[Project Complete] DUE JULY 31--Educational Software Logo--$225

[zgidwitz]

Admin code added by Abby - 1ER74737C4382813N , 7UG48839WH541044R

Project Summary:
Hello! I have a small company that is just starting out. We have developed a program to help people learn Chinese. The company consists of recent and former students of the language who have a new strategy for studying that we feel would be extremely helpful to others. We are officially launching the software at the 2008 World Language Expo this November, and we need a logo that will attract both teachers and students of the language.

What text should be included in the main part of the logo?
The Study Gym is the main title. That is the only necessary text.
This is the logo for the main program. However, the version of this program that this logo is specifically for is the Chinese (Mandarin) language, The Study Gym: 中文. Still, the logo should not revolve around the fact that this is for Chinese. When I make this for other languages, I should be able to take the studygym logo and switch in the other language name for 中文.
You can also possibly include the program's slogan (listed below as well): Control Your Knowledge


What type of product or service do you offer?
This is a logo for a language study-aid software.


What do you hope to accomplish with your new identity?
The logo should be straightforward, simple, but not boringly corporate. I hope to catch the eye of people and be memorable.


What are your long term goals?
My long-term goals with this are to make a brand out of The Study Gym


When is the deadline for final entries before choosing a designer?
7/27/08

Audience Profile:
Please describe your existing audience
I am initially selling this to Chinese teachers and instructors. However, after the initial sales stage, I will be releasing this product for general sale. The product is intended for high school, college, and professional users.


What type of logo would you like?
This is a product not made by teachers and professors. Instead, it is a product made by those actively learning language. Students who know what students need. I want teachers to respect it, but I want it clear that this is not just another text book from a teacher.

I'd like something that is not too complex but not corporate and boring. Some color is definitely fine, but it should not look cartoonish. It should probably be able to work well in b+w even if it's primarily to be in color. I'm looking for some combination of StudyGym, 中文, and possibly Control Your Knowledge. Remember, only The Study Gym and Control Your Knowledge will go from language to language. 中文 should be in a place where it's easy to remove in favor of another language.

Do you have any colors in mind for your logo? (if so, why?)
No

Do you have any specific images or icons in mind that you would definitely like to see incorporated into your logo?
While it’s fine to play off of the gym imagery, I don’t want it too campy. Gym imagery is not necessary, but it could be good.


What is your tagline or slogan?
Control Your Knowledge


Where will your new logo be used?
On our website (still in production), on our advertisements, at conventions, on the cd, and on the packaging.


Who are your competitors and what do you think about their logos?
My main competitors are either free, online study aids or textbooks' specific multimedia.


List competitive URLs if possible
yellowbridge.com
cheng-tsui.com

What sets you apart from your competitors?
The depth of functionality, user-control, and the fact that this is software as opposed to online.


State a single-minded word or phrase that will appropriately describe your company:
Add a level of control and transparency to your language learning never before attained.

Other things:

Please post both a color and black and white version of the logo. We would truly appreciate the source file for this, if not then at least a vector file so we can enlarge as needed.

There is an opportunity for future work if the winner is interested if we do expand to other languages in the future, however, it is not necessary for the winner to agree to any future deals or work.

Thanks! Have fun with it!

[zgidwitz]

Let me know if I made the due date too soon. This is my first time on the site.

[zgidwitz]

I have made a few changes to this project. Firstly, the deadline has been extended to July 31st. Secondly, the amount for this project has been increased to $225. Finally, to be a little more specific about what I am looking for:

I would definitely like to have something having to do with a gym in the imagery. Again, not overwhelming, but something that makes the name not completely random and unattached to anything.

The 中文 in the title should be completely removable for the general "The Study Gym" version of the logo. "The" should be in the title. I'd like to see a version both with and without 中文.

Thanks!

[abby]

Project Update: The project deposit has been raised to $225 and the deadline has been extended to July 31st.

Designers if you have any questions please ask.

