GroundTradesXchange.com - Prize: $75

[imageconstrux]

Hello Designers, (Admin code added by Palmer - G385133T)

I’m excited about hosting this first design contest. I’m going to try to give you as much background information as I can, so that you can create a design that best fits my needs.

The contest is for a logo. The logo you are creating is for a site called GroundTradesXchange.com.

The site, GroundTradesXchange.com will be a community site dedicated to serving the needs of residential and commercial landscaping firms. Serving their needs will likely include forums to discuss:

Hardscapes: Brick paver patios, driveways and walkways, retaining walls of modular block, stone and timber, arbors Pergolas and Fences. Topics for this area will likely include base preparation, tools of the trade, installation methodology.

Softscapes: Tree, shrub and groundcover plantings, as well as annuals and perennials, plant care, disease identification and treament, general horticulture, installation methodology.

Management: How to lead employees, HR issues, state and federal reporting/insurance/OSHA requirements.

Marketing: How to market your biz to the residential and/or commercial customer

There will likely also be areas to discuss legal issues, administrative issues, etc.

Note: There may be a small area to discuss lawn care and lawn maintenance, but that will play a very minor role in this site, so I don’t want a logo that has anything to do with somebody mowing a lawn or weed whacking.

The design must work for many forms of media, including web, print (letterhead, biz card, magazine), T-shirts, hats, etc.

The design must be scalable – I will likely need to have large and small versions of it for print or other media. What the small size is I will leave to your discretion; but the large size should be 3”x5” (use that size as a guide; it doesn’t have to be 3”x5”) at 600 pixels per inch. My advice would be to create it in the large format, then shrink it down for submittal. The logo will be remitted in a Photoshop-friendly format.

If you want to get a feel for the kinds of things that will be discussed, please feel free to visit the website of my landscape company, www.stonehengebpl.com . If you’re wondering, yes I did it myself. NO critiques of that site, please. I expect that your talents will far exceed mine in creating graphics. Don’t use the look of that site as any guide for this logo, but please use the photos for reference. You may also use them in your design. If you need a larger version of any of the photos, email me with the page and image in question and I'll send it to you.

The winning design will become my property when the contest is completed, and I will be free to use the logo, or any derivatives thereof, at my discretion, indefinitely. Your entry in this contest signifies your agreement to these terms.

This contest will last 7 days. The prize - $75 US.

Any questions? Post them here, or email me at imageconstrux@earthlink.net


Good luck!


Jeff

[AutomatikStudios]

here is one idea i just came up with real quick...i'll post more but just wanted to know if you were looking for something like this or something more intricate.......so question here is: simple or intricate or no preference as of yet.....


thanks

[imageconstrux]

I'm not sure whether I'd like simple or detailed.


Right now I can only say for certain that I want to take a first look at it and say "Now that's cool."


Maybe involve the graphics with the words.

Thanks for taking me up on the challenge!

[imageconstrux]

DF, I like your avatar. If the logo design were to have something like that motion with it, it wouldn't hurt your chances. ;) But it isn't required.

[Dan]

Are you looking for something classy or less formal ?

Heres a classy one -

[AutomatikStudios]

another design....many more to come....

[imageconstrux]

Digital and Dan -

I'm going to leave it up to you whether you'd like to ask questions and have me respond in the forum, or do it privately. I think no matter what the logos should be public.

Since your Q's were posted publicly, I'll answer publicly...


Classy or less formal...Can you define that for me? I'll tell you that most of the visitors to a site like this will be business owners in the field. As such, they probably all have dirt under their nails, and fingers as fat as pipes. So I wouldn't expect to think I'm hearing classical music when I see the logo, if that helps.

I prefer the font in Digital's logo, though I'm not keen on the 'X' or the 'change', the way they're 'moving'. I guess I don't understand the movement.

And if some element of what we do can be incorporated (shovels, look at Partnerusa.com for the types of saws we use, pruners, bricks) that'd be great. It was a start, having the foliage in the 'classy' looking logo.

Keep 'em coming. This is fun! :P

[imageconstrux]

And maybe the logo could be something (pile of dirt, shovel brick saw, etc), with the site named reliefed in it.

Just an idea.

[Bishop]

Here's my entry... Feedback appreciated!

[imageconstrux]

It's a good start - I like the shovel in there. The colors may be a little bland for my taste.


I'm not quite sure what else to say about that logo, other than it doesn't really grab me. I'm really sorry I can't be more descriptive than that.


while I was sleeping I thought of a few more things to provide guidance....

In this industry we're looking at blueprints of landscape designs all the time. Maybe a blueprint incorporated into the logo would look cool.

And when you're designing this logo, keep in mind that the color scheme of the whole forum will be predicated on this logo (no pressure!).

