In search of opinions

[chrysti]

Hi! Can anyone give me some constructive criticism? I'm starting up my own virtual tour company and the only problem so far has been creating a Logo that best represents my company. The name of the company is "A Look Around" and it is based in an artsy beach vacation community. I have tried at least 100 looks and can't pinpoint where I am going wrong. I need something simple that represents the nature of the business (virtual tours) is professional but not stuffy or too generic. I will try to attach my current idea. Any and all opinions would be greatly appriciated! Thanks in advance. Chrysti

[KD-did]

chrysti, nice clean design but did you notice where it says "virtual tours" the T is out of alignment? This is probably something inherint in the font choosen.

[chrysti]

yes, I have been wondering about that. It seems that whenever I have to make the logo small in size to fit a certain format, the TLC makes the fonts start to "wobble" up and down. I have noticed it on most fonts. Any suggestions?

[KD-did]

Have you tried working on it in the normal size and then exporting in the format and size you want?

Sometimes I will use other programs to do my text in because I want to shape them differently than TLC allows . After getting the text the way I want I then import into TLC as an image import.

[chrysti]

Yes.... well I run into a problem that way too. When I export (in PNG or Jpg) the image turns out very dark and heavily consted on the other end. I have to then put it into photoshop or fireworks to lighten up...which of course you can only do so much before loosing the original color etc. This is a real issue for using the images on the web too. I have no problems like that when I print straight from TLC but that doesn't meet all of my needs. Also. I cannot export in Tiff or Bitmap at all... Very frustrating. I looked in the forum for a while for suggestions but the only thing I found was to update the version... which doesn't help me any because I have the latest version. Any advice?
thanks chrysti

[chrysti]

BTW... What programs do you use for your fonts when not going through TLC?
Thanks again!
chrysti

[KD-did]

I take into consideration there maybe a concentration of color,. I always opt for smaller shadows for text effects.
Long before I had TLC I did most things with PrintShop by Broderbund...It has fonts, clipart and is easy to use . It and the XARA line are hard to beat. When I use dingbats I will often use XARA3 D....to give more depth and demension.

[KD-did]

One thing you may want to watch is how you handle files from another program. You will want to EXPORT. Just like TLC most have their own Save which will only allow it to be opened in that particular program. I am using WinXP and TLC 3.6.1 and I can use BMP and Tiffs.

[chrysti]

thanks for the ideas... I went and tried every single font in TLC and they all do that wobble thing when they are under 100 in size. HMMMM.... Back to original question...
Here is another option for a logo... what do you think? Thanks so much for your time!
chrysti

[chrysti]

did that attachment show up? I'll try again...

[KD-did]

yes, and it looks great

[gzusnme]

This latest one is the best by far! Simple, Crisp and professional looking!

[chrysti]

Thanks for the input... can you tell me which one of these is better? I really can't be objective anymore...lol... I have no problem designing anything for other people. Just myself it seems. Thanks again!
chrysti

[chrysti]

oops! no black background on the first one. I guess that happened cuz I used a transparent png

here we go again...

[perfectjewel]

Chrysti.

My favorite is the one with the crisper look on the blue background. I think it was number 2 the first time and number 3 the second. Not to muddy the situation for you, but would you consider the background being a faded photo of a room (or anything else you do virtual tours of)?

Geri

[gzusnme]

I agree totally, in your latest post, the 3rd one is the best. I respectfully disagree with the previous post suggesting to put a faded photo in the background instead of the navy. That would only take away from the nice clean look and draw your eyes away from your name, that's not what you want to do.I think you have a winner, as is!

[chrysti]

Thank you so much for your opinions! Your insights have are very helpful to my perfectionistic design block.
Thanks
Chrysti Fischer