Logo etc. for Swanfield website - $150

juliangall · #1 10-17-2003, 10:40 AM

(Admin code added by 2square - 028681P)

I am looking for a logo, web page graphics and navbar font recommendations for my web site. This is a (presently) small venture for me to sell software I write, but I intend it to get bigger! I chose the name Swanfield because it is an easy word to communicate, unique enough to be easily found in search engines and not too widely used. Also, the domain was available.

I am posting the competition here rather than Templates because I can handle the HTML parts of the web site template, rollovers etc, myself. I need the logo, page header graphic with “Swanfield Software” and navigation bar design (font and background graphic if appropriate).

I am looking for a softish design (I.e. not too bold) although still a distinctive image; something that is instantly recognisable. I like an open, clear, light, professional look. Here are some sites that appeal to me visually so you can get the idea. http://www.antarctica.net/ http://www.o2sol.com/public/webui/home.shtml http://www.nwoods.com/index.htm http://www.pablovandermeer.nl/index.html http://www.sunseeker.com/index2.htm.

I don’t care for the block colour that I currently have in my own page header and would like the whole thing to have more visual interest than it does at the moment. I am open to suggestions for the colour itself. The current dark red is not satisfactory and looks quite different on CRTs and LCD displays.

Some details that may or may not be relevant are … The page header of my site is 100 pixels high and stretches horizontally to fit the browser window. The nav bar started as 160 pixels wide but was cut down to 140 because it was too dominant, and stretches vertically to suit the length of the page. I can create the HTML etc. for the stretching. If you think the sizes or proportions need to be different or if I should not have a page border, should have a graphic in the footer etc, I will consider that.

Finally, if the logo itself can be separated from the web page and used in other applications (notepaper, business cards, t-shirts) that would be a bonus.

I’m looking forward to seeing your designs.

Julian Gall

Bill · #2 10-17-2003, 11:43 AM

Here's an idea to get started...

MUTE DESIGN · #3 10-18-2003, 12:02 PM

Here are 2....

MUTE DESIGN · #4 10-18-2003, 12:24 PM

2 more...One Simple...One Andy Warhol style!

juliangall · #5 10-18-2003, 01:42 PM

Thanks very much for those great designs. They all have aspects I like but none is quite there yet.

pennyln's design is light and open, which is what I wanted. It has presence and the typeface is very good. A couple questions. How do you expect this to look in the web page? Will the design sit in the page header with the background all white? I like the blue, which looks classy, but I'm not too sure about the yellow. Perhaps you could experiment with some other colours. The coloured dot on the I is a nice touch. Finally, is the image border with the slight drop shadow part of the design?

coredesign's swan (first design) looks very dynamic, which is good. I'm not too sure about the black, although it does make the white stand out well. Do you think another dark colour would work - I.e. more like the second design smaller examples? I'd like also to get more of an idea how this would look across the top of my web page. Stick with the swan from the first design rather than the second - I like this one best. Finally, I prefer Swanfield as a single word and don't want to separate Swan from field in the type colour.

disturbReality's swan is visually interesting, which is good. I like the way the image has different tones. However, my first impression was that the swan looks a bit like pictures I've seen of a phoenix. Perhaps it could be a bit less sinister. I would prefer "Swanfield" not to be split into two and I'm not sure how the oval will work in the rectangular areas of the web page.

Of MUTE DESIGN's four examples, I like the third the best. The swan's really going somewhere. Should be Swanfield and not SwanField. I would also like something with more to it than just a line drawing.

Thanks again for all your efforts. I look forward to seeing more.

Julian

KelliShaver · #6 10-18-2003, 02:44 PM

(Admin edit by 2Square)

Please read your PM, thanks.

Michael

Virgil · #7 10-18-2003, 04:11 PM

Hello

Here are my first posts: the logo(tried to picture an S from curves), the header and the website

Best regards,
Gilles.

Virgil · #8 10-18-2003, 04:12 PM

Header

Virgil · #9 10-18-2003, 04:15 PM

And...Website

Virgil · #10 10-19-2003, 11:26 AM

Hello

,

Here's another idea for the header, if you like it, I can design the navbar keeping the same theme and colors. I think it will mix ok with the logo also.