[imageconstrux]

I've been thinking about that deadline - it's going to come kind of close to Christmas Would anyone ne opposed to me extending the dealine to 14 days instead of 7?


Also, some more insight on the way I cam up with 'ground trades Xchange' - I wanted a name that didn't segregate sub industries of the landscape industries. They all have something to do with the ground. And they could be considered trades, though some of the Landscape Architects might take issue with that. And of course, it's an exchange of ideas that will happen on this site.

[Bishop]

Here's another try. I think this one is a little more color friendly. :D

Is this any closer to what your looking for?

[imageconstrux]

I appreciate the blue for the blueprints - I'm not sure I'm fond of the shovel and soil line drawing. Maybe something with a cleaner look than the line drawing - maybe more cartoony with the shovel and soil?

I think I'd like to see something more dramatic, more striking, if that makes sense. More of a statement.

Thanks for the design!

[Bishop]

Is it safe to say that you like the color of the text? I'll see what I can come up with in the way of making it "more dramatic, more striking." :D

[imageconstrux]

I'm hoping for people to follow a few different avenues for this design. There seem to be many one could follow. The color of the text may work, but then I'd like to see that text married to a graphic or graphics that is consistent with the concept of the text, something involved with the creation of the blueprint like drafting pencils, triangles, the blueprint images of trees and other things you'd see on a blueprint.

Does this help?

[Liz]

Hi Jeff, thanks for posting your logo contest here.

I had a few ideas for your logo - so it was tough to coalesce everything into one concept.

Here's a rough mockup, though:

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades.gif

Thanks for your consideration,
Liz.

[imageconstrux]

Liz, thank you for the entry. I think that design is a good beginning. I like the font in DigitalFire's 12/16 entry - can you apply something like that, and either diminish the 'change' or enhance/increase the 'X'.

I think that for this project I'm going to prefer non-serif fonts.

I like the tree idea, but without leaves it looks dead. Would adding foliage (or the hint of foliage) detract from the design?

Thank you,


Jeff

[Liz]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your suggestions. Here's a few additional variations on the original concept. You can see the play on different font colors and styles between the two, so you may like a version with certain elements from both mixed in.

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades2.gif

[imageconstrux]

Hi Liz,

I like where it's headed. :P I like the bottom logo best. I really like the orange against the green. Can you make the ground of the bottom one brown so I can see what that'd look like?

Is there a way to make the tree look more lifelike - maybe trunk thicker relative to leaf canopy above, possibly tweak the look of the leaf canopy a bit?

Does that make sense? Let me know if you have questions.

Thanks,

Jeff

[SideFX]

ok here is a shot

to see it full sizeClick Here (http://sytedesigns.com/GxChange.htm)

[imageconstrux]

SideFX

Thanks for the entry - I appreciate that this one likely took awhile to put together.

I really like that you incorporated tools with the X. I was hoping someone would create a logo with that. I have a concern with the depth and texture of the logo - I'm thinking that for very large versions of the logo, it'll look great; but on smaller ones the depth and detail will work against the logo.

If possible, I'd like to see that logo in a 'flatter' form, with fewer shades of color. And maybe fattne up the handles on the tools to better tie in the X.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Jeff

[Liz]

Hi Jeff,

Hope you're having a good evening.

Made some of the changes you requested and have uploaded a new version:

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades3.gif

Despite the greater complexity in the tree, the logo is still in a format that can be scaled to any size required.

- Liz.

[SideFX]

ok here we go

full size here BIG ONE (http://sytedesigns.com/GxChange.htm)

[imageconstrux]

Liz, I like that one alot. For the time being, please save that version. But also, please reduce the complexity of the tree (the silhouette is great; I'm just talking about the texture within it) to see how that looks. Once that's done, I'd say that design has been carried through to fruition. After that, you can either sit back and relax, wait for the results, or try a totally different tack to the logo.

Thanks for your participation!

Jeff

[Liz]

Thanks Jeff,

Here are the final two versions side by side.

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades4.gif

It was fun participating!

[imageconstrux]

SideFX,

Unfortunately, I think this one needs a good deal of work. The lack of texture in the tree draws attention to the 'blobiness' of the foliage.

In small versions of the logo, it will be very difficult to discern between the soil and the tree trunk.

And while you tried to make the X a better tie in 'Xchange', I don't understand adding in extra 'handles'. I was hoping for fatter, single handles.

I'm not sure the current concept of this design is on track to be in the running. I'd very much like it if you gave the logo more consideration and took a different angle to it's design.



Jeff

[imageconstrux]

Liz,

Thanks. Those look great. Thanks for getting involved in this. Do you have any more ideas?


Jeff

[Liz]

Thanks Jeff,

I have one or two other ideas. I'd be happy to do some quick mockups if you'd like.

[imageconstrux]

I'd love to see them, but I'll leave it up to you.