[zgidwitz]

I might ask to see versions without "The" or with varying use of a space in between study and gym as well as capitalization variation.

[pdesignstudio]

http://pdesignstudio.com/outpost/studygym.png

[zgidwitz]

This is a nice start. The interaction between the words and the image is wonderful. I like how the 中文 is separated, though I worry a little about the balance of the logo if it is taken out for the general version of the logo. I'd like to see the use of the Gym idea used a little more. I look forward to seeing more!

[pdesignstudio]

http://pdesignstudio.com/outpost/study2.png

[tini1]

hello:) I am working on a concept for your logo, will post tomorrow:)Thanks!

[zgidwitz]

Sounds good. I look forward to seeing more!

[zgidwitz]

With regard to pdesignstudio's second print, I don't think the figure is right. Also, I think i'm liking the capital letters at the beginning of each word better so far.

[nhr]

Hello:

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

Thank you.

[nhr]

One more:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym2_nhr.png

Thank you.

[zgidwitz]

In response to nhr's two designs, there are elements to both that appeal to me. The first design has an good shape overall. I like the horizontal angle a little better than the stacked right now. Also, the image part works more with the writing. That being said, I like that in the second one, the image stands on its own and could be used almost as an abbreviated logo.

The problem with both, however, relate to the problem with pdesignstudio's. This little person with outstretched limbs is not working for me. It doesn't strongly say anything about a gym or studying. I'd like the image to have a stronger relationship with the product:

This software acts as a tool for people to use for studying. To use the gym metaphor, they walk into this gym and see all of these different weights and machines they could use to workout. They can exercise in whichever way works best for them.

In this way, my software gives the users many ways to study and track knowledge acquisition and growth. That's where the name comes from.

[tini1]

Helo:) my initial idea, with further finetune..:)
idea=GO study!

[zgidwitz]

This is a nice departure. I like the book in there. Maybe the chinese characters could go in the book. The only issue with this is that it leaves out the gym idea (unless I'm misunderstanding it).

I'd like to see some without the "the" in the logo just to see the difference.

An idea I had combining some concepts here was basically using books as weights. I'd like to keep it simple, but if someone could play with that idea, lifting books or something like that, it might be a success.

Also, pdesignstudio, was the swirl in your first logo supposed to be a book? If so, I like that a bit better, but it needs to be clearer if you want to try staying with that idea.

Thanks!

[tini1]

:)thanks

[tini1]

and my original concept, incorporating some weights.....:)

[zgidwitz]

This is getting much closer to where I'd like to be. Good work! Post 17 is my favorite so far, but I like the dumbbell in there. I'm not crazy about how the book looks in 15 and 18, but I love how they look in 17.

I'd like to keep the "the" out of this and have it remain StudyGym. I'd like the S and the G capitalized. Tini1, can you try some other colors from the blue just to compare?

One other idea that I wouldn't mind seeing is removing the person from the logo, keeping the dumbbell, but have the bookends vertically placed where the weights on the dumbbell were. This may be silly, but I'd like to see if it works.

For 17, the adjustment I'd be interested in seeing is instead of the person leaping, have the person standing straight on (just a small shift in stance) almost doing an overhead press with the eyes slightly looking up instead of to the right.

Great work!!!

[tini1]

Thanks for you feed back:)...here is #17, adjusted...

[tini1]

here is a dumbbell idea....:)

[zgidwitz]

I like these. This reply, unfortunately, is not going to be quite as clear, because I'm not sure how to describe the following point. Feel free to try a few things:

When looking at the black and white for 21, it's sharper, cleaner, and more compact: a good thing. 20 is a little spread out and all over the place. I also like the person in 21 better, though I'd be interested to see if you could go away from that kind of design from the person. It doesn't have to be more complex--just a different style would be interesting. A problem with 21, however, is that especially in the black and white, you can't really tell the books are books. You can in 20. Can you think of ways to address these problems? If this is too unclear, let me know and I'll try to think of a more direct way of addressing my concerns, but I'd love to see what you or anyone can come up with.

