5 Best and Worst Logos

5 Best Logos

Sun Microsystems

The Sun Microsystems logo is one of the best logos I've come across. This is because of the way the shape of the logo is formed. The "S" and "U" and "N" are arranged so that no matter which angle you look at the logo from, it's the same. It's an example of symmetry and order, and for computer systems, this is on point.

Mammoth Resort

The Mammoth Ski Resort, which is in California, has a clever logo. The shape can be interpreted as an "M" for mammoth, a ski trail, or mountains. Because it can illustrate all these meanings at once, it's concise, clever, and innovative. This is what I like about the logo.

Vaio

The Sony Vaio logo, along the same lines as the aforementioned Mammoth one, captures multiple elements in one cohesive design. the "V" and "A" are analog symbols, and also represent audio and video, while the "I" and the "O" are actually "1" and "0", which represent binary, the digital world. This sub division of Sony, which manufactures laptops, logo encapsulates the elements of its product in a subtle design that at first looks like modern typography.

Organ Donation

This organ donation logo is clever, succinct, and simple. It is monotone and the shapes are clean, which makes it pleasing to look at. However, the greatest thing the logo is its concept. When you donate an organ, you're not only giving someone in need a necessary vital, you're giving them a gift -- a new lease on life. This idea is astutely portrayed in the illustration. It could have achieved the same concept with a more detailed illustration, but a simple, clean silhouette is really all that is necessary to convey this idea. Because it successfully demonstrates a powerful message in the simplest way possible, it has my vote.

Boss Hunting

Boss Hunting is a facebook page where users upload anything from celebrities and fashion to rock climbing and sky diving. Anything "boss" or cool can be uploaded, hence the name "Boss Hunting". The logo itself is boss because it so closely resembles my own personal logo that I made for GRD3000. Of course, I didn't see this logo until recently, so when I stumbled upon it, I kicked myself for not thinking of this idea on my own, as my own initials are "HB" and this logo would have captured it perfectly.

5 Worst Logos

Grocery Bar

The Grocery Bar is a local grocery store in downtown Chattanooga that's also a restaurant and makes made-to-order food. You can pick out a bottle of wine from the aisle at grocery store prices and enjoy a meal prepared by a chef. It's an interesting concept but just by looking at the storefront from the outside or the logo gives no indication whatsoever of what kind of business it is. When I first saw the logo I thought that it might just be a grocery store, as the word 'grocery' was the only context clue. This logo should exhibit something else that'll help new customers realize what's inside. Maybe adding a knife and fork to bring in restaurant elements might be a good idea, for example.

WCG World Cyber Games 2012

This World Cyber Games logo is absolutely horrendous. When I first saw it, I couldn't help but focus my attention on all the bad things and it actually distracted from the games that were going on. For starters, there are too many concurrent elements which do not harmonize or mesh together. The gloss over the "2012", for example, is gimmicky and unnecessary. All type runs on a straight plane except for 2012, which for some unexplainable reason is bobbing up and down. There's no reason for all the colors and various shapes and in whole, the logo looks like its representing a toddlers' or children event with all the colors, shapes, and size variances and not a serious world class gaming tournament.

REMAX Logo

The REMAX logo is disorganized, convoluted, and doesn't make sense. I can see that there are parallel lines, which were made deliberately by reshaping the letters, but this design aesthetic does more harm than good. Maybe by making it this way, the letters are supposed to look like a house. In any case, the design is as unsightly as it is ubiquitous. There is even a blue line diagonally striking the logo for seemingly no apparent reason other than to add more parallel lines to the logo.

London Olympics 2012

When this logo first appeared on television and press, there were many online blogs, publications, and forums deriding it, cementing the sentiment that it was terrible design. When the general public as a whole lashes against a design, then it can be safely assumed that is bad design. To start, a logo depicting the Olympics should, in my opinion, somehow incorporate a universal symbol of unity, as it represents all countries of the world. This is apparent in the actual logo of the Olympic rings. But this logo contains weirdly shaped objects that are more polygon than numbers. The neon colors are ostentatious and not appropriate for a world setting. The yellow can hardly be seen on a white background and the shapes have nothing to do with the Olympics, as far as I could tell. In general, it doesn't give off the vibe that an event that transcends all racial, cultural, and language barriers should.

Billboard 

The Billboard logo is just text with circles filled with color. It doesn't have any ties to music charts except the name. The colors seem to be random and have nothing to do with billboard charts. Perhaps just the word "billboard" without the colored in circles might even be better.

