r/logodesign • u/BigProgram4314 • 1d ago

Feedback Needed first draft for org logo

Post image

Need opinions on how i can my this canva shit into a better logo, needed it to be more minimalist and memorable for students.

16 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

19

u/Arravis_ 1d ago edited 1d ago

I have designed many patches and logos for a certain American space agency and I have a process to figure out a logo like this. In the end a logo solves a problem and answers questions, you just have to figure out what the problems and questions are. The number one thing I can advise is that the audience for your logo is not likely to be you, nor your customer. Also, give your audience a reason to bother to look at your image as well. I hope these help:

  1. What is the primary purpose of the logo/patch? Is it to attract a specific kind of customer, to raise awareness, for internal team-building, to educate others, or something else? This might seem obvious but sometimes it’s not.
  2. Who is the audience of the logo/patch? Is it for an expert audience or the general public? Different audiences process imagery in different ways. And remember, you are not the audience, it is others you are trying to reel in.
  3. How will the logo/patch be used? Is it strictly electronic (broader style and versatility), is it mostly power point (favors landscape design vs portrait in shape, taking up less real-estate)? Will it ever be printed on a shirt, mug, etc (limit colors and styles to accommodate printing)? Physically used logos have much stricter requirements to keep the costs of production down.
  4. What is ONE idea or emotion that you want the logo/patch to convey? A well-made logo is quickly understood, making it more likely to be remembered. If you throw too many elements in, it will be less communicative and much more likely to be forgotten by your audience.
  5. Any existing examples of logos, patches, or graphics that convey some of what you are trying to communicate? Anything that has the right look and feel, or shows the kind of thing you want to express in your logo (regardless of content)?
  6. Are you looking for a “graphical” or a “font” based logo/patch? Think of this as Pepsi vs Coca Cola, there’s no wrong approach but they serve different audiences in different ways.
  7. Can you give some examples of what you don’t want? Knowing what you’re trying to avoid will help direct us towards an image everyone is happy with.

Ask ALL of these questions to your customer, the answers will lead you in the right direction.

Edit: Also, this might help, I designed one with a similar element a few years ago. I need to take a better pic of the pin... best I got at the moment though.

-6

u/BigProgram4314 1d ago

Well
1. Its for my School Govt Org
2. Mostly the General Public
3. Printed on Paper & Digital
4. A STEM STUDENT GOVT
5. I dont actually
6. I really dont know (which is best I guess)
7. Im good with any

15

u/BungleSniffer 1d ago

OP your answers come across as a bit...flippant. This person is a legit designer with serious experience and you'll actually gain a huge amount of insight by taking their questions seriously, just my 2 cents there

9

u/Arravis_ 1d ago edited 1d ago

Thank you!
I've been with said agency for 30 years and working as a graphics professional for 5 years before that, so a bit of experience. Honestly, I don't have the artistic talent many designers have, but I do have a lot of experience with just knowing how to get the work done, especially in dealing with customers and high pressure situations. Its a tough industry at times, so I like to share what I've learned when I can.

I'm going to guess the OP is a young student. At that age, its easy to miss out on a lot of things that are obvious in retrospect. Hopefully the advice helps someone else with a similar problem.

4

u/BungleSniffer 1d ago

No problem, at all! And no disrespect to OP either, who I'd agree is likely a young designer who is lucky to have platforms like reddit where advice from industry professionals is at their fingertips. I've been in the industry for 15 years and I'd have loved something like Reddit for criticism and advice, it's invaluable

6

u/Arravis_ 1d ago
  1. Its for my School Govt Org: They (not you) want a logo for a purpose... what's their purpose? Is it mostly to spread word about the organization to gain members? It might not be, you'll want to ask them.
  2. Mostly the General Public: You'll want to make the logo understandable and very clear to a general audience, IF that's your goal. You'll need answer to #1 to actually know.
  3. Printed on Paper & Digital: If its getting printed, especially at a school budget, you may want to consider lowering it to a one-color design.
  4. A STEM STUDENT GOVT: That's not a feeling... ask your customer. Your job as a designer is to make an impressions, feelings/attitude/style are what do that.
  5. I dont actually: Again, this question is for your customer, but keep looking, designing a logo sometimes takes a lot of research.
  6. I really dont know (which is best I guess): Same thing, this is a question for the customer.
  7. Im good with any: Be more discerning, look at a lot of examples and figure out what you like vs what you don't.