Could I see StudyGym in a different way? Maybe less round. In fact, that might be a general issue of everything being too soft and round. Not sure, but that could be a way to go.

Finally, I don't like the chinese randomly in the person. If you can't find a place in the image, feel free to stick it somewhere with the words instead. My favorite use of both title and chinese so far is 13, but again, I don't want "the" in it.

Thanks! Keep it up!

Also, all designers should please feel free to post completely different designs if you have a good idea.

[zgidwitz]

Also, for the next four hours I will be checking rapidly so I will give immediate feedback for rapid back and forths if that is desired.

[tini1]

sorry for delay, I have connection(internet) issues...

[zgidwitz]

Very interesting. I like what you've done with the chinese. I like the circle and I really like how it's placed a little over the m like that. Could you try a different font? Maybe on the next post, just give a few fonts to choose from.

So going back and looking at the other people images, I actually like 21 the best, but I'd like to see it without the eyes--just a black (or whatever color) circle for the head. Could you use that person again?

Is there some way to do a barbell type of thing with the books being clearer or maybe something a little different that would make sense with the overhead press pose of 21?

I'd like Study and Gym to be the same color, even if they look a little different.

[nhr]

Thank you for the feedback and hello again :)
Revision of my second concept:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym21_nhr.png

[nhr]

New concepts:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym3_nhr.png

[tini1]

here are some font options..:)

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym31_nhr.png

[nhr]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym4_nhr.png

Thank you.

[zgidwitz]

nhr, post 30 is very interesting. Image-wise it's my favorite from you by far. I like how simple it is while at the same time being descriptive in the way I had liked. I have the following things I'd like to see changed:
-Take "the" out of the title
-Can you do something else with the chinese? It's just sort of hanging there--dangling.
-Can you make an adjustment to the image to make it clearer what is happening? It's not clear if the person is balancing it on it's head, reading it as a huge open book while running, or doing a military press with it (an overhead press but behind the head). You could also try a non-running version, but the running could be good if it's the simplest way to incorporate the gym idea.

[zgidwitz]

tini1, I'd say I like "a" the best for the text and bold. I'd like to also see a version with a completely different style text as well, but "a" is the best of these.

The chinese text is so small right now that it's hard to see even in the bigger version. Could this be altered? I think I like the Chinese text like this, but I wouldn't mind seeing a version with it perfectly centered in the person's chest. I know this is going back on what I said, but the off-centered quality from before is what bugged me. I still will probably choose to do it like it is now outside of the image part altogether, but I want to see if I like the idea of the chinese at the core of his chest.

I'm liking this image a lot. I really love how the hands come over the bar so subtly like that. The books are a little more book-like in black and white than before with the scribble on the spine, but could you make them even more booklike? Maybe they're replicating how weights are put on a barbell too much so that without another feature identifying them as books, in black and white, it will keep having this problem. Maybe vary the hight of the books instead of making them uniform?

This is coming along very well!

[tini1]

thank you for your feedback...here is a variation(The barbell is slighyly curved...)

[zgidwitz]

The bar being bent is interesting, but this doesn't seem to address my concerns from my last response (I'm not sure if there is a time lag, so I don't mean to be critical). I don't like the person as much. I'd like to stick with the last version of the person. That was excellent. I might have a preference for a straight barbell, but this is interesting.

[tini1]

I added some dimension, size variation to books....:) which I think helps make them more bookish....
I also made the Chinese text bigger...

[tini1]

...and chinese text on chest...:)

[zgidwitz]

Yes! This gets what I'm going after. I like this image a lot. I might sit with this a little. If you have some other ideas or variations, I'd love to see them. The only suggestion I might give is to add tiny little clamps on the end of the books. This will look a little more realistic and lessen the risk of looking like some pole is piercing the books. Here are a couple of images just to show what I'm talking about:
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/yo/york-35kg-vinyl-barbell-dumbbell-set.jpg
http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A3655/36558/300_36558.jpg
I'm not saying anything exactly like these, but this is what I mean by clamp. It could just be hardly noticable little thing next to the books depending on how it looks.

