Personal Logo - Prize: $75

[groby]

Hi guys! (Admin code added by Palmer - G716273D)

I'm currently starting to market myself a little bit. Since I'm a pretty visual person, that requires having a logo. At the end of this message, I've included some notes on who I am and what I do - that hopefully helps with the logo.

Some general things about the logo & me:

First of all, the name. That's rather important (and I of course completely forgot it in my first posting :)
Robert Blum

Ideally, I'd like a logo that includes the name but can also stand on its own.

It should really work on a wide range of media - business cards (black&white or maybe limited color), website, print. That means I'd prefer a vector based format, and it should degrade gracefully with color reduction.

I'd still like a color-logo, though. My preferred colors are black, red, orange, earthy browns - but don't feel restricted to that palette, I'm willing to experiment.

As you'll be easily able to tell from my personal info, I'm not a pure tech guy. I'd like the logo to be not to technical either. (Oh, and bonus points if you can create a nice tag line to go with it)

I'm in a bit of a bind with regards to the deadline, though. I really need to be able to print business cards before March, 6th - so March 4 is the latest where I need at least a preliminary solution. The prize money is $75.

Your entry into the competition means that you agree to hand other all the property rights to your work so I can use and modify the logo at my discretion indefinately.

----------- Info about me ------
Branding Worksheet

Core Values
- Integrity/Authenticity
- Justice
- Open-mindedness
- Courage
- Ethics
- Adventure
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Quality
- Beauty/Elegance/Style

Passions
My Work
People
Technology
Dancing
Communication
Languages
Pushing myself to the limit
Exercise

Talents (*=Key Talent)
Logical/Analytical Thinking (*)
Determination(*)
Dancing
Sense of Style (*)
Quick Learner(*)
Writing
Language(*)

My brand equivalents
All located in the sectors High Tech, Fashion, and Arts

Apple: Think different, High tech in a very stylish packaging. Especially iMac (colorful)

Aura Science (http://www.aurascience.com). Their concept of only selling high quality items. If it is not beating the competition, it is not worth selling. ("Do it right, or do it again") And their slogan is nice, too: "Beauty, Evolved"

DKNY. Very hip, very visual. Tries to avoid the "mindless" fashion image

New York City Ballet: Well known for very hard work ("NYC Ballet Workout") and beautiful performances. Also, they train all their dancers themselves. It's an environment that is very close to what I'd like to see in computer technology. (More mentoring, less hire&fire. A family, not just a random group of people)

Three things I'd like to do in the next six months:
Take up drawing.
Take Yoga classes
Write an article

Specialties:
Fixing broken Software development
Troubleshooting and putting out fires

Brand description:
I'm creative, and determined. My personality is always authentic, and I don't believe in hiding the truth. My unique blend of interests and backgrounds allows me to bring new and fresh approaches to every problem. I love working in teams and helping them realize their full potential.

[Huhhso]

Hi there Robert , I read through all of your info - branding etc.. so you'll have to forgive me if this question is redundant, but what ecxactly is your a profession? Are you a dancer?

Thanks! :)

[groby]

Hi Huhhso!

No, the question is by no means redundant. I just blindly attached my own personal worksheet and forgot that not everybody on this planet knows me.

So, the answer to your question: I am a software engineer at day, and a dancer at night. Seriously. So, obviously, I don't want the logo to openly refer to one or the other. (I.e. no computers, dancing couples, etc..)

I just included all that info so that you could get an at least somewhat clearer picture of who I am - which is what I'd like the logo to say. So it's probably a rather difficult logo to design. (I know at least I haven't have the faintest idea what it will look like in the end)

If you've got any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll put my AIM contact info in my profile so we can accelerate the process a bit. In case anybody else should want to join this contest (I sure hope so!), I'll post a summary of the pertinent information from those discussions in the forum.

Thanks,
- Robert

[Zoe]

Hi Robert,

I had an idea of possibly having a black and white image of you. But one of those line art type images, that doesn't really show features.

If you are interested in this idea, send me a photo of yourself to the email address below. : )

[chelle]

Hi Robert,
Here is my design concept, thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. B)

[groby]

Hi chelle!

Sorry for the long delay before posting my comments - this is turning out to be a busy day so far.

I liked the fact that it is a very clear design, not overloaded. However, overall, it seems to be too much 'business' for me. If I were a bank or an accounting house, I'd love it. I'd like it to reflect a bit more that I'm a creative/'[I]artsy[I]' type. The same goes for the slogan - 'Integrity in Business' is too serious.

The graphical part of the logo is interesting. At first, I didn't like the mirrored 'R' too much, but then I discovered that it could be almost a stylized person behind the 'B'. I don't know if that leads anywhere, that's just a random thought that crossed my mind. Maybe it triggers some ideas for you?

