new Logo, rebranding looking for input

[JWCustomPhotography]

I am letting go of JWCustomPhotography and I am moving on to Big John's Photography. Its been something I have wanted to do for some time and I figured its a good point to pull the trigger. WIthout getting long winded, some of yall were very helpful on my last go around, and I wanted to swing this past yall.

This is where I am at so far, after going through about 5 different revisions up until this point. From the get go I knew I wanted Big Johns in a styled font like this, or something like a neon sign, with a slight rise to it. It just felt right to me. I am not sure how "finished" I am. I don't want to over work it, or over think it, but I feel its just lacking something, but I am not sure what.

I am hoping yall can push me to the finish.

[revjvegas]

So long as you don't use just the initials. :-D

Now a serious question.
If you use it smaller, on a business card for example, does it get to looking too busy such that it is hard to read?

I like the layout though.

[Snarfy]

Very fun! This logo connotes a sense of enjoyment and a retro/classic-style. I get a sense of drive-in movie theaters, the classic burger diner, and the great American road trip. When you start to add in color, it practically begs to be set in a palette of classic muscle car colors.

You might consider masking out the little bits of Circle element that are around the "B." They are just little pips of vector and are a little distracting. Also, I'm not certain, but I think that might be the wrong directional apostrophe (I think it should be a descended tail).

Great job so far.

[JWCustomPhotography]

Originally Posted by revjvegas

So long as you don't use just the initials. :-D

Now a serious question.
If you use it smaller, on a business card for example, does it get to looking too busy such that it is hard to read?

I like the layout though.

by all means absolutely NO NO NO initials. My sweet mom tried to convince me that people aren't as perverted as yours truly, but I know better. It was actually one reason that I put off the name change for so long... but people generally call me that on their own... so here goes.

As far as being small, on the screen at a business card size, I dont have an issue reading it, and I don't feel I am being biased. Granted I have yet to print it myself though.

[auddii]

Originally Posted by JWCustomPhotography

by all means absolutely NO NO NO initials. My sweet mom tried to convince me that people aren't as perverted as yours truly, but I know better. It was actually one reason that I put off the name change for so long... but people generally call me that on their own... so here goes.

As far as being small, on the screen at a business card size, I dont have an issue reading it, and I don't feel I am being biased. Granted I have yet to print it myself though.

Why don't you print it out in different sizes (maybe buy some of those tear away business cards) and bring them to the meetup.

[JWCustomPhotography]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

Very fun! This logo connotes a sense of enjoyment and a retro/classic-style. I get a sense of drive-in movie theaters, the classic burger diner, and the great American road trip. When you start to add in color, it practically begs to be set in a palette of classic muscle car colors.

You might consider masking out the little bits of Circle element that are around the "B." They are just little pips of vector and are a little distracting. Also, I'm not certain, but I think that might be the wrong directional apostrophe (I think it should be a descended tail).

Great job so far.

Thanks, I appreciate it. That's exactly what I was going for, so i must be on the right track! I agree on the little bits of circle bits as well. I don't know how to make all this into a vector though, which is going to be my final step of the equation when I am done.

The apostrophe looks funny to me, but that's how the font is set up, so do you go with how they have it, or what looks right?

[Photogdude]

I'm going to try to put this as nicely as possible, and i mean no disrespect,

If a graphic designer wanted a portrait for business purposes i would tell them to hire a professional photographer. So i will tell you the same thing, if this logo is for professional use, and I'm assuming it is-hire or consult with a graphic designer, preferably one who specializes in logo's.

a great resource for this is 99designs.com. I'm not affiliated with the website, just came across it one day.

As far as the one you have now, i would have to say, the images on your website deserve a better logo.

[JWCustomPhotography]

Originally Posted by Photogdude

I'm going to try to put this as nicely as possible, and i mean no disrespect,

If a graphic designer wanted a portrait for business purposes i would tell them to hire a professional photographer. So i will tell you the same thing, if this logo is for professional use, and I'm assuming it is-hire or consult with a graphic designer, preferably one who specializes in logo's.

a great resource for this is 99designs.com. I'm not affiliated with the website, just came across it one day.

As far as the one you have now, i would have to say, the images on your website deserve a better logo.

None taken.

I know two graphic designers, whom I will run this by. One is also a startup photographer who does graphic design, and one who is a professional graphic designer, who did my last logo.

