Need Help and/or Logo Designer

[galleryb]

Hi All,

First, I have TLC & CI, neither of which I've had any experience with beyond getting them back on my system after a full house-cleaning reformat/clean WinXP Pro reinstall recently. I've spent all my time lately split between turning and sculpting wood to pay the bills and creating my upscale, gallery-style web site to get re-launched PDQ. Hasn't left me much, if any time to this point to get a logo/brand designed. FYI, I also just got my Adobe CS3 Premium Extended upgrade in and installed, so I can convert to vector graphics in Illustrator, etc. All of that said...

I make my living these days a professional woodturner/sculptor. My primary web site (there will be several spin-offs to accommodate my long-standing clients and to appeal to the niche new clients) is for my upscale, very high priced artistic hollow turnings and artistic boxes, etc.

I've worked at creating my "flagship" web site with a virtual atmosphere equivalent to that of an exclusive brick 'n mortar upscale art gallery.

My soon to be launched (within the next two weeks at latest, IF all goes well with final clean-up andtesting across the most popular browser platforms, etc.) web site is classy, clean and uncluttered, with the emphasis on my wood art with type as minimal and unobtrusive as possible, discrete built in shopping cart with flexible options suited to my type of one-off, custom art sales, etc.

I was able to register several domain names which will allow me to have a thread of continuity, if you will, across all but one of the sites. The sites follow a one ... turn.com "theme", if you will, except for the one which will be the site I use for upscale pictorial e-book tutorials and education (most professional turners rarely make a living solely from wood art sales - it's partly the teaching demonstrations, tutorial DVDs, the branded turning tools, etc., and I'm no exception in this regard), that's the odd-fellow out, it has to be "theartofturningwood.com", breaking the "one ... turn.com" thread of continuity, but do-able, I think.

I can visualize, sort of, using some kind of arrow, but darned if I can visualize where to go with it. I DO know I want my "flagship" logo, which I will modify for the other web sites (the first one is the aforementioned upscale, gallery-style "flagship" site, the other will be wholly dedicated to my precision scale miniature turnings which probably now constitutes almost 40% of my business orders, both for galleries and by private commission.)

The third will be a more utilitarian site where less expensive wood turnings/sculpted wood, etc. will be offered - things like one-off turned mortars and pestles, turned and carved/textured and semi-precious metals and/or gemstone inlaid wood topped titanium and silicone wine or oil/vinegar bottle stoppers, sterling silver/gold fittings fountain and roller ball pens, one-off turned hollow wooden Christmas ornaments, turned wood bases for small hand-blown glass oil lamps, etc.

I understand creative work doesn't come free, nor do I expect it to. I have put too much time and hard work into building the flagship web site not to launch with a discrete, upscale and first-rate logo/brand.

I'm not sure how this works, except that I expect to pay a fair, going rate for a creative logo artist's time and effort.

Thank you all in advance - I hope in my usual virtual verbosity I've provided enough info without over-doing it. Please let me know if I need to provide any further direct contact info, or if everything can be handled here in the forum. How we go about working out settling on a designer and time and cost of course, etc.

Regards All, Debie :hangin:
...just one more turn!

[awalck]

Welcome Debie,
Any particular color(s) you want (or don't want)? Also, someone may move this to the "Logos Wanted" section, but we'll wait and see.
Thanks,

[Chris]

I moved it to the Logos Wanted. :D Probably a better place for it.

I believe you will get some good help in here and some GREAT designs Debbie. Best of luck to you and the designers.

Also Debbie you might read this guide for requesting logos. It might have some questions you might not have answered for the designers.

http://www.logodesignforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4223

[galleryb]

[[Any particular color(s) you want (or don't want)?]]

I was going to edit out the web link since it won't be up til next week and it links to a help file composite in the root directory, but I don't see the edit icon (I've queried privily for help so I can get it edited and moved since I see that I am able to edit my posts in the forum notes) - or I'd edit that and try move it to the more appropriate thread. That aside, onward...

Re: Colors, my web background is black since it's set up gallery-style with the emphasis on the turned/sculpted art product photos and the type/fonts are pretty muted, just "there" enough to deliver pertinent info, but not obtrusive. The logo should probably be the same, there, easily remembered, but probably not "in your face", so to speak.

