump in.

RS: I'm not too keen on the chosen font. The overall concept seems a bit "plain jane" right now. _However_, I'm thinking a smaller version of the 2 overlapping cards has some good potential as a symbol. There seems to be a lot that can be done with it.

For example, I liked the slickdeals.net logo. Their symbol was simple, yet unique in tying together the whole concept. I particularly liked the clever dollar sign in place of 's'. I am wondering if we can tie the letters f, o, p into the concept. Maybe the 'o' could be a chip? I am not sure what the 'f' or 'p' could be turned into (they don't all have to change into something else, 1 subtle change in a letter is ok). Maybe they could be made to appear in the corners of the cards -- without having it look weird or out of place.

In the sd symbol, their background was a off-angled square. In this case, your two cards could act as the background? We might need to add 1 or 2 more colors to either the background and/or borders.

To summarize, 1) play around with different ways to present the symbol and 2) Change the font. Maybe add some subtle dropshadow, depth, italize, pronounced borders, add a line separator, switch around the case-sensitivity, etc.

Finally, a few logos that i liked (relative to their names):
- http://mobiletalk.packet8.net/ -- like the style, but font is plainish
- http://revou.com/
- http://www.wildscreen.tv/
- http://fontstruct.fontshop.com/

freetime: It's a good start. I'm not sure how I feel about the royal flush. It could be fine, but right now i feel that it focus the visitor on the wrong thing -- I want to brand the name/URL+ext, not the poker hand. If you can integrate it more subtly without causing as big of a distraction, that'd be fine.

The black and white version is more readable, but I'd like to spread the words out a little bit more. Feel it's too squished. I'm also thinking maybe we can try a different color combination. It's hard to read the white border/yellow letters.

I do like how you made the 'free' stand out w/ the italicize and the format isn't too bad overall. Look forward to seeing your follow-ups!

To All: Multiple versions would definitely help in assessing direction as well as speed up feedback. Thanks guys!!!

[freetime]

thanks for the feedback
v2

[freetime]

v3

[espionage]

Hey freetime,

Lets explore your version 2 a little more.

- Move the .net outside like version 3
- Change the chip colors. I'm not feeling this combination... Looks a little cartoon-y?
- Can we try different color schemes for the borders/letters? I like the differentiation in colors between the word 'Free' and phrase 'Online Poker' -- I just don't know if this is the right color combination. Good differentiation though, lets keep that up.
- Just out of curiosity, what's that green background suppose to be? (I have an idea, but want to see if that's what you were going for)
- We might be able to keep the royal flush, but might need to make the cards slightly smaller to occupy the same space as 4-cards. What about subtle branding? I feel like we can add something small/clever to brand the name, acronyms and/or a distinctive symbol amongst the cards.
- How would it look if the letters / words were spaced out a little bit more?

Good direction so far!

[freetime]

Thanks for the feedback! I made those revisions, scaled down the flush, changed up colors, thinned the letters just a bit to give more space between the letters without making the text wider. I tried to do a red and white chip, it looked like a peppermint.

The green background was to represent a poker table.

v4

[espionage]

I don't think this is the right color combo either.

The added club symbol in the 'O' is getting too graphic-y. I was looking for something more subtle. If that can't be accomplished, then we can omit that for now.

Lets try for a more "cool" look. We're catering to 18-32, male. The Maxim, FHM, etc. crowd. Colors that might work: Black, red, gold (www.pokerlistings.com), white, slightly darker blue (navy?), gray, green (eg. www.pokerloco.com).

Notice that the above URLs have subtle shades/gradients of color. The black club in pokerlistings.com affected the gold background. The green in pokerloco seems to have a different gradient of green from up to down. Something subtle could make a big impact on the impression of the logo.

Also, I am not sure if the white border around the name is working. I feel it's making it more difficult to read it. PartyPoker.com, FullTiltPoker.com logos are easier to read. But, I don't want to make that change, else it will be too many changes at the same time.

[freetime]

I made changes. I'm at work so those sites are blocked.

I'll take a look at those tonight.

[espionage]

freetime: Great! looking forward to seeing them.

