Alfresco Landscape Group Ltd.

[Blair]

Good day Designers, (Admin code added by Palmer - Y3351112)

I am offering a $75.00 prize for this contest. I need a logo for my landscape contracting business. It will need to be reproduced on many media, including letterhead/ forms, color and b/w print advertising, vinyl vehicle lettering and embroidered clothing. I am leaning toward orange and green as the main colors. The most visible place this logo will be seen will be on my trucks. I do intend to buy white trucks so white will have to be considered as a main company color.

Alfresco Landscape Group will come to be known as the preferred contractor for residential landscape services throughout the Region of Durham. While eliminating frustrations common amongst typical contractors, Alfresco will characterize the comfort and piece of mind in doing business with a professional and ethical, customer focused contractor.

Alfresco Landscape Group will appeal to homeowners who demand fair play and attention in the leisure lifestyles marketplace. Our friendly and polite staff will be readily accessible to our clientele, eager to listen to their needs. We will apply the best systems of practice and management to deliver only the highest quality landscape services while utilizing quality materials. We will provide warranties that are a cut above industry standards. Overall, our clients can be certain that they are getting their money’s worth and more.

Our initial operations will focus on residential landscape design/ build sector, with an eye toward adding other services such as lawn and garden maintenance, snow and ice management, and irrigation.

Our image will be fun and festive, but not cartoonish. I want to downplay the Italian undertone in the word Alfresco, as I come from a Dutch background. I have chosen this word for its English translation, meaning outdoor or fresh air. I see some marketing opportunities using the word alfresco as it is commonly used in English, such as alfresco dining with an image of a family enjoying a summer BBQ on a patio built by my firm. This is the brand I wish to project. I would like to have some sort of symbol included in the logo that could someday be used as an easily identifiable standalone logo. So, let’s have at it. I look forward to working with you all. The deadline will be the afternoon of March 10, 2003.

[ElKootcho]

Here is the first of what I'm sure is many design to come.

[ElKootcho]

And another for your consideration. Simple lines, classic type...

[Blair]

Great ... something to start with already. I like the leaf in the first submission. I am looking for someting a little more "stand-out" though. I have been looking through some fonts and have become partial to Fajita ICG mild. I dont know how to post the way it looks but I'm sure you guys can find out what it looks like. It will give yous an idea of the feel I'm looking for.

Great start......

Blair

[QSDA]

corrupted file

[Blair]

That,s the one

[ElKootcho]

Here's a logo with ITC Fajita - Mild as suggested:

[ElKootcho]

and still another...

[TwistedNewMedia]

isnt that the taco bell font? heh nice

[Blair]

I like the sun in the 3rd version. I really want to play up the outdoor leisure lifestyle.

I like the oak style leaf in the 3rd submission, but prefer the line style of the leaf in the first submission.

Is it a faux pas to use 2 different fonts in a logo? I think it might be nicer to have the 'landscape group' in a more traditional font.

Still looking for something a little more fun.

I'm thinking it might be easier to refer back to previous designs if you label them so we can easily identify different versions. Just a thought.

hope this helps.

Blair

[Palmer]

Blair, can you edit your critique and put the designer's screen name next to your comment on their logo designs? It will help them to know what comments are directed at their entries.

Thanks! :)

Palmer

[ElKootcho]

Originally posted by Palmer@Feb 25 2003, 04:19 PM
Blair, can you edit your critique and put the designer's screen name next to your comment on their logo designs? It will help them to know what comments are directed at their entries.

So far I'm the only entrant so I know that they're all directed at me!! :P

[Palmer]

Doh! Ooops sorry...... nevermind. Wow you've been busy! :D

[Blair]

Palmer, your comment is noted... good thought, I'm all for clear and unconfused communications. :D

Blair

[Huhhso]

Hi! here are my submissions for the contest.
thanks!

[Blair]

Thanks Huhhso,

These examples aren't anyting like what I had pictured, but #1 and #3 knocked my socks off. I'll make some comments on each.

