[Project Complete] Eclipse Awards Logo Project-$500 - Deadline June 3rd

[eclipseawards]

(Admin code added by Palmer - NN185251T, 7YE0180840)

BRIEF

Our company, Eclipse Awards International, is currently in the midst of a corporate re-branding. Our current logo has served the company very well for a good 5 years now, establishing brand differentiation with our competitors and a look and feel that evokes trustworthiness and reliability. As we continue to grow and establish ourselves as the premier supplier in our industry, we require a logo that better reflects our current market position and corporate values while also addressing some of the weaknesses of our current logo.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Eclipse Awards International Inc provides high quality crystal and glass recognition awards to clients all across the United States and Canada, as well as Internationally. Taking high quality crystal and glass items, we engrave our customers message onto the piece, which often includes a corporate logo. We have supplied many high profile awards as well as prestigious corporations, including Microsoft, Boeing, and Proctor & Gamble amongst many others.

The recognition industry as a whole is very large (multi-billion dollar industry), encompassing many different products. Crystal and glass awards continue to grow in popularity, and Eclipse Awards is one of the leaders in this niche market. We think of ourselves as a forward thinking company, identifying and adopting future trends today.

It is critical that the logo invokes trustworthiness, professionalism and leadership.

TARGET MARKET

Eclipse Awards focuses primarily on corporate clientele located in the United States and Canada. Often our customers are Human Resource Executives of companies of at least 20+ employees. Our customers understand and appreciate the importance of employee recognition, that their company is only as good as the people they have working for them.

REBRANDING REQUIREMENTS

1. Our corporate name is Eclipse Awards International Inc. This is currently reflected in our logo as well. We have made the decision that our brand will only be "Eclipse Awards", no longer incorporating "Awards International Inc.". One major problem we identified with the longer name was it showed very poorly at smaller sizes (almost illegible). Eclipse Awards on its own should be more memorable and present a brand that is more bold.

2. New graphical image. There are many "Eclipse" companies, and as such it presents a challenge to create a unique corporate logo without simply following what's already been done countless times (a typical solar eclipse). While not totally unhappy with our current logo, the general feeling is that on its own, it is not unique enough to be effectively branded. Moving forward, we envision being able to use the graphical logo as a branding tool of its own. Apple is a wonderful brand, in which the graphical logo is often used independent of the corporate name.

What is more important to us than having a graphical logo that resembles some sort of eclipse, is that it is unique (whether that means it incorporates an eclipse or not) and that it reflects our identified key values (trustworthiness, professionalism, trust).

3. Our corporate tagline is changing from "The Future of Awards", to "The Future of Recognition". The decision was made to avoid redundancy with our name, as well as encompassing a broader market.

4. Corporate colors. We are generally happy with our corporate colors. We believe the blue symbolizes trust. The current consensus is that we will keep the current colors, although we are open to some variations as well as potentially introducing a third color.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Because we have spent a lot of time and money building our current brand, preference will be given to designs that are clean and better reflect our current situation, without making the sort of major changes that would confuse current and past customers.

To view our current website including the current logo and brand, please visit www.eclipseonline.com. For any additional information regarding this project, please contact:

Kaya Rosenbloom
Marketing Director
Ph: 604-482-0166 x112
kaya@eclipseonline.com

[MOZ]

Here's an idea from MOZ. Color and or effects can be added.

[eclipseawards]

Thanks for being the first to submit something Mark! I appreciate the effort.

unfortunately, I don't think this design is going to work for us. Strangely enough, it looks almost exactly like the original logo when the company was created. Not the graphic, but the text and font.

Particular points are: we would like the name to be simply Eclipse Awards, not Eclipse Awards International Inc. The tagline will be "The Future of Recognition" rather than "The Future of Awards". The graphic and font are also not really striking a note.

Definately open to other concepts though. And if anybody has any further questions, please feel free to ask.

Kaya

[Tyler]

Here is my take.

[Aaron]

Here's how I see it...
:D

[eclipseawards]

tyler:

thanks for taking the time to make a submission!

my initial impression is that it's a bit too conservative of a look for us. I'm still hoping for something a little more modern and forward looking (we are claiming to be the future of recognition after all :) ). I'm also not totally sold on the graphic, although I appreciate the effort.

I do like how Eclipse Awards is on one line. I also like the bold of Eclipse.