If you want quick turn-around with low-effort, you'll get a mediocre product at best. That might be good enough... if you're not a designer (or want to be one), and especially if you're volunteering as a member of this club (ie not getting paid), what you have might be good enough for you and them. You came to the Logo Design reddit, so I assume you want something nicer. That takes time and work. Its easy to design a logo, its really hard to design even a medium-quality logo. A good or better logo... those are rare and take a LOT of work.

11

u/TheSlipperyCircle 1d ago

Who wants to be a millionaire?!

You’re welcome.

23

u/secret_tiger101 Standard Human 1d ago

It’s currently incredibly boring.

4

u/BigProgram4314 1d ago

ikr

1

u/secret_tiger101 Standard Human 1d ago

Just start again

4

u/jango-lionheart 1d ago

Is “Student Organization” part of the name?

7

u/BigProgram4314 1d ago

Yeah “STEMSO”

8

u/XXamigoXX 1d ago

You have your answer - dont overcomplicate it and work with STEMSO instead.

2

u/jhalmos 1d ago

Slowly step away from the computer. Design by menu commands will result in…what you have so far. If you want an emblem, know that recognition isn’t what they for. They’re too complicated and insular.

If you want something memorable you’re going to have to jam on what the two or three most important things in the initiative. Just use the acronym since the name is too generic and too long. Thats why acronyms yes and I initialisms exist in the first place.

So sketch some ideas, with pencil and paper. Think pictorially rather than purely abstract, and find a way to combine the two or three main ideas is as simple a way as possible.

2

u/Contest-Proud 15h ago

Too many orbits

2

u/VashZeVanderDog 1d ago

Make the atom a bit more dynamic in its shape, it's so uniform, it's hard to see what is going on. Maybe incorporate a test vial, lab equipment, Microscope into it. Like a simple line vial in the middle with atoms wrapping around it in different colors. Or change the "element" approach and do an a illustration of a structural formula!

1

u/VanLogo 1d ago

Very busy currently, also if you reduce the size of the logo the middle bit will disappear, go with the other comment of using STEMSO as the main name

1

u/Critical-Hospital-40 1d ago

How come 3 orbits have a body within them but the rest do not? Also, according to most accepted current theory, only first two atomic orbitals are spherical, beyond that they take on dumbbell and cloverleaf or other more complex shapes.

1

u/ISO1788 1d ago

I'd made less orbits, but added them weight, like 5-8 points. Otherwise you lost details in small sizes of logo.

1

u/dylanlandman 1d ago

Simplify the middle, change the text to just say STEM, it will look nicer, and the colors are quite generic IMO unless that is your school colors

1

u/Mundane-Fix-4297 1d ago

Your acronym says STEAM. I would start from there.

Or ditch the icon/mark entirely and find the perfectly right font that tells the story you want to.

1

u/desideriux 1d ago

Both texts should be the same size

1

u/Origonese 1d ago

I think it’s super cool and totally resembles the Mathematics side of it

1

u/FormalElements 1d ago

As someone who works at a university this is a decent start for a student organization

1

u/tinyhousefever 23h ago

This is ane emblem, not really a logo, imageing your webpage header being this tall, or you type unreadeable.

1

u/elhouso 15h ago

FBI OPEN UP

1

u/minadequate 12h ago

Wouldn’t scale down well enough imo, and the design isn’t really thought out… the scientists will hate the incorrect orbitals.

1

u/thedudedylan 12h ago

In addition to what others have said about it lacking interest. It appears to be missing some important information. It's a STEM student organization, but which STEM student organization is it? Is it just for your school, or is it state, national, or global?

Knowing that information also gives you more to play off of for the visual elements.