Advice on minimalist logo

[anangbhai]

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg

Hi. Long time visitor and reader of the website and forums, first time poster. I finally decided I needed real advice on this one. I work for a broadband television company for south asians called Desivision. I've just started working for them 3 months ago as an editor (of movies), but I also dabble occasionally in graphics, although I have no 'innate' ability for design/artwork.
I like minimalist themes, really simple stuff, which sort of comes out of my belief in film theory and how a film should look. My bosses at desivision paid some high school kid to design their logo which you can see at www.desivision.tv (http://www.desivision.tv) and refused to listen to my pleas that the design could be improved. They finally relented and I quickly made this logo up. Its not different from their original logo except that I added a bevel and some other stuff. I'm planning to remake it with pixel fonts and stuff, but I really have no expertise in it, I suppose it will all get better with practice (like my editing did).
Well basically, my question/request to all you Kirup-ans out there is to judge my design and give me some instructions on how i could improve it. The area I think needs most work is that nifty looking play symbol. That's another thing of mine. I really love pictograms for design work, instead of flashy razzle dazzle graphics. I believe the customer needs to see content, not how glossy my website looks.
Well...if anyone has suggestions please go ahead.
For examples of my work, just hit my blog at anangbhai.blogspot.com and you will see some pictograms etc. Its nothing special but it serves its purpose.

P.S. I just saw fadedpixel's logo, but I assure you I did not copy from him. Just making sure...

[DDD]

cannot see your image

[thesparky007]

looks pretty good for a non designer

[B3NKobe]

P.S. I just saw fadedpixel's logo, but I assure you I did not copy from him. Just making sure...


Errrrrrrrrrrrrr.........

[anangbhai]

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg

here's the link if you can't see the image.

[B3NKobe]

ERROR
The requested URL could not be retrieved

While trying to retrieve the URL: http://127.0.0.1:8000/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg

The following error was encountered:

* Access Denied.

Access control configuration prevents your request from being allowed at this time. Please contact your service provider if you feel this is incorrect.

Your cache administrator is root.
Generated Sat, 06 Aug 2005 01:58:34 GMT by photos1.blogger.com (squid/2.5.STABLE3) .

[freeskier89]

http://216.239.54.9/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg see this url... I think.

Does look pretty similar...

[bigmtnskier]

ERROR
The requested URL could not be retrieved

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While trying to retrieve the URL: http://127.0.0.1:8000/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg

The following error was encountered:

Access Denied.
Access control configuration prevents your request from being allowed at this time. Please contact your service provider if you feel this is incorrect.

Your cache administrator is root.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generated Sat, 06 Aug 2005 02:12:57 GMT by photos1.blogger.com (squid/2.5.STABLE3)
http://216.239.54.9/img/72/3841/1024/graphictest.jpg doesnt work either. Could someone just attach it please so I can see it :D

[ya3]

Look aiight... :D

[freeskier89]

EDIT: Deleted attachment ya3 got to it before me.

Did for me. To save the trouble here is the image :lol:

[B3NKobe]

Look aiight... :D

Mine looks better and cleaner :hitman:

[bigmtnskier]

Mine looks better and cleaner :hitman:
Agreed. (Now that I finally see it :lol: )

[B3NKobe]

on that box you need to fix the drop shadow a bit more, and also make the white stroke 'inner' not 'outer' which will also fix the pixelated rounded edges., as for the gradient inside looks like junk, remove that and just have the opac bar across the top half.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5701/things8ro.gif

[anangbhai]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7975/321/1600/graphictest.jpg

Here's the new and improved logo. I wish I could just tell what layer styles a person was using by looking at the picture. That's like using the force or something. "You don't need to use that outer glow."
If you still cannot see the picture just visit my blog at http://anangbhai.blogspot.com its the first post.
Hey thanks a lot faded pixel. I do like your stuff though, i really liked your website. I hope you're getting paid for your passion (i'm on an internship).
I also got rid of the bevel as well as the gradient. You're right about the opac bar. I think the reason mine looks similar to your logo is because I was trying to get that apple aqua look, but i wanted a black and white look as opposed to a bluish or a milky appearance. I followed a lot of tutorials before I said f*ck it and just went trial and error.
I really like that first bar, but i have no idea how to replicate that pattern. I guess it would look cool for a background on a web page though.
What kind of pixel font would you recommend? I have lots but i have no idea how to make them look as good as they do on the internet.

[B3NKobe]

I really like that first bar, but i have no idea how to replicate that pattern. I guess it would look cool for a background on a web page though.
What kind of pixel font would you recommend? I have lots but i have no idea how to make them look as good as they do on the internet.


That pattern is from www.squidfingers.com (http://www.squidfingers.com), they are free as long as u give credit to the guy, just bring the pattern into PS and change the fill tool to 'fill pattern' and your all set up.

Or you can use pattern fill in the Blending Modes which is what I did, much easier. As for the pixel fonts, make them around size 8,9 or 10 depending on what font it is.

Oh and my names Ben not FadedPixel lol. :P:P



EDIT: I cant see your new version of the logo? try hosting it here for free and link us to it:

http://imageshack.us/

[thesparky007]

EDIT: I cant see your new version of the logo? try hosting it here for free and link us to it:

http://imageshack.us/ (http://imageshack.us/) use IE!

[Dauntless]

And next time you encounter one of those 'fast link - access denied' thingies, just put a ? behind the link and try again ;)

[DDD]

thats not really a logo. I have a font that has that very same symbol. It is nothing but a "play" button. But if you apply a better font treatment I think it could pass.

Also if you look in the post reply dialogue towards the bottom there is a form field that links to imageshack. You can host your images automatically.

[anangbhai]

Yeah I know, its not a real logo just a play button. But "da boss" prefers it that way but I suppose I could try. I'm probably going to make a new one by rifling through the fonts on my computer and find some nifty way of making a D and V or something.

In the meantime I came up with another logo for one of our shows called Backstage where celebrities are interviewed. This one won't be a "web" logo but its actually supposed to be used in the title sequence for every Backstage episode. First I was going to make a backstage pass style logo but i thought it wouldn't look very good on a video so i just came up with a sort of a neon/highway logo (although I don't want it to look like a neon sign). Whaddaya think?

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/8496/backstagelogo2qw.gif

Btw, can anyone suggest any websites on minimalist web design/graphic design? I tried looking but most of the websites I come up with involve heavy usage of flash and vector graphics which involves me waiting for 5 minutes while futuristic bells and whistles go through the runs and techno music pipes from my speakers.

[Vexir]

:lol: That video on their site was hilarious. Backstage indeed...

[ExoVoid]

On the logo in your blog, the pixel fonts are... pixellated... like a low quality jpg, i assume thats what it is. Backstage logo, it needs a lot of work i'd say, the word EXIT is overpowering, and badly bordered, maybe you could make it like an actual exit sign, I'd like to see some of your video work however, is there any on the net to look at?

[iLikePie]

that second one isn't really a logo either. If that's the kind of thing you're trying to do it's fine, but if you are trying to do a 'logo' that would be a symbolic representation of the company, it doesn't really work.

maybe it's not really a logo you're looking for, more of a little footer or something.