[eclipseawards]

Aaron:

Thanks for taking a shot at our project!

We're looking for a design that's maybe a little more unique looking. Also not sure if the logo would work as a stand alone.

Thanks for your effort and concept though!

[Aaron]

More unique? ;)

[Tyler]

Here is a slightly more modern mark. :)

[Mark]

:)

[eziey]

:)

[davegk]

a few ideas...
-David

[eclipseawards]

Thanks to everybody for taking a shot at our project. I understand the difficulty and appreciate all the effort.

Unfortunately, we still haven't seen anything that we think reflects the direction we want to move in, and hope to see some more entries.

So far, we are most impressed with Eziey's design, as it is the most unique and practical logo. I can envision it being used on packaging and perhaps one day watermarked on the actual crystal items (simular to what Swarovski Crystal does). The logo also reminds me of somebody with hands over their head, which is a good symbol of accomplishment. Not a big fan of the font, character spacing and two lines of text though.

We want to avoid designs that use EA, as that's already used by Electronic Arts. I never thought to eclipse the two words (Eclipse Awards)... it is an interesting concept, but I don't think it works for the image or brand we are trying to build.

As for the text, I would like to see more modern fonts. Something clean and unpretentious. Avenir Roman 55 is a modern font I like very much (as an example of what i'm talking about, not neccessarily the font you must use). We are open to all cap, regular as well as no caps.

Anyways, I hope to see some more entries as this is still there for the taking.

[shnickerdoodle studios]

A couple from me...

Thanks,
Deanna

[Fabian]

Hi

It's a abstract "E" shaped as a humaniod form handing over an award :)

Looking forward to your feedback
Fabian

http://users.bigpond.net.au/fabe/eamockup.jpg

[Just J]

:cool:

[skyvee]

:)

[eziey]

:)

[eziey]

:)

[eclipseawards]

Thanks to everybody that's contributed so far. We decided that none of the designs were what we were hoping for. We've increased the money to $500, and extended the deadline in the hopes that it will attract some more designers that may have initially passed, as well as more thoughtful design.

I look forward to seeing what the designers of Design Outpost can come up with. If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask.

[eclipseawards]

Some feedback on recent designs:

Deanna: Thanks for the entry. Unfortunately neither design is the direction we are moving in.

Fabian: i like the abstract shape and star, but overall I don't think the logo suits our vision. The fonts are also too tech, and could go out of style too quickly.

Jason: Thanks for the entry, but we don't feel the logo has enough strength on its own.

Skyvee: Interesting concept. Not sure I understand it though, and that was the general concensus from those who viewed it.

Eziey: Personally, I felt your design was the strongest. We need a design with a strong independent logo as well as the two combined. Complaints though were that the design didn't "wow" anybody (the same complaints with all the designs) and that they couldn't make out somebody with their hands over their head. I'm not sure if you wanted that to be a part of your design, or if it was just something i picked up on my own. Regardless, RECOGNITION is really the industry we are in, and visualizing that somehow in the design is something that I think could be a part of the winning design.

[Mark]

:)

[Just J]

Another thought...

[skyvee]

Thanks for the feedback. Here's another one. :)

[eziey]

You're totally right when you said that you yourself see a person with both hand above his head in my first entry. Not only that, the hand is also representing an eclipse with the head as sunray.That is exactly what I want to show.:)
Anyway, here is another suggestion

[eziey]

A bit adjustment to my first entry. You can see an eclipse shape, wine glass and a "cup-shaped" person in this symbol :)
Cheers...

[shnickerdoodle studios]

another one from me...

Thanks,
Deanna

[Just_G]

1# Initial e-a, sun, & Time Tunnel to the future

[eclipseawards]

thanks for all the additional entries. Still haven't seen anything that's hit the bullseye. Some feedback:

Mark: Nice entry, but not quite the vision we had in mind.

Jason: Don't quite see the connection to our company or industry in the logo. Thanks though.

Skyvee: An improved entry, but I still think it's too difficult to make out.

Eziey: Not really a fan of the modifications. Can you also try a design that doesn't have the logo wedged in between Eclipse Awards? I still think it's a workable concept, but the logo's don't leave a lasting impression on me. By overdefining the person, it sort of lost its interest IMO.

Deanna: Thanks again, but still not our vision of the company or logo.