The (half) circle doesn't work for me, though. I'm not a 'round' person. Something flowing would be better. That is also the direction I'd like to see the font go in. The current font is too stiff. Again, the 'flowing' thing...

Overall, thanks you for giving me this starting point. I feel bad that I couldn't communicate my ideas better the first time round, but hopefully this post helps clear up a lot of things.

Thanks,
- Robert

Palmer: Any way to enable the message board to show the logos when you are posting a reply? It's kind of hard to talk about a design when you can't see it :)

[Palmer]

No, I'm sorry there isn't. The best thing to do is in your browser select file>new>window and work between the two windows. One with your reply and one with the contest. Also you could hover your mouse over the "add reply" button, right click your mouse then select "Open link in new window" for your reply.

Palmer

[chelle]

Thanks Robert,
I will keep in mind your suggestions, and I still have a few other idea's to lay out. I will post them as time allows. Thanks again for your insight. :D

[Liz]

Hi Robert.

Wanted to post a quick mockup I came up with for your logo. I think this might help convey your artistic flair. The "R" is hand-drawn and original, so it could even stand on its own as a symbol.

http://clients.snapfire.com/rb.gif

Thanks for your consideration,
Liz.

[Juvanescence]

*removed*

[groby]

Hi guys (and gals, of course!)

First of all, thanks for all the really rapid input you're providing. I am impressed with the speed and the quality of your work! (And I've already lined up quite a few other things I'm going to post here, as money allows :) )

Now, here's my feedback:
All
Hey, just because I said red is one of my favorite colors, you don't need to stick to it :D
I'm really open for different color combinations. I'm not saying I don't like the red - I just like trying things I haven't tried before. So if you think that another color might bring across the idea of who I am in a better way, please feel free to try it out!

rabbitdog
I love the idea behind this logo! I just think the font (and/or the color combination) is a bit too fifty-ish. Can you modernize it a bit? The two-color approah is a really neat idea, too!

j-design
The dancer logo looks fantastic. And it's not projecting too much of a dancer either, which allows me to keep it for my software activities, too. Really nice!
The font is not tickling me that much, though. It seems a bit too innocent compared to the really sleek logo.

[chelle]

Heres another B)

[Liz]

Hi Robert, glad you like the idea!

I sort of thought it was a neat concept - it reminds me of those creative people who have really distinctive signatures they use to sign their work. Their names invertably stick in my head just because the signature alone is such a cool work of mini-art.

Since you mentioned not be crazy about the font and color, I thought it might best to address each concern seperately. Below is a mockup of a few fonts I thought might work. They're in the "print" B&W versions. If any of the font styles below catch your eye, I can convert those specifically to a few full color 2 tone versions.

http://clients.snapfire.com/rb2.gif

Lookin' forward to your feedback, thanks, - liz.

[groby]

Sorry the reply took so long...

rabbitdog
I especially like #4. The other ones are too 'clean'. #1 was a close runner up, but the #4 font definitely is closest to what I think this should be. The only drawback of course is that I would have to change my signature to reflect the logo :D

chelle
It's getting closer, but I think the whole look is still a bit 'formal' for me. I'd like to see something more organic, less measured.


Thanks for the rapid turnaround, and I can't wait to see the next round!
- Robert

[TwistedNewMedia]

How about this?

[Zoe]

Here is what I have been working on....

http://www.demexdesign.com/robertblum1.gif

[chelle]

Hi Robert,

Here is a little something totally diffrent and has a creative edge to it.

[Juvanescence]

*removed*

[groby]

Hi guys and gals!

Thank you for all the effort you are putting into this. Every single one of your suggestions is so impressive, it feels really picky to criticize anything just because it isn't exactly me. (Hey! That Picasso really doesn't work with my tie! :) )

But I've still got a few comments, sorry...

ubergerlgeek
That's really great! I looked at it, and I loved the idea. The tagline and the name work great and repesent 'me'. But I'm not so sure about the logo on top. I think the gears incorporated in something else are nice, but the 'something else' part took me a while. (OK, it's early in the morning, and I didn't have my coffee yet :) )

While a palette is nice to represent creativity, it unfortunately represents a creative area I'm seriously challenged in - I can't paint or draw to save my life. And if you can make the logo less round? As I said in another post, I don't think 'round' represents what I am.

The color combination is very nice, too. I might want to go a bit brighter, maybe.