Intermediate Design 2015 Rebranding Choices

Clumpies Ice Cream Co.

Clumpies Website

Clumpies is a local ice cream shop on Fraizer St. in the downtown district of Chattanooga. The shop sells handcrafted flavors in small batches which include both traditional and store-only featured flavors. Looking at the sign, the only indication that this is an ice cream shop is the explicitly stated "Ice Cream" designation. I'd like to see a design that incorporates more than just the name of the shop. Of course, sometimes less is more; however, in this case, rebranding the store to give a friendlier and more local vibe might set it apart from the competing big-name corporate creameries. I'd choose to rebrand this ice cream store to showcase its uniqueness and to exhibit the fact that local ice cream is made here.  

Mean Mug Coffee House

Mean Mug Coffeehouse Website

Mean Mug Coffee House is located in West Main St. in downtown Chattanooga. It has a very local and warm atmosphere as soon as you enter the shop, with its incandescent lighting and handwritten menu displayed on the chalkboard. The coffee house is open for breakfast and lunch, and also hosts local events in the store such as Poetry Night. If anything, the label "Mean Mug" is a misnomer because the shop exudes nothing but local hipster-ness, warmth, and amiability. Perhaps it means that the shop offers a "mean cup 'ol Joe". In any case, the reason I'd redesign the branding is so that the both signs, outside and indoors, are consistent while reflecting the disparate nature of the shop and its name.

Nabi Sushi/Totto Sushi & Grill/Sekisui Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Lounge

Sekisui Website

Totto Sushi Website

Sushi Nabe Website

Nabe Sushi, pictured in the top-left labeled, "Sushi Bar", Totto Sushi & Grill, and Sekisui are all Japanese sushi restaurants with similar class, price, and locale. They're all located in Chattanooga's downtown district and serve similar menus, hence why they're grouped in the same category. I would choose one of these three to rebrand because none of them reflect the upscale nature of the food and setup found inside. The one that comes the closest is Sekisui, and Nabe Sushi just says "Sushi Bar" above its door outside. These stores can all use rebranding so that their logos match their products and audience.

Intro to Graphic Design Fall 2014 Projects

Personal Logo Design (Illustrative)

The project required us to create a lettermark logo using the initials of our name (HB in my case), while conveying two keywords that describe ourselves. The keywords I chose for myself were "clever" and "efficient". We designed an "illustrative" one and "typographical" one, portraying a logo based on hand-drawn letters and one based on a standard typeface, respectively.

Personal Logo Design (Typographical)

Both of my logos convey the keywords "clever" and "efficient" at once. The two separate adjectives become a single symbol, or as I'd like to say, "efficiently combine in a clever way."

I chose to keep both logos monotone and simple in design so they can be implemented in any way -- whether black & white or large or small, without compromising the integrity of the logo.

Scanned Texture Ad (3 Sizes)

Our second project involved us creating a campaign ad, invoking the viewer to take action, for a local non-profit organization. Our requirements were to have three different ad sizes and to use a scanned texture.

After doing some research into local organizations, I decided on the Atlanta Audubon Society. I took some feathers and scanned them for use as my texture.

The pastel color palette was chosen based on the AAS logo so that the ad and the logo display synergy.

Scanned Texture Ad (3 Sizes)

Event Poster

This project was to create an event poster for a local event. I chose to make mine for JapanFest.

In order to bring something new, while at the same time convey traditional Japanese culture, I used origami paper to create the lettering and scanned them in. There were many ideas on the table for this one and it was a hard process learning to give some of them up for the sake of creating a cohesive design that would not distract from the content.

Book Cover Front and Inside Flaps

Our second-to-last assignment was to redesign a book cover of our choosing. Going with one of the classics, I redesigned Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".

I wanted the cover to represent that there are important lessons and messages contained in the book. Because the book is told by Scout, a child and school student, I used chalk and a chalkboard to design the cover, which not only symbolizes the era and characters, but also represent that there is something to be taught. Afterwards, I imported the photos into Photoshop to complete the cover.

Book Cover Redesign

Package Redesign

The final project was to create a package design for an existing product that, due to negligent marketing, wasn't flying off the shelves. I chose to repackage scented candles and remarket the product with my own branding, "Reminiscents". This packaging wraps the candle up while leaving aroma-shaped slits on the top for the customers to smell. The plastic lid that covers the original candle is removed in lieu of the new packaging, allowing the aisle to draw customers in by permeating pleasant aromas. The little blurbs in the back about each scent take the customer back to pleasant memories, establishing the brand as one that'll instill nostalgia.