I do want to have continuity with the logo, convert it to vector so it can be sized as needed for everything from the web branding to business cards, stationary, etc., across the board

While I am very open to suggestions since I've not the graphic artist here, I would think the colors for the primary logo should be as muted and subtle as the web site is. Kind of understated elegance is what I'm after ... which concept is difficult for me to put words to.

Also, while I want a thread of continuity with the primary logo, since there will be spin-off full domain sites, the subsequent logos, played off the original, can be bolder and there's more room for off-beat levity with those logos.

I just want to maintain some kind of underlying thread of continuity between all the sites ... kind of so that when someone sees any of the three logos, there will be something very familiar, a subtle thread of branding, I suppose.

The spin off logos for my scale miniature site and my less expensive, utilitarian turned/carved "practical" site can be a bit more "fun" if you will, than my primary high-end site logo. My experience with the gallery set, the kind of people who buy my high end wood art in the upscale galleries is that they are pretty subdued and business-like, they expect a certain kind of standard from the artists they spend hundreds and thousands of dollars with, at least when we have to do a command performance at a gallery showing anyway (allowing a little bit for the eccentricities most of us artsy types always seem to be beset with, of course [::bemused smile emerges::]).

When I originally thought I'd have a go at it myself, I toyed with trying some kind of subtle tree and blending the "One Artistic Turn" in and around that, but making it distinctive enough to stand out ... but that concept would take a pretty unique idea since both hobbyist turners on the web and a number of the upscale galleries who handle wood art have gone with the "tree" logo type motif.

Another thought strikes me - amazingly enough, I create art every day in wood, but don't do so well with concepts ironically, with stuff like logos. I've had a little time to peruse some of the work of the graphic artists here and am pretty amazed by what you folks come up with. With that in mind, I was trying to lay out loose guidelines for what I'm after in a logo without putting stringent, limiting guidelines that might cause me to miss out on a heck of a logo idea by you creative types. I also realize you have to have some guidelines for a starting point as well.

I'm pretty good at a different type of creativity, just not this kind and since the old saw about never getting a second chance to make a first impression, especially on the web, is still applicable, it seems best to me pay for help with this - it only seems reasonable since I'm talking about the flag-ship branding for my livelihood. When I thought about it that way, paying an expert to work up/produce my logo concept makes perfect sense, at least to me!

Thank you, Debie

[galleryb]

[[I moved it to the Logos Wanted. :D Probably a better place for it.]]

Thank you very much!

Regards, Debie

[galleryb]

[[...you might read this guide for requesting logos. It might have some questions you might not have answered for the designers.]]

Okay, thank you, let's add this to help you creative graphic professionals:

LOGO REQUEST

Do you own The Logo Creator? YES & CI, along with Adobe's CS3 Premium Extended with Illustrator for conversion to vector graphics.

Type of design: Flag-Ship Logo (will spin off two other Logos from this one, but keep some kind of thread of continuity between all three).

Summary: Flag-Ship Logo for upscale gallery wood art sales (see previous posts in thread for more verbose *******s on this).

Full requirements: Understated elegance. Web site background color is black with emphasis on photos of upscale, pricey wood art products. Type is minimal, just "there" to provide necessary info without intruding. Greater elaboration on site/needs in posts in this thread.

Company Name: Flag-Ship Logo name One Artistic Turn
spin off secondary Logos are One Miniature Turn and One Left Turn (these two logos should share some kind of common thread/continuity with Flag-Ship Logo, but there is LOTS more room for bolder colors and/or off-beat levity/designs, etc., in these two Logos ... especially with One Left Turn - there's a reason we picked that for our more laid-back, less expensive product sales site, it has a bit of ironic, wry humor attached, so the logo spin-off for this site need not be elegant, it can be kinda brassy, fun and in your face.)

Desired tagline for Primary Flag-Ship Logo: The Art of Turned, Carved and Textured Wood.

Color scheme: Subdued and unobtrusive for upscale gallery-style Flag-Ship Logo.

Desired style: Flag-Ship Logo has to be upscale professional, understated elegance.

Okay, you creative graphic professionals, I hope this coupled with my other posts in this thread at least loosely gives you a starting point. Please contact me privily here so I can ensure your payment terms/conditions are fully met.

