Semiotics or bust

[v-six]

It's homework time again! Most of you will enjoy this one, and maybe learn a few things in the process. Here's the task at hand:
Redesign the logo for a company/website/organization (anything really). It should be something you're interested in, unless you want to do some heavy research on the client. (For a job like this, you want to know as much as possible about what you're designing, in the same way that you should read a book before designing the cover for it).

Before we all get started on this, here's an intro to semiotics. Simply put, semiotics is the study/theory of any visible mark. (I could have said study/theory of symbols, but as you'll see, that's alittle too specific.) One of the key concepts to be aware of is the signifier/signified relationship. A signifier is what is visually present, the signified is a person's interpretation of the image. Example, a cute little penguin is a signifier. Most of you don't think cute little penguin when you see it though, you think Linux. Or maybe you have a pet penguin that comes to mind. Perhaps your nickname in college was penguin. Maybe you like Batman? The signified could be any of these. Be wary of this in your design. The name Hooters works great for the bar/restaurant whose slogan is Delightfully tacky yet unrefined, but it may give the wrong message elsewhere.

Rules – The only words that you're allowed to use are the name of the company. The purpose is to use imagery as language as much as possible. There are three broad categories of signs, you may use any or all of them.

1: Icons – An icon is a sign that actually resembles the object that it represents. A smiley face is an obvious icon for a face.
2: Symbols – More abstract than an icon, a symbol is an image where meaning is learned, and a part of any given micro/macro environment. The symbol for a small company may mean alot to its employees and customers, but means nothing outside of that. A country's flag has bundles of imbued meaning, but means nothing to someone who knows little/nothing about the country.
3: Indexical signs: these are the least well-known of the three. An indexical sign does not resemble its signified meaning. Instead, it gives cues to the existence of the signified. Smoke is indexical to fire, foot prints are indexical to a person, white crud on your car to birds, etc etc.

If anyone wants more info on semiotics, I can point you in the direction of more info, and some heavy reading that I hardly understand myself.

Cheers,
Six

[v-six]

While we're on logos, here's a few big names worth mentioning:
Paul Rand
Chermayeff & Geismar Associates
Lester Beall
William Golden
Saul Bass & Associates (the movie fans should most definately check out Saul Bass)
Lance Wyman, Oti Aicher (both did work for the olympics)
Milton Glaser (I almost got to meet him last year, cancelled due to snow )

[Inactive]

i have a logo thought about and currently in design - will post soonish (monday at the latest!). i have too much on at the moment.

[koala]

OK, here's some sketches for a Red Bull logo. I'm not sure how to take them to the next stage, so any advice would be welcome.

The first one is combining the bull symbol with a pill... a reference to rave/club culture, where Red Bull is commonly found.



The next one uses a stylized image of a bull, using colour to highlight the drink's potency.



The last one incorporates the brand name into a trippy environment. Anyone who's had a 4-pack of Red Bull will recognise the 'altered state' feeling. Like the first image, it's aimed at clubbers and is in the style of 90's club flyers (ie overuse of photoshop filters). Might need simplifying to work as a logo.

[Inactive]

well here's my effort.
before;


after;

(this image has been resized down to the 640x480 and has lost quality by doing so)

technically speaking it's the same... i wanted to get across the idea that the H was a symbol for building things (architectural office). i'm not so sure six that this is what you wanted. there isn't much text in there, but it did take a while for me to build it. well more thought time than modelling time. as i pointed out before i build models as supposed to artistically design.

koala - i like the second image. simple with the point obvious (no pun intended). some shadow detail aswell. i prefer the first to the third, but i'm not qualified to criticise.

[koala]

Wow! Very impressive. Can you explain how you modelled the second image? What are they logos for, a construction company? Does the company's name begin with H?

I think the first one works better as a logo.

My images are just sketches to be developed. I like to start with a drawing or painting and then simplify the elements down to a few lines or blocks of colour. Needs some more work

[Inactive]

thats the problem - the second image was done in 3d studio. i have no ability to design only build. yes the company's name does start with H and it's an architectural office. so my idea was a little off the mark with the logo. the first one is currently being used and it is more usable as a logo. i did create a 3d version of it initially, but it was too similar



your first image looks like it does need more, but i cannot give any advice, because i don't use photoshop. the second one i think is finished. i'm not sure with the third one, as you said yourself it might need simplifying for use as a logo. i think someone with experience should make some comments here.

[koala]

I traced the outline from the first image, then used the Freeform Pen tool to smooth out the curves to make it look more blob-like. I still can't get used to editing the nodes, they seem to have a mind of their own.



I then added some colour and bevelled the edges.



Played about with complimentary colours and added some text using a handwriting font to keep it looking playful.



Put it in a circle, with and without text




And finally decide on this one

[Spatcher]

I'll make one as soon as I find a company to make it for.

I'll prolly make it for State Radio, a band formed by one of the members of the band Dispatch ('twas a very sad day the day they officially broke up (July 31,2004), although I didn't know about 'em then )

[Inactive]

Can you explain how you modelled the second image?

this might not make much sense unless you have used 3d studio before. the H was a text with the extrude, taper and lattice modifiers applied to it. the font was 'metal lord', but was too straight so the taper gave it the leading forward look. lattice gives it the wire frame.

the cubes were chamfer boxes, stacked on top of each other (literally). the rope is a line with a render thickness given to it.

somewhere along the way this became an exercise in 3d and not the task at hand which was logo design. i was using finalrender0 for the rendering and i got absorbed in that.

one of the few advantages of 3d is the multiple views of the one object.

[Chevy]

Here's one I did for a local construction company. I was asked to do their business cards at first, but wound up doing their logo (they didn't have one).

I tried to make it simple so it was easy to integrate with any medium.

Here's the logo:



And the biz card:

[grizzly_uk]

Damn, wish I had been around when you were doing this...so I could kick your asses :p

[v-six]

Them's fightin words

[Inactive]

Originally Posted by grizzly_uk

Damn, wish I had been around when you were doing this...so I could kick your asses :p

it's still not too late to post something.

[grizzly_uk]

haha I suppose you are right, I'll have a crack at something...any suggestions?

[Inactive]

well i took an existing logo (the place i work at the moment) and made a 3D model of it. since i only build 3D models it was the best i could do, although i have removed the images now.

i suppose that isn't any helpful suggestions really.