Logo Contest

[Matthew Schenker]

jonny,
Thanks for your logos.  Definitely offers a different approach to the whole thing, which is great.  We want to have lots of logos to consider before we choose one.
I'll install the logo soon so members can get an idea of what it will be like in context.

Andrew,
Thanks for contributing.  On a technical note, one thing I would need to do up front with your logos is alter the login text to black (since your logo has a white background).  I'll install it on the test forum for members to examine in a moment.

As always, keep checking the test site for updates and changes.

Thanks again,
Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew, I have to say, I really like the (my 1f1a) logo, gives the new forum a modern look. Of course I may be a little bias.  ;D

That's OK to be biased when you do such great work!  I'll leave 1f1a installed a little longer, then put up the contributions from jonny round boy and Andrew Ledbetter.
Matthew

 

[Scott W.]

........
I like the general concept, but the current image is too pale & washed out. I think the 3D model at the left hand end still needs some work to make the lettering stand out more, but I think it would be wise to avoid making the text too black. Any suggestions?

Jonny,

I think that the best way to make lettering stand out is to put a hard shadow (offset slightly) behind them.
Try copying each letter, turn color to black, set the black letter behind the green one and offset it slightly down & to the right.

Scott

 

[Matthew Schenker]

I think that the best way to make lettering stand out is to put a hard shadow (offset slightly) behind them.
Try coping each letter, turn color to black, set the black letter behind the green one and offset it slightly down & to the right.

That kind of talk is precisely why I decided to have a contest for the new logo, rather than creating one myself!  I'm very happy to know we have people on board with good  graphics skills!
Matthew

 

[Ned]

Here's an idea--

My Profile Picture is sort of random now -- every time SMF fetches from my website, I hand it back a randomly selected image.  If you look at a page with one of my posts (like this one) and hit the Refresh button on your browser (F5 on Windows), the pic under my name (might) change.

A design like Andrew's with a single large tool on display could be arranged to display many different tools.  As I've done, or changing once a day, or whatever the serving script decides.  It would never change for a particular reader unless the screen is refreshed.  It's not an animation...that would be annoying.

No changes are needed to SMF to make this happen.  FOG asks for a pic, and a PHP script determines what it gets back.

The Joel/JRB stacks'o'Systainers idea is really interesting, but seriously unreadable in its current incarnation.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Ned,
I have not brought this up before, but yes, in fact, it is possible to have a rotating logo.  I have seen a few SMF sites where the logo cycles through a series of images.  I think it's an interesting concept, but sometimes in those forums people complain about it.

The question is, are we better off choosing a standing identity, or is it better to have it change?  There is also the possibility of choosing, say, our four favorite logos, and changing them each month.

Matthew

 

[Andrew Ledbetter]

ned,

great idea (not that i am biased).

here are some options with various tools:

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[attachthumb=6]

best,
andrew

 

[semenza]

Hi,

All nice ideas.  The logo could go with the Domino as the current Festool Hallmark. Or the TS55 on rail as the item that seems to draw many people to the brand. Or maybe the tool on the logo changes to be whatever is the current , newest Festool offering?
  The only negative that I have is that (to me) the tool back grounds in general tend to make me think  "company website".      That being said - they still look very nice.

Seth

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Well, this is getting interesting.  Are we evolving the discussion to include rotating logos?  My concern about rotating logos has always been that it might prevent people from having a recognizeable visual that goes with the forum.  Something like the series offered by Andrew would allow for interesting changes, while still keeping a recognizeable theme.

Again, this opens up an interesting possibility in the whole logo design discussion.

Matthew

 

[Ned]

The question is, are we better off choosing a standing identity, or is it better to have it change?  There is also the possibility of choosing, say, our four favorite logos, and changing them each month.

I wasn't proposing multiple personality disorder  .  I see Andrew's posted some examples of the sort of thing I had in mind.  The identity is clear and constant, but the tools change.

Ned

 

[Ned]

  The only negative that I have is that (to me) the tool back grounds in general tend to make me think  "company website".

I know what you mean, but are we thinking "company website", or is it really "clean, professional design--musta paid for it" ?

I like Andrew's proposals a lot (as he has said, not that I'm biased).

It would be interesting for the logo to be a link--click on the tool'o'the day, get to a good thread or ref library entry about that tool.  Just musing here, not a formal proposal.

Ned

 

[Brice Burrell]

   The only negative that I have is that (to me) the tool back grounds in general tend to make me think  "company website".

I know what you mean, but are we thinking "company website", or is it really "clean, professional design--musta paid for it" ?......

Ned

Well, that's good question Ned. I've decided to stay away from tools and not to use the exact Festool colors, but close enough that people will see the connection.

New submissions.

 

[Dan Clark]

I thought I'd weigh it too...

There are lots of good designs here, however if a rotating logo is feasible, I like Andrew's design the best. 

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Daviddubya]

Brice - Matthew asked me to repost this comment in this thread:

A comment about the banner that shows up now in Test (one with no tools).  Fade to black on a black background is not effective, IMHO.  And the sub-heading (Discussions and Multi....) is dim.  The white announcements on the right side of the banner show up well though.  I wish I had some graphics talent so I could help, but all I can do is comment. 