Great job! On your next post with the clamps inserted, can I see what it would look like to have the chinese in the exact center of the chest? Just out of curiosity and for comparison.

[zgidwitz]

Oops. I should've waited to get the chest text :-) !!

Let me actually see one with the circle being white and the text being blue for further comparison purposes.

[tini1]

:)

[zgidwitz]

Thanks! I'll sit with these for a little bit. Great work!

[nhr]

I have the filing that you decide already, but here is my revision :)
Thank you.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/nhrdesign/DOO/TheStudyGym41_nhr.png

[zgidwitz]

tini1:

The font in #33 is my favorite.

I like the clamp in the black and white, but in the color version, it's a little washed out. Also, is the perspective correct on the left clamp?

I'd like to go back to having the chinese in the bubble next to the text instead of on the chest.

Could I see the person in a tan/tope/brown or something color? Also, can you try a different color for the text?

Thanks!

[zgidwitz]

Also, now with the book variation, I'd like to see it with taking the 101 out of the one book.

[zgidwitz]

nhr, thank you very much for your designs. I think I'm moving more in tini's direction and I will probably be closing the thread soon. Your work is very good, and thank you for your ideas!

[nhr]

Thank you too and my best wishes to Tini :)

[tini1]

I'll have your revisions first thing tomorrow morning.

Thanks nhr:)

[tini1]

:)here are the revisions.......

[zgidwitz]

Great, we are almost there. I'd like the following. Can you make Gym not quite so bold?

Also, about the color of the person, you did what I asked, but I'm not sure it's good :-). The color of the person is the last thing I'm having trouble settling on. I'm not sold on the blue, but this color, compared to the books, is a little washed out/bland. Could you send me a lot of replicas with the only changes (other than the boldness of the gym) being the color scheme? We're very close and I'm very happy with all of this!

While I'm not sure what colors we'll end up with, I like the person and the title not being the same color.

Thanks!

[zgidwitz]

Also, could you take the 101 off of the spine of the book from the black and white version as well? Thanks!

[tini1]

Hi:) Here are some color options...:)

[zgidwitz]

Great. Everything is almost done. It's funny, the black and white is actually my favorite. The problem is when the person color either mirrors a color of the text and books or/and is at the opposite end of the color spectrum. I'd be interested to see what the books would be like all being the same color: maybe a leather-brown type of thing. Then maybe the person could be more of an earth brown clay/red color color. Also, in seeing all of these colors, I can then go back to others and compare and contrast. I'm a little concerned about too many colors, because when the logo goes to printing, the more colors there are the more expensive it gets. Something as simple as the bar and clamps being different shades of gray like you have them, the text maybe being black, and the books and person being the colors I just specified, might be interesting, and I'd like to see it.

Also, after talking with the moderator Abby on the phone, I just want to make sure I made it clear that you (tini1) are the official winner of this post, so good job and thanks!

I like the font and boldness now.

[tini1]

Thank you for choosing my design for your logo:)

Here are simpler variations, which work well.....(2 color, and 3 color)

[zgidwitz]

Perfect. B is what I want. The last thing I'd like to see is what B would look like with the Chinese circle being black and the Chinese circle being the same color as the person. I'll compare those two to the gray that it is now and have my final decision.

[tini1]

:)here you go........

[zgidwitz]

Alright, I think the gray actually is the best, so we'll stay with that. Done! Do you do the next step or do I?

[tini1]

I do, I'll go ahead and prepare your logo files, and send a link later to download, just check back here......:)

[tini1]

....
zgidwitz, A link to download your new logo files has been sent to your private messages:)

[zgidwitz]

Files Received. Thanks!

[Paula23]

This Project has been moved to the " Logo Project Archives" Forum.