To all other designers - there are still a few more days to throw your concept into the ring. And of course $50 goes to the 2nd place winner! So don't be shy, you have nothing to lose. :D

Good luck!!!

[freetime]

v6

[nhr]

Hello again:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP7_nhr.png

[nhr]

Color variation:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/FOP71_nhr.png

Thank you.

[espionage]

freetime:

- Can we try a 2-tone color scheme? 1-color = Free, 2nd color = "online poker". Want to see what that looks like.

- I like the italicize. Either format (all words or just the word 'free' italicized is fine for now.)

- The font: here is what I'm trying to get across. When a visitor views the logo, it should give off the impression that it's a professionally maintained portal. I feel that the chosen font seems a bit more playful (loopy e's). Wondering if there are other fonts that could align more closely with that concept.

- Make the royal flush slightly smaller. Lets see one with/without the poker chip.

nhr:

- Thank you for your entries. Unfortunately, so far I don't feel that the direction of your concepts are going in the same as what I'm trying to get across.

- The overall font chosen is a bit fuzzy to read. I felt the borders is a little _too_ thick. The italicized 'Online' looks out of place in between a capitalized 'FREE' and proper-cased 'Poker' afterwards

- The position of and choice of the chosen symbol wasn't anything unique and didn't really strike me. It didn't seem to be integrated well with the rest of the logo and just felt like a stand-alone symbol

- The upper/lower two-tone orange color in 'FREE' and 'Poker' didn't look right

[freetime]

v7

[espionage]

freetime: in your v7, lets continue with the one with the chip.

- I like the chip. Lets keep that in.
- Like the scaled down cards. Especially the fact that it's proportioned to the rest of the name

- Red on dark green... Feel it's difficult to read the text. See if you can come up with any combos that makes the text easier to read against the background (or even change the bg color). Please take into account what color the word 'free' is already -- we want whatever color chosen to contrast with the color for that word as well. A few versions will help make make the feedback go faster

- Can we see see a vers. where the name is expanded out (similar to like vers. 5), but still have everything in proportion

[freetime]

Actually, yellow, orange and red are compliment colors to green. The green was done to represent the table, so you are ok with changing that?

When you want the text spread out, do you want the cards scaled up "in proportion" to the word poker?

[freetime]

v8

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Another one from me...
Thanks, Deanna

[espionage]

freetime:

Expanding on your vers 8 w/ the chip ... we'll try and keep the background color since it ties in with the poker concept if we can.

- Take your top version in v8 and have a version where the letters expand out even more (like vers 5). the .net could go outside of the table -- just like vers 5. or go in-between the vertical poker table line (e.g. maybe have the "." be the corner of the table ... or maybe a small diamond)

- A version where we expand the entire table bigger and scale the words inside accordingly

The point is, I feel the name is too confined inside that space. It's like there's no room for the name and/or the extension to shine out.

- While red is suppose to compliment green, it doesn't seem to contrast very well for some reason in this logo. Something that contrasts well w/ the background is better. But the fuzzy borders as well as the dark green / dark red is making it harder on the eyes. Maybe it's also the black borders around the dark red. I've noticed it's harder to read in Deanna's entry as well.

- The black border outlining the "poker table" seems fuzzy. I'm not sure what's causing it, but when I look at all of your borders, it doesn't seem as "crisp" or "sharp" as other logos. I'd like to see the lines on the logo more smooth and crisp.

Deanna:

Thanks for the entry. It looks like a new direction!

- Scale down the background diamond w/ the lens effect. It looks too big right now. Same w/ the cards (but not as much as the bg diamond)
- The presentation seems like a "las vegas" style, but the rectangular container around 'FREE ONLINE' seems bland. I'm not looking for more graphics, just a more unique and creative container
- For some reason the red on black seems to be making it hard to read. Maybe the black border is too thick. Maybe it's because of the shade of the red. Something that contrasts better would probably be best

[freetime]

v9

Nothing has changed with the black border. The file is a jpg, since I've had to reduce the images to fit so many on the page, the clarity is not a good.

If my proposal is chosen, I would be more than happy to do more changes.