Best regards,
Gilles.

juliangall · #11 10-19-2003, 01:51 PM

Don't you people ever stop working? I thought I was going to have the weekend free

In order of the replies:

KelliShaver, I really like your sample. It is stylised by just the right amount but still distinctive and unique. I would be interested to see what else you come up with to go around it.

disturbReality's images are certainly heading in the right direction but I feel they are not as close to what I'm looking for as the others. I don't want to waste your time so I'll not ask for any more along those lines. Thanks very much for what you've suggested and for the time you've spent.

Gilles and coredesign, you are on the right lines for what I had in mind for the header. It's very difficult to choose one over the others at this stage but, in both your designs, it seems the logo doesn't fit particularly well with the rest of the header. It has a different style and looks as though it has been created independently from the header. Can you both try to make the logos more a part of the header visually (or make the headers more in line with the logos). With Gilles' design, having "Swanfield" in the logo and the header is perhaps superfluous - I like the way coredesign has the word just once and the way this ties in with the horizontal band. Gilles, you might like to concentrate on your second header design - it is very difficult to decide between the two but the second perhaps is more distinctive.

I like coredesign's swan with the coloured backgrounds although the swan's bill almost disappears in the smaller size.

pennyln, I'm still looking forward to seeing what you have, although I certainly wasn't expecting you to work over the weekend!

Thanks for all you're putting into this. I'm really impressed and will certainly be recommending Design Outpost.

Julian

Virgil · #12 10-20-2003, 11:55 AM

Hello

Here's a revision

Gilles.

Bill · #13 10-21-2003, 04:01 PM

Revisions...

Virgil · #14 10-22-2003, 06:10 AM

Hello

,

Here's another

Gilles.

ElKootcho · #15 10-22-2003, 11:08 AM

juliangall · #16 10-25-2003, 04:41 AM

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. It is not easy to decide. I am going to be away from Internet access for the next week so will respond when I get back.

Julian

MUTE DESIGN · #17 10-26-2003, 06:03 PM

Hi Julian,
Here is a different idea. I looks great in Black and White also. Hope its not too late.
-Anthony

Raja · #18 10-27-2003, 09:02 AM

kinda tough to beat Coredesign, but, I thought I'd throw up a few ideas anyway

Virgil · #19 10-27-2003, 09:07 AM

Hello,

Here's another idea fot the header

littlebri88 · #20 11-04-2003, 06:53 AM

[admin edit- Only members of the Design Team are permitted to enter contests, please follow the site guidelines. Thanks

]

hheine · #21 11-05-2003, 12:17 PM

Hello

I´ve made the layout according to following your guidelines. Clean and innovative. I can do something more "microsofty" using red, yellow, blue and green. Or simply the blue.
The framed swan brings the idea of software (digital etc..). If you like, there could be some mouseover effect...

Feedback << <_<

user posted image

Eagle · #22 11-15-2003, 09:42 AM

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Hi Julian

Let's deal with the logo first...here's my concept

Eagle · #23 11-15-2003, 09:44 AM

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Next, I comped a webby (see previous post)...just to set it in context.

Let me know what you think and we can progress further.

juliangall · #24 11-18-2003, 01:17 PM

Apologies for my absence from this competition for so long. I haven't stopped for a moment and I really want to give the time to this that it deserves. There are so many good ideas and I need a few more days to decide. Thanks very much for your patience. I appreciate so much the work everyone has put into this.

Julian

Eagle · #25 11-18-2003, 02:10 PM

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No problem Julian, thanks for letting us know!

hheine · #26 11-19-2003, 04:13 AM

The man is alive !

Thanks Julian !

juliangall · #27 11-30-2003, 06:47 AM

Thanks for your patience everyone and apologies for taking so long to decide.

The winner is Henrique Heine. Your design is very coherent and it stood out to several people I showed it to. I am delighted with this.

Many of the other designs were really excellent too and I appreciate the work you've all put in. I can pick out three that were a very close equal second. Bill from Penny Lane Graphics, I really liked your submission. The design was very strong and clean. However, it didn't quite suggest software enough. And Ryan of Core Design, I loved your logo. Still when I come back to it, it looks good. I just couldn't see this fitting in easily to the web site design. It'd look great on a t-shirt though! Finally, Eagle's design was very professional and quite striking. Nothing to criticise - just personal preference really.

So, thanks again and apologies that Palmer has had to chase me on your behalf.

Julian

Eagle · #28 11-30-2003, 08:29 AM