Demex
Wow - I'm flattered. I never knew I was a Rock Star B)
But kidding aside - if you see artists on a range from Rock Star to Poet, I'm more on the 'Poet' side of the scale. When you first mentioned the idea of putting a stylized face on there, I was thinking you meant more or less a line drawing with just a couple of strokes. Would that be possible at all?

Don't get me wrong - it's a very cool logo. But I don't think it would work for me - it seems a bit too 'loud'. The main things contributing to that I think are the very bright red, my grimness, and the size of the face (too big compared to text)

chelle
That's getting closer. I like the font, and the logo is very fun. I'd just like something more dynamic for the little guy. I know, by now you all think I'm obsessed with that "Don't make it round" thing, but it's too much of just two half-circles...

j-design
The font is nice. It's a wee bit too much freehand though - it's hard to actually read the 'Blum' part. As for the logo part - I finally know why I liked it so much. In the first version it exactly spanned the last name, which created a very nice look. Now, I'm not asking you to do exactly that, but it would be nice if you could integrate it with my name somehow. Maybe even make it a part of it?


Thank you all,
- Robert

[Juvanescence]

*removed*

[Huhhso]

Hey Robert Here are the logos I've been working on.
They are in vector format so the colors can easily be changed etc..
Thanks
Waila

[chelle]

Hi Robert,

Here are some changes to this one, hey and look no half circles this time :) :)

[TwistedNewMedia]

ok heres another try

[Juvanescence]

*removed*

[groby]

Hi all!

Finally made it back to my computer, and here are the comments. It's amazing how many great ideas you guys have!

As I said in the first post, I need to pick one by March 4 . My current favorites are ubergerlgeek and j-design, but I'm still open in case you guys have yet another trick up your sleeves.

ubergerlgeek
Yep, that's looking really good. Now if you could move the 'Robert' and the 'Blum' a bit closer together? And maybe one or two other color combos, just to make sure? After all, both of my favorites use colors I didn't list as my initial preferences...

j-design
I was just going to suggest to chop off the head, too :) Apart from that, I like it. If you have the time, could you show me a couple of other color combinations?

chelle
I really like the logo, and if I were going for a logo only for my dancing stuff, that might have been it very well. Do you think you could incorporate my 'technical' side as well?

huhhso
(Numbered left to right, top to bottom) 1 &2 are a bit generic, but I like the font on #1. 3 is too much 'Rockstar' :) #5 looks too much like a cigarette logo. Don 't ask me why, that's just the feeling I get. (I think it reminds me of the John Player Special logo...) 4 & 6 are interesting, but have a very slight touch of Germany, 1930. Since I actually am from Germany, I'd like to avoid that connotation - even the slightest bit makes for more controversy than I'd like

Thanks,
- Robert

[Juvanescence]

*removed*

[chelle]

I think this is about as technical as I can get this one, without losing the artsy look.

[Liz]

Just thought I'd slip in one final update to my black and white versions...

Personally, I'm particularly fond of the bottom left.

http://clients.snapfire.com/rb3.gif

Thanks, Liz.

[TwistedNewMedia]

Wow J-Design, that's a lot of colors!

[Juvanescence]

Originally posted by ubergerlgeek@Mar 3 2003, 11:42 AM
Wow J-Design, that's a lot of colors!
I could have posted more, but I didnt want to scare you all. ;)

[TwistedNewMedia]

I've been working on a few other options for the logo, here they are. Any of the colors can be changed around to fit your prefrence. :)

[Huhhso]

Ok I am going in a different direction, with these.. All colors can be changed.
Thanks!

[groby]

And just when I thought I'm decided, you guys make it really hard for me!

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Unfortunately, I can only pick one of them. And believe me, it was a hard choice to make. There's not the single on in the latest batch that I didn't like.

Again, thank you all for all the ideas and the work you put into realizing them. I'll be definitely back for more!

And the winner is (drumroll).....

ubergerlgeek

Now, a couple of quick questions:

- Color of the logo. I photoshopped a bit, and I think I'd like to go for a look that's a bit brighter. More cyan/orange. However, I only saw that on an LCD screen (and misplaced the RGBs of my colors :angry: ), so if you think that's not going to work out in print, let's not do it. Of the logos you posted here, the second one (on page 2) is closest. If you could include an alternate that has a cyan/light green combo, I'd be eternally grateful

- File format. Ideally, I'd like to have a vector based format - I might want to use it in different places. What's a good format to pick though? Preferrably one I can open without spending a ton of money on Illustrator and friends? If you could IM me so we can sort that out?

Thanks again,

- Robert

[Palmer]

Congrats Kat! :woot:

Thanks Robert, isn't it fun having a tough decision? :) Tell your friends about us. Thanks for your contest.

Palmer

[TwistedNewMedia]

Excellent, thanks a bunch!