Just G: Thanks for submitting. Good submission, but it steers a little bit too far away from the serious, corporate, trustworthy company image we are trying to build.

Remember we are trying to build a brand around quality. Think Tiffany (www.tiffany.com). Think Waterford Crystal (www.waterford.com). Think Apple (www.apple.com). Think Prada (www.prada.com).

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[castell]

:) An initial concept.

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea.gif

Galin

[Trysen]

:D Hi, I can change the colors if you would like? To that of your website.

[Trysen]

:blush: Me again, Here is a more Abstract approach. Again i can change the colors if desired? Enjoy your day! :D

[shnickerdoodle studios]

Here is one more from me...

Deanna

[shnickerdoodle studios]

A different variation of the above....

Deanna

[eziey]

:)

[eziey]

:)

[castell]

2nd concept

Notes : Represents a stylized "E" and an eclipse.

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea1.gif

Galin

[castell]

3rd concept

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea2.gif

Galin

[Tonya]

http://homepage.mac.com/tonyagoodnow/graphic_files/eclipse/eclipse1.gif

[castell]

4th concept

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea3.gif

Galin

[Just_G]

#2

[eziey]

:)

[castell]

5th concept

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea4.gif

Galin

[eziey]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[castell]

6th concept

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea5.gif

Galin

[Just_G]

#3

[Buginajar]

I'm in....I will have something before the deadline.

[Mark]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[Grafissimo]

... my entry :yes:

[Mark]

:)

[eclipseawards]

Thank you all for all the new submissions. Some feedback:

DesignGeneral: You are getting very warm with your last two submissions. The font and colors definitely suit our vision of a clean, modern, professional look. I still think the logo could be improved though. The concept of an upward arrow to signify the best could work well.

Castell: The best of the 5 concepts was the fifth one. Can you explain this design though? Not quite sure I understand it, or if it's meant to be understood. Would like to see something more along this line. The other designs are a bit too busy or off target.

Trysen, Just G, Mark: I think we are going to stay clear of designs that boldly feature the E or EA. Rather, we would like a unique graphic that stands on its own, without reference to our name. Trysen, the second design is also a bit busy and reminds me too much of MC Escher. The simpler the better I would suggest.

Deanna: Thanks again for the entry, but the logo reminds me too much of a scythe.

Eziey: I still think it's a strong concept, but none of the designs are hitting the bull’s-eye. A complaint I have with a few of the new designs is that it looks too much like somebody flexing their muscles. I know it's a delicate balance, so keep up the good work, but I still think there is a lot of room for improvement. Also, make sure to include a version with color.

Tonya: I was impressed with your winning design for the Strathcona BIA. I thought it was bang on. Unfortunately I think this design is off target and too simple for us to realistically use. Simple design is a good thing IMO, but I would like to see more substance.

Grafissimo: Thanks for joining. The design reminds me a bit too much of a non-profit, such as Amnesty. Also not a fan of the fonts. It is a creative entry though, and I appreciate that. A simpler and smaller design would be better on target (and no flame).

Mark: In regards to your second design, it's nice but not the direction we are moving in. The logo is too similar to Target, and the font is a bit too tech. As well, we want to equally emphasize the "Awards" portion of the name, as Eclipse on its own is too common. This is one of the problems of the current logo, when advertising/branding, people often only remember the Eclipse portion of our name. There is a competing company called Eclipse Trophies, and we don't want people purchasing from them thinking it's us!


I want to thank everybody for entering so far. I really do appreciate the effort and realize it's a difficult project. So far I would say that there isn't a design that's hit the bull’s-eye (or requires just a minor design change to win), so I hope to see additional designs. If anybody has any questions, please feel free to ask.

[Taldo]

:)

[eziey]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

Thanks for the feedback :)

On my last concept you can see:

- 2 arrows pointing up -> future -> progress ...

- 2 birds that reach new heights -> freedom ...

I can try to explain better my concepts if you want, just let me know

[Mark]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[Mark]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

slight variation of previous concept :)

[eziey]

:)

[Raja]

500 big ones :D I will be entrering

[Mark]

:)

[barbie]

Hi, this is my first entry

<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/lauchii/ECLIPSE.bmp" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

[Just_G]

#4 reward ribbon

[Trysen]

:)

[Trysen]

:d

[Trysen]

:)

[Trysen]

:)

[Trysen]

:d

[Trysen]

:blush:

[Trysen]

:)

[Tonya]

http://homepage.mac.com/tonyagoodnow/graphic_files/eclipse/eclipse2.gif

[castell]

Hi,

Thank you for the feedback.