#1: I usually don't like replacing letters with symbols, but it works really well here. It may be a bit girly for me. I could get used to that, around here it would be quite unique. The aspect ratio is just perfect (2:1ish) making it easy to use in many places. I would like to see more orange in the logo I use. the font is pretty good

#2: I can't place it but this one looks a little familiar to me. The 'A' and 'L' are hard to find. It's a clever way to symbolize a letter but I think I would rather assume that most won't spend the time to figure out clever. Trees tend to not turn out very well in vinyl. They often look like they were drawn by a six year old. In this case I'm not terribly impressed with the font but am not ready to rule it out.

#3: The colour is good, it really jumps out at you.... I like that. I'm not keen on the written font of this one. I do like the size balance and placement between Alfresco and Landscape Group.

[motiveX]

Whoa....that first logo Huhhso is bad***.

VERY nice.

:flowers: :zorro:

[Juvanescence]

http://members.lycos.co.uk/secsummit03/alfresco.gif

[Zoe]

Here is an idea I came up with when I should have been sleeping. : )

http://www.demexdesign.com/alfresco1.gif

[TwistedNewMedia]

wow so many awesome logos, j-design yours is sweet...I dont know if Ill have a chance if I enter this.. oh well you have my entry by the weekend;)

[Juvanescence]

http://members.lycos.co.uk/secsummit03/alfresco2.gif

[Juvanescence]

Something a little different.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/secsummit03/alfresco3.gif

[Blair]

Wow you guys are making this hard to choose, great work. Just some general notes here:

Gradient fills are out of the question, far too difficult to reproduce in most media.

The final logo should have symbol that can be used as a stand alone logo in the future. So far the oak leaf/ sunshine symbol has rung loudest with me.

I like the way the 'f' extends lower and the 'landscape group' is placed beside that. It balances very nicely. I prefer when the more traditional font is used for LG and like it most in black with the Alfresco in orange. I think after seeing the fajita font against some of these others I can safely rule that one out at this point.

I'm not opposed to shadows and outlines, but remember they do pose some registration problems in 2 colour printing.

Hope this helps, keep up the great work. I am really enjoying this.

[Huhhso]

Hi thanks guys!
Here are some revisions.

:D
Waila

[Juvanescence]

http://members.lycos.co.uk/secsummit03/alfresco4.gif

[Juvanescence]

The great outdoors.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/secsummit03/alfresco5.gif

[TwistedNewMedia]

Hows this looking?

[Blair]

Thanks for the entries.... they look fantastic. Not much advice I can give at this point.

I am located in Ontario, the provincial flower is the trillium.... might be a nice touch.

Huhhso, can I see one with the O included as well as the flower? I am concerned the current version may be read as Alfresc.

[Palmer]

Here's a trillium...
http://www.pitt.edu/~biohome/Dept/Img/graphics/trillium.jpg

And more here...
http://images.google.com/images?q=trillium...G=Google+Search (http://images.google.com/images?q=trillium&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search)

[Huhhso]

Thanks for posting the pict Palmer :)

Blair,
I have added the 'o' on the end of Alfresco and also made a version with the trillium flower too. The colors can be changed easily if you wamt to see something specific.
Thanks!

Waila

[Juvanescence]

Stylised flower.

[TwistedNewMedia]

Hey, I made a few changes, heres the updated version.

[Blair]

Good morning designers,

I must apologize for being so quiet lately. I have been unusually busy the past few days.

I am loving the entries to date. With Monday's deadline approaching I better get some general feedback up on the board. The font should be relatively bold, so it can be read from a distance. I can't really think of anything else at the moment that hasn't already been said.

ElKootcho- I would love to see a few variations with the font and positioning with this one.http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/uploads/post-4-1046152362.gif

I am quite fond of the symbol but the lettering seems to lack balance. Try it using a traditional font for Landscape Group. Any suggestion for a fun bold font for Alfresco? I am flip-floppin on the fajita font.


Thanks again, your efforts are appreciated.