Kind Regards All, Debie

[prototype66]

A pleasure to have you here at the board Debie!
I had some time this weekend to give you a starting point to see if I was heading the right direction. Feel free to let me know if this is the look you were looking for and what to change
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p234/prototype66/oneat2.jpg

[Lamo1graphic]

here`s a idea for you to dwell over
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/hamouk_album/ONEARTTURN.png


http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/hamouk_album/oart1.jpg

[prototype66]

here`s a idea for you to dwell over
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/hamouk_album/ONEARTTURN.png
That is a really cool effect dude, Is that in TLC or another prog?

[galleryb]

The Script one is nice and classy, but I'm really drawn more to the neat effect of #2, the second one after the Script and before the wood grain one.

It's different and way neat.

Kind Regards, Debie

[Lamo1graphic]

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/hamouk_album/OART2.jpg

[gettagrip]

The number 1 can be the "1" element to tie all three logos together. We can play with the fonts and color if you'd like.
Can't wait to see your stuff. Sounds beautiful.

[gettagrip]

Here's a couple more.....

[gettagrip]

side by side to see the flow....

[galleryb]

As I suspected from the limited amount of time I was able to peruse a bit of the work here - you folks are first class! MUCH better, BY FAR, than I could have come up with.

Like I noted earlier, it dawned on me, "Hey, this is the logo brand that represents MY livelihood"! When it comes to that, puts things in a whole different light, at least for me.

I've just come up from my studio for a brief breather, but I'll have more time later tonight when I finish up the order I'm working on to thoroughly peruse everything/*******, etc., you folks are working on, thank you all very much!

Kindest Regards, D

[Lamo1graphic]

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/hamouk_album/OART3.jpg

[dscratch]

Here are a couple quick ideas. First one with leaf/tree, the other with a wood leaf. Keep them coming, all the logos look good.

[Chris_Houg]

Here's my first attempt in both the logo arena and uploading the file to the board.
12574
I was just trying to get the effect of a board with the carved name raised.

[prototype66]

very cool chris, I like it.

[Just Bill]

Do these help?

[Just Bill]

They don't show very well with the black background so I'll
try with a clear one.

[Just Bill]

Would someone please tell me how to edit my posts.

Thanks; Bill

[Randy...]

There is a time limit set for editing. This is done to eliminate confusion for anyone changing things later and making the thread impossible to understand.

[Just Bill]

Thanks Digger, I'll know for next time.:image24:

Meanwhile here are some URLs that make the images look better.

From now on I'll upload them to this site and just post a URL.

http://www.mydatabus.com/public/justbill/e/LogoTemplateartistic1.jpg

http://www.mydatabus.com/public/justbill/e/LogoTemplateartistic2.jpg

http://www.mydatabus.com/public/justbill/e/LogoTemplateLogoTemplateartistic3.jpg

http://www.mydatabus.com/public/justbill/e/LogoTemplateLogoTemplateartistic4.jpg

[gettagrip]

another

[galleryb]

WOW! Sorry for the delay in getting back here, but one of those little family situations arose today and required a spot of time to deal with.

I will have more in depth *******s on the wonderful efforts on the logo very soon. Thank you all so much for your creative efforts!

Kindest Regards, Debie

[Lamo1graphic]

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/34/oneartturnfinalcu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[galleryb]

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/34/oneartturnfinalcu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I hope I've got this right and the logo shows up in my post, pardon me if I haven't got it done correctly.

I appreciate the wonderful creative efforts of you all! I do what I do very well, but this I could not have done nearly so well as the creative logo ideas of all of you who contributed.

Settling on one to go with and use for the primary logo branding/continuity was not easily done, but (assuming I managed to copy this prototype over to my message correctly), this is the one.

Kindest Regards, Debie

[Lamo1graphic]

its all gone quite here debie?

[galleryb]

No, I sent a private email response the other day and have been waiting for your reply to that. I thought perhaps you got a tad tied up or something and would get back with me as soon as your time permitted.

Kind Regards, Debie

[galleryb]

Just let me know if I need to forward any further info to you to finalize everything with the logo we decided on, thank you very much ... and, again, a huge thank you to EVERYONE on this thread who took time to submit your creative efforts as well! All of your creativity is greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards, D

[Chris]

Lamo and Debbie just let us know once it is finalized and we will close this thread.

Congrats Lamo very nice job.