Concept 5 depicts eclipse in a fun yet profession way.
The grounds of the concept are balance and harmony and completeness.

Sincerely,
Galin

[castell]

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea6.gif

Galin

[castell]

Notes : Notice that it also contains the letter "E" and "A" in a subtle way.

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea7.gif

Galin

[castell]

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea8.gif

Galin

[castell]

http://visualadv.net/projects/ea/ea9.gif

Galin

[skyvee]

:)

[skyvee]

:)

[Fabian]

Hi again :)

[Carl]

...

[eziey]

:)

[Raja]

Hello,

If you like this mark, I can go ahead and treat the typography.

[Raja]

e-a kicker

[Aaron]

:)

[Fabian]

Concept:

Singled out for recognition ;)

[Artemii]

Hello!

[Artemii]

:)

[Artemii]

:)

[Trysen]

.

[Mark]

:)

[Artemii]

:)

[davegk]

a few ideas...
-David

[davegk]

Here's that last design on a mockup of a business card back as well as an alternative black & white design.

I particularly like this one because the symbol represents the letter 'E' and an image of an eclipse. It also looks like an eagle soaring - an ideal image for an awards icon.

-David

[eziey]

:)

[eclipseawards]

Thanks for all the additional entries. It's a lot of work to provide feedback, so I'm going to be somewhat brief.

Taldo: Really liked your design for HTTP Games, but unfortunately, this design is too busy for us.

Design General: I like your fourth design (message #59) with the eclipse and upward arrow. While my boss liked elements, his chief concern was that it looked too much like an airplane doing a loop. I'm not quite sure what to suggest, but the fact that it's similar to what we have, it's clean, corporate and modern makes it one of the stronger designs IMO. If the logo portion could be modified to symbolize both the eclipse and "top" or "upward", it could easily be the winning design. The other designs incorporating the E are less to our liking.

Eziey: Some of the same comments as Design General. Your designs are playing off both the concept of the eclipse as well as awards/recognition, and that gives your designs an advantage IMO. That being said, my boss wasn't blown away by any of the designs in general (according to his/our vision). A few specific comments: design #13 too much like wings/bird. #12/#13 reminded us of a spaceship or Star Trek, although both look nice. #14 is also nice, but didn't quite hit the target.

Mark: Thanks for the designs, but none are really in the direction we want to move in. The last two are hard to make out in terms of their meaning, and the first two I think miss the eclipse/recognition mark. I would suggest attempting to combine eclipse/recognition in some simple but clear fashion.

Barbie: Thanks for your submission. Conceptually not quite what we had in mind. I really want to avoid just an eclipse or an E or EA as the graphical logo.

Just G: Thanks again for the submission. The symbol of an award ribbon runs counter to our brand image of a high end supplier of recognition awards. We want to avoid images of cheap trophies, ribbons... the kind of product you'd find at a little league tournament. Remember our clientele is all corporate, and we need to come across as such as well.

Trysen: Thanks for all the submissions. I appreciate the effort. Specifically I’m not sure what to say other than all are good, but nothing hit the mark. My suggestion would be to focus on the recognition portion, as I don't think we'll end up going with a design that's just a graphic of an eclipse.

Tonya: Thanks for the submission. Definitely want to keep Eclipse Awards on one line. As well, the logo is not quite what we had in mind.

Castell: Thanks for the designs. None really were on target for us, with the biggest complaint being it's difficult to understand the concept at first glance.

Skyvee: Points for incorporating the people/recognition component into your design (#81). Unfortunately, the design feels too busy and hypnotic. Design #82 I still cannot make out the symbolism.

Fabian: Thanks for the design, but we are looking for a bit more.

Carl: Thanks for the entry. We definitely prefer to have both words on one line. The logo is not what we had in mind, although I appreciate the effort to incorporate recognition through the use of the star. The logo is also a bit on the large side.

