Logo critique

[themadman]

Hello.

I'm starting out on my own as a consultant and I've got to nail down a logo for my business (I'm a user experience consultant).

I've created a few logo and business card ideas in Xara and I'd appreciate it if anyone could comment on them.

The URL: http://www.expressa.com/logos.htm

I've also included my comments on what I was thinking when I made them.

Thanks,

MadMan

[themadman]

Hello.

I'm starting out on my own as a consultant and I've got to nail down a logo for my business (I'm a user experience consultant).

I've created a few logo and business card ideas in Xara and I'd appreciate it if anyone could comment on them.

The URL: http://www.expressa.com/logos.htm

I've also included my comments on what I was thinking when I made them.

Thanks,

MadMan

[rgremill]

Gary's the logo expert. I'm sure he can provide some great feedback.

I like the company name very much. Maybe you can do something to make the 'Expressa' type a little more interesting. Something along the lines of Dell's slanted 'e' or Microsoft's 's' cutting into the 'o'.

Robert

[pduggan]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>explaining a new concept like user experience is not always easy<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So what exactly is it? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

Perhaps you could try to explain it briefly here! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Peter</p>

Peat Stack or Pete's Tack?</p>

[zombiebeat]

The red one is immediate, it lacks a symbol or logo or something thuogh.

Maybe a stylised "E"?

Yeah definitely the red one [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Ignored by the many realized by the few,
Do not fear for they will never know

[themadman]

You've probably heard of "usability", right?

As I explain in my weblog, User Experience encompasses all the interaction that a customer has with your brand, and can make or break your online business. It's a combination of fields like information architecture, usability, writing, UI design, and Internet strategy.

Every day, millions of users are frustrated with web sites that don't allow people to achieve their goals. Poor design, bad interfaces, and crappy content are everywhere. You've probably heard that a large percentage of e-commerce shoppers abandon their shopping carts. Well, user experience is about avoiding those kinds of problems and making sites work for their customers.

Does this make it any clearer? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Wolfgang]

Madhu,

the server is so darn slow, the images are still loading in another window.

But from the first loaded images, I think that the company name is too dominant, too big.

There is a theory, that the relation of the sizes of company name versus individuals name on a business card tells you about the weight (importance) the company gives to its employees.

...
Minutes later and still not all cards there. There's got to be something wrong with that server ...

Later again, I give up. There' still some variations missing but I got the first three and the last one.

I think that "c" (earthy/purple) makes a nice - and different - combination.

I also like the layout of the last version, but not the colors.

I (on a very personal level) would go for logo/colors of "C", combined with the layout/logosize of the last one.
And I would leave more space between the card's edges and the text.

Here's a quick example what I mean ...

Wolfgang

[Wolfgang]

Here it is without the guides, just to get a better impression.

Wolfgang

[pduggan]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>You've probably heard that a large percentage of e-commerce shoppers abandon their shopping carts.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Think I've probably done that myself!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Does this make it any clearer?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes! So I've been back and had another look. From the choice provided, I'd probably go for the dark grey and blue (why is it too serious?). The 'Customer experience specialists' tag line and phone number make sense, but spoil the simplicity of the design (tricky decisions to be made?). And I have to say that I find the white 'Expressa' on the first one more hollow than bold!

Peter</p>

Peat Stack or Pete's Tack?</p>

PS I can see where Wolfgang's coming from with the relative weights of the names, but I think his example swings the balance too far the other way. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

[Truroneil]

I endorse what Wolfgang has said and done. I picked out those colours and I like the layout.
Your logo is really just the name and the type.
It works fine on the b.c. but I'm not sure it would become a recognizable logo. Usually there's some other design to catch the eye.
Try out moving from b.c. to stationary. See how things would work there. Neil