Good logo?

[Jenny Z]

I have a friend that does graphic design, and she made this up for me when I said I needed something simple to watermark my images... what do you think?

[dbphotos]

I like it. Very simple, clean, straight forward and easy to produce on pretty much anything. You could easily do a negative and use it as a watermark on your images as well.

[Jenny Z]

Yup, I've got it set up as a brush in PS, it's working out great... (Thanks for that idea, Erin, if you're reading this...)

It originally had top lettering in red, but I think I like it in grey/black better.

[Steelsun]

Nice. The color, layout, and font implies professionalism and elegance.

[Roy]

Looks good to me! I need to contact your friend...

[HotHolly]

The Z on your last name is going to cause recognition problems. The scrolling is pretty, but cant be scanned. You have to stop to read it. For watermarking purposes, its good. For marketing purposes, it needs to be scannible. Since your watermark serves as both, Id change it to something less scrolly. Mind you - I LOVE scrolling letters. They are sooooo pretty. But just not practical. Look at designer labels. Most are some sort of block or regular easy-to-read font. There is a reason for it. ;o)

[Aric C. Hoek]

I think it might sound and look more expensive if you dropped the Jenny and just used your last name only.

Zandstra

No offense Jenny. Just my thought. Your last name is so unique, that it makes it very identifiable. It's very cool.

I might even drop the word photography as well.

Zandstra Fine Portraiture

[Jenny Z]

Hmmm, interesting thought. I may look into that.

Thanks Aric! :D

[Corrie]

I think it's OK. Not a lot of "graphic design" actually went into it but it does the job.

[kenw]

Originally Posted by Aric C. Hoek

I think it might sound and look more expensive if you dropped the Jenny and just used your last name only.

Zandstra

No offense Jenny. Just my thought. Your last name is so unique, that it makes it very identifiable. It's very cool.

I might even drop the word photography as well.

Zandstra Fine Portraiture

years spent at my father's knee taught me the same. This is an excellent suggestion. The Z will give you a lot of graphic leeway and potential for creativity. Just don't get too carried away!

Read-ability is of the utmost importance.

[kenw]

Originally Posted by Corrie

I think it's OK. Not a lot of "graphic design" actually went into it but it does the job.

What makes it good is knowing what works and fancy fonts and overwrought designs rarely work.

Simpler is almost always better, and the really good designer knows this. In my father's words, it's tough to beat Futura Bold and Helvetica......

[alwoodruff]

Originally Posted by Jenny Z

Yup, I've got it set up as a brush in PS, it's working out great... (Thanks for that idea, Erin, if you're reading this...)

It originally had top lettering in red, but I think I like it in grey/black better.

How'd you do that?

[Outlaw]

I will third Aric and Ken; I'd go with the last name only. Make it a brand, not just a descriptor.

I'm also partial to logos with some logo to them. I like graphic elements, and you'll notice that most of the "best logos ever" have such elements, if not just a graphic by itself. (http://startupblog.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/top-15-logos-of-all-time/ for example)

That said, what inspires you when you look at it is what your logo should be. Let your logo be a representation of your passion for creating your style of art, and it will give you much greater mileage than anything made "for show."

[Jenny Z]

Originally Posted by alwoodruff

How'd you do that?

I found a tutorial through google... basically, open your logo (has to be a .png), go to the Edit menu and choose Define Brush Preset (Photoshop CS) or Define Brush (Elements). Name the brush and click OK. Then it'll be available in your brush dropdown.