Raja: Thanks for entering the competition. The design doesn't really appeal to me, but my boss has taken an interest to the design and asked for you to resubmit with the full name, Eclipse Awards, and in a cleaner, modern font. Also include "the future of recognition". Improving the design would help your chances as well.

Aaron: Thanks for the design, but not quite what I had in mind. Still want an independent graphic for branding (that doesn't have our name or reference to our name on it).

Fabian: Some of the same comments... Eclipse Awards on one line, and we are hoping to see more than just an eclipse.

Artemii: Thanks for entering. Of the four designs, I think design 3 and 2 are the best, although I don't feel either are quite what we envision. Things I like: One line. Logo on left. Lowercase entry. Things I don't like: Doesn't look terribly strong on white background. Only one color incorporated (want to see 2 at a minimum, maybe even 3). Graphics could be improved.

Davegk: Thanks for the entries. Unfortunately, none of the designs feel corporate enough for us. We are aiming at a more corporate, clean, modern look.

Thanks to everybody for putting hard work into our project! I know it's difficult, but there really is a design out there that will strike all the right notes. Unfortunately we haven’t seen it yet, but I know there is a lot of talent on here, so I hope to keep pushing forward these last couple days. Please focus on the two key terms: Eclipse and Recognition. How you graphically illustrate the second part is the most difficult challenge of all, but that's what will separate good design from great design. We want Eclipse Awards on one line; we won’t even consider designs on two. We need a look that is corporate, as we deal with many large corporate customers. And we require a design that is simple, clean and modern.

Again, if anybody has any questions, please feel free to ask. I'll also be monitoring this thread closer these last couple days, and hopefully provide more frequent feedback.

Regards,

Kaya

[Paula23]

:)

[Paula23]

..

[DesignGeneral]

Thanks for the feedback :)

[Paula23]

..

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[Paula23]

..

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[DesignGeneral]

another variation :)

[Artemii]

Thanks for the feedback!
Here's another idea.
Artemii.

[Carl]

Logo B - Version 1

[Mark]

:)

[Taldo]

:)

[Raja]

e-a monogram/eclipse 1.3


Here is a quick mod...I have other ideas on the artboard, they will take some more time.

[eclipseawards]

Design General: Thanks for the revision. #102 I think is the best design. I believe this to be a finalist, and have asked others to consider and give feedback. A very minor thing, but the of in "The Future of Recognition" should be lower case. Other than that, not much more I can suggest in terms of revisions.

Carl: Excellent concept. Kudos for balancing both the eclipse with the recognition component. It is people after all that we celebrate. I would like to see modifications though. The weakest component in my opinion is the color scheme. Not a fan of the purple, and don't find the logo and text show all that well on a white background. Please change the purple to a darker blue and the cream color to an orange. For the third color, perhaps a lighter grey/blue color? Those are my suggestions, but I am still open to variations. Additionally, I would like to see some other fonts. Clean and modern. And not a bold font, but perhaps one that has a little more line definition. It also wouldn't hurt to provide a couple slightly revised concepts of the logo.

Raja: I will bring it to Toby's (boss) attention that you have revised the design. I still think it lacks the recognition component, but we'll see what he thinks.

Taldo, Mark, Artemii, Paula23... Thanks again for the submissions. At this time I believe the designs by Design General and Carl to be the benchmark, although we are gathering feedback from a variety of people who will ultimately influence the final decision. To visually capture the recognition component, whether it be literally or in an abstract manner, and balance it with the eclipse is what I'm looking for. I have forwarded the link to various people and will have more to report tomorrow.

[Carl]

Revisions as requested...

[Carl]

...and other options...

[skyvee]

:)

[Carl]

Darker blue, sample image and use of Avenir Roman for the text...

[DesignGeneral]

:)

[Mark]

:)

[eclipseawards]

Much thanks everybody who participated on our project. Design Outpost is full of talent, and we will definately be using your services again in the future.

After careful consideration and consultation, we have decided to declare Carl and design B-1 (message 109) the winner! Congrats Carl, excellent job at balancing both the recognition component with the eclipse. Feedback on your design was extremely strong.

We still have a few changes we would like to request, but I understand that occurs in the revisions forum. I will await this thread being moved before making those revisions requests.

[Carl]

Great news!

I will move this thread to revisions and we can finish up things there.

I have sent you a private message with my email address.

Carl...

[Michael]

Congrats Carl, nice win :)