Thanks for all the feedback!

[freetime]

v10 slight variation on the text

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Here are some more variations from me...
Thanks, Deanna

[espionage]

Hey guys,

Today's the last day, so if anyone else wants to give it a try, this is it! :D

I'll be making my decision Sunday night. Thank you to all who participated!!

[espionage]

Well, it's that's time of the contest.

First, I'd like to thank each and every one of the entrants. You've all done a spectacular job in terms of your creativity. They were all unique concepts in their own right and you should all be very proud of them.

The second place winner is: shnickerdoodle studios -- great job Deanna!

And without further adieu.... the first place winner is: freetime! Congratulations buddy. Your version 9 / 10 are what I'd like to go on. Moderator -- please take this to revisions.

Honorable mention: nhr -- you gave Deanna a run for her money! If the font/integration was different, the outcome might've changed. But I have to commend you on your tenacity. Thank you sir.

[freetime]

Thank you much!! Let me know what you would like to see done.

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Thank you so much! Did you want me to send you the files for use on any other of your marketing materials? Thanks, Deanna

[freetime]

v9.1 a,b,c

[freetime]

v10.1

[abby]

Project Update: This project has been moved to the Revisions Forum.

[espionage]

Hi Deanna, thank you for your generous offer, but in order to ensure consistency across the brand, I'm going to stick w/ promoting one creative. If in the future, I change my mind, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks!

[espionage]

freetime,

In general:

- I think it looks better if the yellow color was on the word 'free'
- Can we try a different color combo. besides black/white for 'Online Poker'? I still feel the borders are a fuzzy on the eyes. For example, the PokerListings.com logo also has a border, but the overall logo seems crisp and sharp.
- Lets see the logos in regular horizontal alignment and
1) 'Free' is italicized, 'Online Poker' is not
2) All italicized

#65:

- Resize the name so it's slightly in between versions A and C. Reason: Too squeezed and it strains the eyes. Too wide and it takes more of an effort to read across.

Vers B: I like the vertical dashes. How would it look like if the dashes only started after the poker chip?

#66: Same thing - make 'Free' yellow and the other two a different color. See if you can accentuate the ".net" (maybe w/ a different color, or something else). I want to make sure the visitor catches the extension as well.

[freetime]

What colors would you like to see?

There is nothing I can do about the fuzzy lines. They are straight lines that are as clean as can be in the vector program. It looks like it is only on the black lines touching the white background. When the black lines have a color background they look fine. Similar to the pokerlisting logo.

[espionage]

Odd. Ok, we'll disregard that for now.

Please take a look at http://saint.ethereal.net/fop/titanpkr.JPG

- Lets have the poker chip to be that color
- The yellowish color in Free should be more like the color in "$3.6 million GTD", like gold.
- I'm not sure what color would work best for "online poker." I've looked at a lot of different ones, but none seems to fit the bill. The Titan Poker logo colors w/ the silver/gray/white and light effect might be a candidate. Would you be able to also help me look around various sites/logos and see what'd work best for this one?

[freetime]

I have to be honest, this is getting really bad. I feel like we just keep running in circles. Just throwing things out there and hope it works.

I feel we need to narrow it down to one and work on that one.

Personally, I think it's not looking real good anymore. Too many colors. The mix of yellows/golds doesn't blend well.

Here are some of those changes. There is a mix of the all italicized and italicized/regular.

My personal favorites are 9.1c and 10.1

[freetime]

v10.2

I increased the text. Also increased the size of .net by 10%. Increased the cards and chip to keep proportion with the text. Left the background the same size.

[freetime]

v10.3
Resized the background. I took "FreeOnlinePoker" and turned it just a bit to give more space to increase the size of ".net".

[freetime]

Anything else I can help you with?

[freetime]

Here are those changes.

v10.4

[freetime]

v10.5

[freetime]

v10.6

[freetime]

v10.7 Sorry about that. Scaled the other items up the same percentage that I did the text.

[freetime]

Files sent via email!

[BlueCherryGraphics]

PROJECT UPDATE: moved to Logo Project Archives.