Help, My Logo is So 1999! — Part 2

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 in a 3-part series about designing a new logo for a website I own called Selling to Small Businesses. In Part One I outlined how I went to the Logoworks.com by HP site and commissioned a new logo. I received eight preliminary design concepts. From those eight I narrowed the field to 3 logo designs that I thought had potential. Then I asked for feedback from readers — YOU!

Of the three preliminary design concepts that I wrote about in Part One of this series, Composition number 1 seemed to get the most favorable response from the most readers (thank you all so much!). It was also my own personal favorite. So I decided to narrow my choice down to focus solely on Composition number 1:

However, as your feedback suggested, Composition number 1 is not quite ready for prime time. It still needs some work.

So the next step in the process is to give the Logoworks designers some input about my chosen Composition, and ask them to make revisions.

Organizing the Feedback

I closely considered each of the comments that readers like you left following my first article asking for feedback. Among the points, I summarized these:

• The word “business” should be turned into the plural “businesses” to match the correct name of the site and the URL.

• A number of you suggested adding the “.com” to the logo, either above or below. I like that idea. And if we include the “.com” then the words “sellingtosmallbusinesses” should be put together as one. However, because that is a string of four words and can be hard to read because it is so long, visually the words need to be distinguishable. For instance, there should be a different color for one of the words, or perhaps the beginning letters in each word should be capitalized, or some other method needs to be employed to make it easier to read.

• One reader suggested that “the relative size of the clip makes the logo more challenging to use in a variety of placements and projects. You might want to also work up an abbreviated companion version with the clip sideways, over or under the name.” That sounds like good advice, so I asked for a variation to include different sizes and placements of the paper clip graphic.

• Several of you suggested eliminating the tag line “selling to small business owners” on the theory that it was redundant. I agree — it seems pretty obvious what the logo is about and there’s no need for the tagline. Besides, including the tag line would make for quite a wordy logo with eleven words total. Eliminating the tag line simplifies it visually.

• One reader, Susan Oakes, made a great point about how the logo should somehow look like it’s a part of the “Small Business Trends” family and evoke a hint of my main logo. I suspect that may be a tall order to fill, but it makes sense to me. So I threw in that request, just to see what the designer might do with it.

• Another reader suggested making the logo look a little bolder to give more of a Web 2.0 effect. I thought that idea had merit, too, and wanted to see what the designer would do with that feedback. So I also included that point, too.

The Process of Requesting Logo Revisions

Requesting revisions to the preliminary logo design turned out to be pretty easy. I logged in to the control panel for my account at Logoworks. I clicked the button to choose Composition 1.

At that point, I was given two choices: accept the logo as final, or request additional revisions to Composition 1. Naturally I clicked “request revisions.”

I was expecting to get a single text box that asked for my feedback. What I got was more detailed than that — and actually very helpful. I was taken to a screen called a “Revision Brief” and presented with a series of very specific questions. Among the questions were:

• What did you like specifically about it? Was it the shape, the color, the font, or anything else?
• What don’t you like about the composition?
• What kind of changes would you like to see? (e.g., there is too much spacing between the letters…)

But the best question was the one where I was asked to estimate how close to completion the logo was — from 0% to 100%. That question is a good way to convey the magnitude of the changes you are expecting. I chose 50% completion.

Using the reader feedback I collected from you all, I filled in my answers.

After completing the Revision Brief, I confirmed my requested revisions and hit the submit button. I immediately saw a confirmation screen that instructed me to check back in 3 business days. A revised design would be ready then.

Bringing out the Best in Me

What I liked about the Logoworks process during the revision stage, just as in the initial stage, is the way I was prompted to be specific. In a nice but firm way the system guided me through the process by asking probing questions, but without overwhelming me.

I particularly liked being able to request additional revisions, and not being forced into a “take it or leave it” decision. I felt like an integral part of the process of designing the logo — my input was being sought.

So this concludes the second stage of the process. And at this point I am awaiting the revisions to be incorporated into the logo design, which I will then review with you in Part Three of this series.

Looking forward to seeing what the Logoworks designers come up with!

Image: Shutterstock

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