 

[semenza]

   The only negative that I have is that (to me) the tool back grounds in general tend to make me think  "company website".

I know what you mean, but are we thinking "company website", or is it really "clean, professional design--musta paid for it" ?......

Ned

Well, that's good question Ned. I've decided to stay away from tools and not to use the exact Festool colors, but close enough that people will see the connection.

New submissions.

Hi,

            Ooh. I like those too Brice! If there are a lot of entries  this might end up having to get narrowed to finalists in order for a real decision making vote to take place.

Seth

 

[Brice Burrell]

 David, on my monitor the color is a dark blue, I am able to see a difference between the colors. However, I did take a look on another computer and it looked black on that monitor. Same with the gray text, looks OK for me, on my screen its a little darker. My latest logos, posted above are a bit brighter.

I can tell you designing a logo to fit the 1000x120 isn't too bad, but making it fit in 600x120 or less is a little harder. In my mind having the welcome, unread post (white text) on the logo text doesn't look all that great. I'd like to see the logo be the only thing on the top banner, like we have now.

 I want people to offer suggestions to help improve my logos, and I'm sure the others do too. On that note, I don't like the use of the tools, it does seem to be gaining intrest here, how can the look a little less like an official Festool site, so far I drawing a blank on that. Andrew's rotating logos look great, but, too much like they should be on the Festool Sys Notes email. To offer a suggestion, I'd like to see the tool and text switched around because of the issue I stated above. And the text larger and maybe with a boarder or high light the text also?? Overall, I like your work, very crisp and clean.

 Thanks Seth, the pictures are a poor quality, I just banged them out, higher quality images would need to be done if there is any intrest in the my new logos.

 

[Ned]

It's difficult to style a website that is specifically about something so that it doesn't look like the manufacturer's website (which is, after all, specifically about the same thing).

Seems to me two ways of being Festool-specific but not like the company website are:

• Look amateurish, so no one would think Festool did it.
• Be funny.  Again, so no one would think Festool did it.

Amateurish is easy, but truly awful would take some work.  My own candidate in this class would start out with a sort of splash screen that becomes a Google Earth-like, stomach-turning plummet to Wendlingen.  The visual then shows the user's impact causing Festools to go flying in all directions (extra points for going outside the browser window).  The tools come to rest at random locations on the user's screen and become hot spots that display various sub forums.  OK, let's not do amateurish.

Or it could be funny.  I am serious about this.  If the focus is on Festools and their users, then why not show Festools and their users?  Not actual users, mind, unless we can get signed model releases from John's helpers.  I'm thinking cartoons.  I'll start with a Homer Simpson-clone with a Domino.  C'mon, anyone should be able to top that.

Brainstorming--ugly work.

Ned

 

[Matthew Schenker]

It's difficult to style a website that is specifically about something so that it doesn't look like the manufacturer's website (which is, after all, specifically about the same thing).

Seems to me two ways of being Festool-specific but not like the company website are:

• Look amateurish, so no one would think Festool did it.
• Be funny.  Again, so no one would think Festool did it.

Amateurish is easy, but truly awful would take some work.  My own candidate in this class would start out with a sort of splash screen that becomes a Google Earth-like, stomach-turning plummet to Wendlingen.  The visual then shows the user's impact causing Festools to go flying in all directions (extra points for going outside the browser window).  The tools come to rest at random locations on the user's screen and become hot spots that display various sub forums.  OK, let's not do amateurish.

Or it could be funny.  I am serious about this.  If the focus is on Festools and their users, then why not show Festools and their users?  Not actual users, mind, unless we can get signed model releases from John's helpers.  I'm thinking cartoons.  I'll start with a Homer Simpson-clone with a Domino.  C'mon, anyone should be able to top that.

Brainstorming--ugly work.

Ned

Here are some ideas if people choose the comical direction:

• A giant "DOH!" with Homer getting raspberry jam in his eye as he tries to cut a jelly donut with a TS 55 on his MFT
• Grommet carefully sanding a block of Swiss cheese with his Rotex, collecting the "dust" in the CT 22, which he later eats
• Bugs Bunny joining the two halves of Daffy Duck's bill together with a Domino, with the words "That's All Folks!" (extra points for the theme song)
• Tom finally getting his paws on Jerry by using a Trion to open up that mouse hole
• Mo and Larry watch as Curly tries to carefully plane a rabbet on the edge of a door with an HL 850, smacking his head with a guide rail every time he slows down
• Charlie Chaplin tries to impress a lady by fixing her shoes with a C12 drill

Oh, this is becoming frightening!

Matthew

 

[Eli]

I'd be really happy with any of those, but licensing is going to kill us.

 

[semenza]

Hi Brice,

    On those gray ones . I seem to be drawn to the center one fade8. It looks like the difference in these is letter size and the amount of gray.  How about trying the center one with a little more gray?  I can picture these looking very nice with that thin green line running around the edge.

Seth