Thanks again,

Jeff

[SideFX]

ok scrapped the last trying something new

http://sytedesigns.com/xchangegreensmall.jpg

[Dan]

More of a blue print style -

[Bishop]

Well it's late here, but I started messing around and came up with something totally different then what I started working on. :D

Hopefully it doesn't look to stupid. :unsure:

[imageconstrux]

SideFX - I like the cleanliness of the design. See if you can take out some of the texture of the leaves but keep them attractive. As you can probably tell I'm shooting mostly for 2-D on this logo (not 3-D).

And change the font to a non-serif one.

Dan - I'm glad someone is taking up the blueprint style for the logo. Can you add some girth to the font used? The design is nice, and subdued - I don't think a logo in this vein should pop off the page, but maybe it could be brightened a bit - slightly greater variance in tones, possibly one complementing or contrasting color.

If you need me to, I can mock up some simple design layout elements, so that you might be able to use them as the backgournd for this logo (or maybe spur some ideas of yours). I say that because, though I like the background, I'd like a stronger tie to landscape design. Maybe the logo text could look like the letters themselves were designed. With pencil marks extending beyond some of the letters, parrallel to the existing lines in those letters. I know what that would look like in my head, but I'm not sure I've explained it very well.

Bishop, it's a good start, but it still needs to be developed. For the same reason I wanted Liz to reduce the complexity of the foliage on her tree, and asked SideFX to do the same, so would I want this tree. That foliage would look great as a painting, but I think cleaner and simpler is better for this logo.And eliminate the grass around the base of the tree. And I'm not sure I understand the angular 'ground' lines filled in blue. I'd like to see this developed a bit more.

Thanks everyone for your work on this!

Jeff

[SideFX]

ok i updated the 2 i did lemme know

http://sytedesigns.com/Xchangegroup.jpg

[AutomatikStudios]

okay...about this one....do you like any aspect of it? it's not finished...but before i spend lots of time on it...do you like any part of it...or do you have any suggestions for it...

thanks..

[imageconstrux]

SideFX -

Thank you for those entries. If you'd like, you can sit back and wait for the final result.


Digital Fire -

I thought I had made mention of it earlier, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so this is my bad: I'm not fond of the 'swoosh' - so many companies have a swoosh in their logo that the swoosh is no longer an identifier. And I'd like the logo to have some graphic involvement with the topic of the forum.

You could try something with pavers, retaining walls, arbors, stone hammers (I can send you a pic if you need it), brick saws, dirty hands working the text.... I hope that helps.

Jeff

[Bishop]

Ok, I got rid of the blue under the tree and added grass. I also, simplified the tree, now only two tones of green. Lastly, as you can see I submitted one with the shovel and one with out. Hope you like the changes.

[Dan]

imageconstrux, I think I know what you mean, I'll make a few adjustments based on that idea.

[imageconstrux]

Bishop - Those look nice. I'll add those into the fold at decision time.


Dan - good.

[Liz]

Here's another quick concept:

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades5.gif

[imageconstrux]

Liz,

I like that. Can you sprinkle a different color in one or two places?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I have only just come across this site and had a couple of ideas for your logo. I am just waiting for my application to be approved before I can post my ideas. If you are able to wait a few more days, I would hope that I can post them for you.


Zoe

www.demexdesign.com

[imageconstrux]

Zoe,

Sure, I can wait.

Thanks for your interest.

Jeff

[Palmer]

Originally posted by Demex@Dec 20 2002, 05:48 PM
Hi Jeff,

I have only just come across this site and had a couple of ideas for your logo. I am just waiting for my application to be approved before I can post my ideas. If you are able to wait a few more days, I would hope that I can post them for you.


Zoe

www.demexdesign.com
Your application was rushed through. I'm very impressed :) Good luck with the contest and happy designing. Feel free to introduce yourself in the introductions forum so we can get to know you.

Palmer

[Zoe]

Thank you very much Palmer. I found your site through SitePoint. I think it is a great idea. : )

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I hope you have Adobe Acrobat reader.

I have created quite a few different ideas for your logo in Corel Draw so that the logos' size can be manipulated to any size you wish.

Please follow the link below, the file is just over 200k.

www.demexdesign.com/groundtradesxchange_logo.pdf

I look forward to hearing your comments.


Zoe

www.demexdesign.com

[Liz]

here's an updated version with a bit of color:

http://clients.eastbywest.com/groundtrades6.gif

[imageconstrux]

Demex,

Thanks for the submissions - A couple looke like decent starts...

The one with the silhouette of the girls doesn't seem to fit, and I'm not wild about theguy with the blue hat, or the guy with the cowboy hat at the bottom.


The green one with the small hand shovel is cute, but gives more of a 'backyard garden' feel than a 'professional landscape firm' feel.

