Design a Logo for XaRT

[Gare]

I don't post a lot, ...]

mindseye, really consider posting a lot!

Your playfulness with the gear is a wonderful beginning. If the gear, perhaps with the X inside of it can be another variation on your theme, you have a great icon for the utility.

I also like your unsused concept of working five pixels into an "X".

@ everyone: here's some fast food for thought (that was a self-deprecatory pun):

• Play with color and also with "negative space". If I were to redesign the logo for A1 steak sauce, it might look like this, using negative space:



So, a very nascent approach to mindseye's gear motif might look like this is we used negative space for the counter in the lowercase "a":



And as a companion piece with the same approach, the icon might look like this, because icons need to be very simple for small sizes:



•Experiment with iconic representations of what this thing does: use tools, gears, numbers, and so on.

Most importantly, begin with an idea, a concept. All the art skills on Earth won't get us the logo we need if there isn't a strong, flexible, extensible idea behind your creation.

And no, this is not a competition. It's a group effort and I'd like to jam with you people instead of submitting a design.

My report cards used to say, "Gary works well with others."

-g

[mindseye]

Thanks for the input.. Agree, agree and agreed.

Per your suggestion Gare..




Critiques are always accepted and welcome.


Another idea as was finishing that one up. I did a logo recently that some of the concept may fit in without over complicating the mark.




The bits coming off could be representation of the "registry data" in motion.. just a thought. Might try integrating that some way.



Also, I will post the source files after a bit.

We used to play a game called "Can You".. Kinda like the "Scribble" thing you do here.Take what one has done and add to it, etc.

Could be fun.



Regards,
mindseye.

[Rik]

Well.
I too had been thinking about gears.
I was also thinking about the 'x' in the gear. But, I didn't want the letter x itself.

I wanted less cogs on my gear, giving me a chance to make an 'X'

So, here's a couple from me and I'm sure in our efforts we will come up with something really good.

Gary: Thanks for the good lessons and I'm sure we will do our best to put it into practice.

[Gare]

Just a quick comment, @ Rik, or two—

I think the "X" is too subtle within the gear. You can "play your hand", and force the reading by making the "X" a different color.

I like it, though. I think we're beginning to jam on the idea of a gear...I like the concept! Concept is everything.

@Everyone—start looking around at good examples of typography. Find interesting and also utilitarian typefaces.

Rik, your use of Futura is a strong one (pun intended) but I'd like to see more of the kerning and creative linking of parts of characters like mindseye did with the "R" and the "T".

By the way, mindseye, I think everyone should pay attention to what you did typographically. That's almost exactly the font used in Xara's logo. The more the logo looks as thought it's a companion to Xara, the more easily people will begin to understand what the utility is for, right?

I am not suggesting that everyone tries to use Xara's logo, but fitting text together is interesting, or it can be. The favicon for the Xara Xone is a simple, blocky arrangement of negative space and alternating characters:






I'm just throwing out ideas.

Riff on them, eh?

My Best,

Gary

[mindseye]

I like the symmetrical'ness of the cog and the X.

I'm attaching the gear logo.. It's a bit cleaner and laid out better than what I posted..

x-gear-source1-mindseye.xar


mindseye.

[Gare]

I like the symmetrical'ness of the cog and the X.

I'm attaching the gear logo.. It's a bit cleaner and laid out better than what I posted..

x-gear-source1-mindseye.xar


mindseye.

I love the design AND your approach, mindseye. You're doing something cool with the drop-shadows, very subtle, more like an emboss effect.

@Everyone—If you don't own Fustian, what mindseye did for the subtext, I believe this is a "tribute font" to Frutiger Condensed, they're very similar.

My Best,

Gary

[Gare]

@ Frances—

I love the idea of an on/off toggle switch.

And I can tell you right now it's such a strong icon, that it will fight, not complement the gear.

You got something very strong here. Develop it without the gear. Perhaps use it inside the hole in the lowercase "a"?

-g

[mindseye]

Thanks for the input all..!

@ angelize -

Thank you for addressing the Trademark issue. I should have asked that from the get go.

I don't see a problem with a similar font style, do you?




mindseye / Vic.



EDIT:

Thanks for the font reference -

Take a look at OpenSans as well.

[Rik]

Gary: Thanks for the feedback.
I was thinking of the 'X' inside the gear and thought that it might have a gold look. Black gear and gold X.
I just haven't tried it yet - to see what it might look like.
I shall do that as soon as I get a chance.

I deliberately didn't make the 'X' thicker.
But, it's only when you get feedback, do you know that others might actually like it better with a thicker X.

[angelize]

I like the gear idea, and I've given this some thought and what the registry tool basically does is toggle certain registry keys on and off and some of those registry keys do allow extra settings so I had a quick play with a toggle switch and a combo of a switch and a very simplified gear.

Edit: One thing I noticed in a few ideas posted so far is the incorporation of the Xara logo or the Xara X and while the XaRT tool is being made to work with Xara software it is not Xara and their logos are AFAIK copyrighted trademarks.