[ElKootcho]

I will get working on this later tonight and have them posted shortly thereafter :D

[ElKootcho]

Here's a few options that I worked on tonight:
el_kootch05

[ElKootcho]

elkootch06:

[ElKootcho]

elkootcho08:

[ElKootcho]

And now for something completely different...

elkootch09:

[Blair]

Thanks for the revisions Elkootcho. I like #06 and #08. I will need to be able to interchange between both of these styles to accommodate a few different situations.

In #08 I really like the look of the border around the icon. Is it possible to get this incorporated in the stand alone version?

I like the bold look of the fajita, it lends itself to being read at a distance as well as balancing nicely with the bold look of the icon. I also like the way the 'f' extends below the baseline in some of the other fonts. Can someone suggest a font that is bold, easily read from a distance and has an 'f' that extends beneath the baseline.

On page 2 demex design #1, the landscape group is in all lower case. I am partial to this look and font.

Thanks again for the efforts being made here. I will be sure to check in a few times over the weekend and provide feedback where I can.

Blair

[QSDA]

Hey hey!
Here's my entry.
On the main logo, the 'A' supposed to resemble a tree.

[Blair]

QSDA, Very nice. Definite contender.

[beetle]

I really like that, QSDA

When I look at it though, my eyes want the 'A' and the 'O' to be taller and take up the space on either side of 'Landscape Group'. In fact, when I first looked at this, I thought they were, but it was a brief optical illusion :blink:

Just an observation.

[QSDA]

Yet another entry with 3 different variations.

[QSDA]

...letting the landscape artwork dominate a little more...

[QSDA]

Originally posted by beetle@Mar 7 2003, 03:17 PM
I really like that, QSDA

When I look at it though, my eyes want the 'A' and the 'O' to be taller and take up the space on either side of 'Landscape Group'. In fact, when I first looked at this, I thought they were, but it was a brief optical illusion :blink:

Just an observation.
Thanks Beetle! I really appreciate that.

[Huhhso]

I don't know at this point what is still plausible, but here are some new ideas from me with different fonts that can be read from a distance.
Thanks!

[ElKootcho]

I've been playing around with some more fun, funky fonts for your consideration.

[Juvanescence]

Hopefully not to late for your viewing. Simple, clean lines and images. Works both big and small.

[ElKootcho]

Another small tweak on this one. I changed the font of "landscape group" and added the outline on the leaf symbol.

elkootcho_12

[ElKootcho]

Here's the leaf symbol alone in 2-Color (Trucks, clothing, business cards), Grayscale (Printed forms), and Black/White (Faxing, Xeroxes)

[Blair]

You folks have listened well. So many excellent logos to choose from. I will make my decision tomorrow, it won't be easy. :D

[QSDA]

How did you like my 2nd design? Anything you want to see changed?




thanks.

[Blair]

QSDA- sorry I don't really care for the second design, but the first made the short list.

[Blair]

Thank you to all who worked so hard and submitted designs. After careful consideration I have made my decision. Congratulations ElKootcho, yours (elkootcho_12) is the winning entry. I do have a few minor touch ups to request. I trust this will not pose a problem?

It is the icon that has swayed my favour for this design. It represents the image I want to portray perfectly. Its ease of reproduction and suitability for use in B/W, greyscale and colour was also an important factor.

This site has provided excellent value. There is some top notch talent here. I will be sure to spread the word. Thank you all and good luck in the future. :D

Blair Deutekom
Alfresco Landscape Group

[Palmer]

Congrats ElKootcho! Was this your first win? I think it is. Nice work. Please pm me with your PayPal address so I can pay you.

Thanks Blair, you had some very nice entries. Make sure you tell your friends about us :)

[Blair]

I sure will. Thank you too! Great idea for great ideas. :D

[ElKootcho]

Here is the original:

[ElKootcho]

Without the confetti:

[ElKootcho]

With the Chianti font. (I don't think this one works. It's an odd font that will become dated quickly, I think)

[ElKootcho]

With Humanist 521:

[ElKootcho]

And again Humanist 521 (all caps this time):

[Blair]

These are great, thanks. Please send all to me and I will let you know which one I choose in a fews days or a week.

Blair