Melodious Logo
NeiNeiMuffin | Thu, 07/21/2016 - 03:14
Brief from client
N/A, sample logo for portfolio.
Hello there. I'm new to the logo design scene, but my mind and heart's open wide for any critiques on my work.
This logo was created as an example to use for my portfolio. I'm creating a portfolio to use for clients when I begin selling my services later on, which is what brings me here!
I'm aware that typography needs to compliment the picture of the logo, but I couldn't find the font I needed for free in Adobe's Typekit, so I just went with that font temporarily. Anyway, I'm taking font suggestions, so tell me what you think would fit better. :)
Thanks in advance!
~Nei ♥
6 Comments
Hello Nei and welcome!
This logo isn't working for me, unfortunately.
It's difficult to see the M in the symbol.
Globally it looks too stiff and cold for something called "melodious".
You want to also avoid having thin strokes in your logos.
What you could use is a proper creative process. Here's a somewhat brief description of the different phases you should go through to achieve a good a logo:
First: research. Check out the market for this kind of business. Who are the competitors? How do their logo and general branding look like? What trend can you identify? What's good, what's not? Know your shit.
Then, inspiration. Creativity is your vehicle to achieve greatness and inspiration is the fuel you need to get it going. Peruse the web with the mind of a wolf in a sheep nursery. Check out sites like www.LogoPond.com, www.Dribbble.com, www.FromUpNorth.com and get yourself an account on www.Pinterest.com. With a good fix of inspiration, you should feel creativity flowing through your veins and feel like a total badass.
Third step. The most important step. In the history of steps, this is the importantest. Sketching. Let me repeat again. SKETCHING. Take a pen and make every single piece of paper your bitch. Sketch like their's no tomorrow. Sketch like your life depends on it. Sketch hundred of ideas, whatever goes through your mind. This is how cool ideas will almost magically pop up in your mind and also how you will learn to translate these ideas on paper. I know it can be frustrating sometimes when you have a cool idea in mind but feel unable to put it on paper. Sketching will help you to just do that. So do not hesitate to spend days on end doodling away.
The last part is execution. Refine, scan, refine, rescan, execute. This is how knowing Illustrator comes in handy. It just comes with practice and experience. If you're going for handmade typography, refining your logo with trace paper is super useful too. There are tons of videos on YouTube about that.
I hope this will help. Don't hesitate to come back here with an updated version of your logo.
Keep it up!!
Hi Shawali. Thanks so much for the advice! I was told by a few friends that it either looked like guns or they couldn't see the letter M?! I was like, "Oh NOOO." Lol Anyway, I'll definitely try out the suggestions. I tried avoiding sketching since I thought it was only optional in making a great logo. I get scared when tracing over things haha.
Cheers and thanks for critiquing. :)
That's the spirit! When I was a baby designer, I though sketching was optional too and tended to skip it. Ho, the foolishness... =)
To re-enforce what Charlie stressed about sketching, getting to the point where you can trace over something doesn't have to be your goal. Some designers do work that way and sketch large detailed versions, some work like I do with small thumbnails. Personally I do a lot of my groundwork sketching on post-it notes as a quick way to rule out what works and what doesn't. This way I can bang out dozens of ideas in a short time, keep the ones that work, set them aside and come back to the project later to refine with more sketches or start on the final. You'll find your own way.
I won't say Charlie is wrong here, but I can see some potential in your minimalist concept here. Obviously this needs a huge dose of simplification, but something can be done with an M/Piano key combination.
But yeah, if there's one thing we beat like a dead horse around here, it's the concept of sketching prior to digital work. Not only is it easier, quicker, and more efficient to knock out several ideas on paper, your work will be better executed because you're not relying on mouse drawing. Unless you're weird and better with drawing using a mouse :)
This looks like a ghost peering through a radiator. go back to the drawing board. develop more concepts.