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!

[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.

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."

[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:



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.

[imageconstrux]

Hi Liz,

I like where it's headed. 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

[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:



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

[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.



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