I like the one with the single shovel and text, but it seems to need a better tie, or more punch. I'm having a hard time describing what more I'd like to see there - maybe more involvement between the two. Did you outline the font? It almost looks aliased to me. Of the 6, that's my fav.

Jeff

[imageconstrux]

Liz, I'm finding that I really like the orange you had in the last series of submissions - can you fill the 'Xchange' with that color?

Thx.



To all the designers: I'm happy with the the submissions that have come in; enough so that I plan on making my final decision sometime Sunday (12/22) afternoon. Please have your final submissions (if you don't already), posted by 12:00 noon, EST on 12/22/02.

Thank you for your participation.


Jeff

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I have taken the image of the spade and tried a different style.

[imageconstrux]

Demex,

I like the logo with the lg shovel the best, but the girth of the outline of the shovel seems out of proportion to the font.

Let's try this: Use a fatter font, something that's a little on the craftsman side/rough, and place each word to the right of the shovel, with Ground next to the top of the shovel, down to Xchange by the spoon.

[Bishop]

Originally posted by imageconstrux@Dec 20 2002, 04:29 AM
Bishop - Those look nice. I'll add those into the fold at decision time.



Great! If the logos aren't perfect for your fitting I would be glad to modify them to suit your needs!

[SideFX]

here is another shot

http://sytedesigns.com/GroundX.jpg

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I took your comments into consideration and here is what I have come up with.

http://www.demexdesign.com/groundtradesxchange_logo2.gif

[imageconstrux]

SideFX - I like that one best of all the submissions you've made so far...That one has some real possibilities. There are a few changes I'd like you to make - I still don't like those leaves. Too much texture. Use two tones on the leaves, one as the body, one for highlights, and that's it. And for the graduated slant and graduated color for Ground and Trades, I'd like to see them unmanipulated - and if you could, give me a couple other samples with a couple other, non-serif fonts. 1 more thing - delete that extra green line between the X and groundtrades. Thanks!

Demex, I like that font better - can you put the shovel on the other side? I may not have explained that well enough previously. And can you give the text a little 'gruffer' feel? There will be lots of manly men looking at this site, and the text feels a little less manly, if that makes any sense. Let me know if it doesn't.

Thank you,

Jeff

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I have provided a few different font variations. If you like a font but prefer another colour let me know.

http://www.demexdesign.com/groundtradesxchange_logo3.gif

[imageconstrux]

Hi Zoe,

Take the direction of the shovel in the top left logo, and the font in the lower right (not the very bottom). Eliminate the white outline of the font, but keep the black outline.

Then I think we'll have it.


Jeff

[Zoe]

Hi Jeff,

I have made the change as you requested though I personally feel that it makes the text look a little too dark. Would you like me to try a slightly lighter green?

http://www.demexdesign.com/groundtradesxchange_logo4.gif

[imageconstrux]

Good idea - I wanted to take out the white outline because with the color, the white and the black, it made things harder to read. Lighten up the colo a bit and see what it looks like.


Jeff

[SideFX]

ok i made some changes as requested
http://sytedesigns.com/xgroundtrio.jpg

[imageconstrux]

We've reached the deadline for this contest. I would like to thank everyone for participating - I know that you put in a lot of hard work on my logo designs and I appreciate that hard work. This has been a fun experience for me, and I hope to have more contests in the coming months.

After reviewing the designs for each logo, and considering how the logo will look onscreen, in print, on business cards, etc, and also considering the 'eye catchiness' of each logo, I've decided on rabbitdog's logo submission (the one with the large tree with canopy overhanging the text). Congratulations Liz! For aesthetics, I preferred the logo with the greater depth (more colors in the tree canopy), but I think for the purposes of print, and biz cards, the less complex leaf canopy will work best.

Again, thank you all for your participation.

Liz, please contact me so you can send the logo file(s) over.

Palmer, please let me know what needs to be done to release the winnings to Liz.

Thanks,

Jeff

[Mike]

Congratulations Liz, and good work everyone else, you all did an awesome job :)

Palmer will take care of the rest now, so when Liz sends over the files he will PayPal the money to her (But not in that order, perhaps :))

[Palmer]

Hey we have the answer to the trivia question "Who won the first contest at DesignOutpost.com?" :D Congratulations Liz, nice work! I'll send you the prize money via paypal, send me a pm with your paypal account email address.

Thanks to all the designers that entered this contest. You all did a wonderful job.

Palmer

[Liz]

Thanks guys -

It is pretty cool to have won the first contest on the new site. Mostly, I'm just glad Jeff got good results from his first contest, and was happy with the final product.

[Zoe]

Congrats Liz - :D

[Bishop]

Congrats Liz, I had a feeling your logo would win as soon as I saw it. Nice Job!

[SideFX]

congrats for the nice victory good job guys :)

[Palmer]

Money sent, congratulations again Liz :)

Palmer