There are also graphic designers on here that will offer up help as they see fit, which I also greatly appreciate. Problem is I have no money, yes yes cliche as it is.... so I will have to see what I can get a quote from, from the people I know working off what I have. I just cannot work with the 400 dollar quotes from the designer I really want to use. Its just not in the cards for me right now.

I appreciate the kind words.

[texkam]

My input:
Does it benefit the audience?
_______________
From last time:

I'm starting with redoing my logo. I am posting a photo of the computer screen of what I have now. It's a general idea

I like the general idea. No problem with the signature. Take into AI, vectorize (is that a word?) and clean it up.

Quote:
I recommend putting the words "Custom Photography" on two lines where the word "custom" is now, and stay with the smaller font size that "custom" is in.

+1.

Done.
_______________

This old WWII adage comes to mind; "It's time to stop designing the plane and time to start bombing some cities."

Whatever your decision, good luck to you. : )

[JWCustomPhotography]

Thanks Mark, glad this time you aren't scolding me

Does it benefit the audience? Yes! I found it incredibly difficult to get "Jay Double Yew Custom Photography dot com!" out of my mouth and understandable when shooting at concerts and stuff, and it wasn't personal enough for them to even care to remember it.

Having a large portion of people that I interact with just come up with the nickname "big john" on their own with no coaching, I felt it would be a good change, and natural flow that people will probably remember on their own, at least for a larger portion than the people that could retain JW Custom Photography.

Originally Posted by texkam

My input:
Does it benefit the audience?
_______________
From last time:

I like the general idea. No problem with the signature. Take into AI, vectorize (is that a word?) and clean it up.

+1.

Done.
_______________

This old WWII adage comes to mind; "It's time to stop designing the plane and time to start bombing some cities."

Whatever your decision, good luck to you. : )

[J Eddington]

I find it a little hard to read. I think it is because of the circle combined with the font you picked.

[JWCustomPhotography]

Originally Posted by J Eddington

I find it a little hard to read. I think it is because of the circle combined with the font you picked.

Thanks!
The circle and words probably won't generally be the same color. I struggle myself with thinking it's hard to read, but I think it's because of the J, I think it may need to be stretched some.

[texkam]

Thanks Mark, glad this time you aren't scolding me

It's not about scolding, it's about educating. I hope I've been respectful. : )

a great resource for this is 99designs.com. I'm not affiliated with the website, just came across it one day.

A-a-a-a-r-g-h.

Branding is a very far reaching and complicated business. I'll just leave it at that.

[JWCustomPhotography]

Indeed you have, which makes this subject one that I was hoping you would be willing to chime in on , again for me.

What are your thoughts on the current incarnation?

I hope that I have gotten closer to getting the branding correct this time, I have a higher level of confidence in it, as I was never totally satisfied with the previous name.

Originally Posted by texkam

It's not about scolding, it's about educating. I hope I've been respectful. : )
A-a-a-a-r-g-h.

Branding is a very far reaching and complicated business. I'll just leave it at that.

[Snarfy]

Originally Posted by JWCustomPhotography

Thanks, I appreciate it. That's exactly what I was going for, so i must be on the right track! I agree on the little bits of circle bits as well. I don't know how to make all this into a vector though, which is going to be my final step of the equation when I am done.

The apostrophe looks funny to me, but that's how the font is set up, so do you go with how they have it, or what looks right?

1. You should be working from vector from the beginning; if you do it at the end you are going to have to redo the entire thing. Don't import it into Illustrator and run a live-trace or a vector/poster filter because that will butcher the curves. Use actual vectors, and export PNGs instead of JPGs. Use software that can export .PDF or .EPS files so they retain the vector data's versatility.

2. As for the apostrophe, go with what is grammatically correct OR take out the possessive and make it "Big John Photography." Typical branding standards discourage using the possessive as part of the name (it can be more difficult to use conversationally).

3. Try adding more weight to the background circle to create more figure/ground interaction.

4. Don't use cookie cutter logo sites. That skips the most important part of the branding process: the design. Their logos might look cool, but they probably won't correctly identify you with your logo because they haven't been designed from concept and research.

5. If you are looking for cheap design then hit up the design program of a local school. There are a lot of eager students that are looking to bolster their portfolios. If you have trouble singling out students, talk to professors. Ask them to making a posting, or consider using your logo/branding as a class project. Offer to exchange headshots or portraits.

In case you can't tell, I'm a graphic designer.