This is bound be a touchy thread. How could it not? Criticism of someone's work from people that may or may not be qualified to critique can be hard to swallow. But as long as it's done nicely I think we can all still get along.  :roll:

 

Just for the record, this logo bugs me.

 

This one ain't so bad really.

 

Sorry, didn't take the time to crop them.

Just for the record, I had nothing to do with that logo:

 

This was the logo I created:

Umm, how about a beer? :-)

 

Okay, but you'll have to come to NYC. No tengo dinero para un billete!

I really love the colors in the classifieds banner.

^Agreed.

Umm, how about a beer? :-)

 

Okay, but you'll have to come to NYC. No tengo dinero para un billete!

 

Lord... and what type of ticket are you speaking of?  plane?  train?

Hahaha .. it's a hypothetical ticket. You got one of those?

whippersnapper!

 

If you're going to speak my language, don't f*ck it up!  :-P

LOL. That, mi amigo, is pretty much a guarantee. :)

speaking of threads for UOers to submit designs...

 

A while back someone told us about the redesign cleveland charette website.  It's still up and running although I always forget about it. 

At least some of you got feedback, I didn't receive one comment about my modified UrbanOhio logo :(

 

Well, I like it but - unfortunately it's only appropriate for one city in Ohio ;-)

At least some of you got feedback, I didn't receive one comment about my modified UrbanOhio logo :(

 

 

That's because it sucked.

 

Happy now?

I didn't get any feedback on mine either, but I that is because 1. it was lacking in comparison to a lot of others.  I really like the one by cle.  2.  I for some odd reason just asked for MayDays opinion on it. 

 

I really like Cle's Idea, it seems to be going in the right direction but i feel it needs more iterations.  I think the flag part should be more abstract, maybe more of a suggestion of the flag.  Too me it's too literal as of now.  Also, I think more can be done with the text "Urban Ohio", it's lacking scale and substance.

 

For the past week I, along with two of my other cohorts, made a poster for an up coming lecture series at Miami Universitie's Department of Architecture and Interior Design.  We were competing with our classmates to create the poster.  We had a concept and we were told it didn't have enough substance.  Went back, made changes and then it was just too busy and lacked much in the way of order.  We finally went back to the drawing board and simplified it.  We finally got something we liked, unfortunately, we didn't get it all done in time for the critique.  We had a couple of Graphic Media professors come in and evaluate our posters.  Ours was pretty much skipped over but, if there was more time, they were willing to offer more insight and pointers.  They said we needed to go through more iterations.  Basically, what I am getting at is that creating a new concept, especially in design, takes multiple tries, time, and feedback and even critisism (just make sure it is constructive).  It will take time and it's important that everyone is cordial to one another and makers need not necessarily be offended.

 

my two cents

 

Jeremy 

Graphic design isn't rocket science: it's blind-folded brain surgery while dancing the Watusi on the top of a flag pole. I've handed out a little bit of grief here, but seriously: thanks everybody for sharing your hard work. I can't wait to see what next week brings.

...and now for something completely different.

Free, love it.

 

Are you open to a minor suggestion or two?

Have fun with this. I'm going to bed.

The manhole Freethink's has potential and so does koow's.

 

 

EDIT:

 

I was bothered by the choise of words.

Yay Key Tower :wink: 

 

This week is really busy at work so I don't have time to play with my 2 designs but maybe this weekend I'll be able to fix some things and get an illustrator file so anyone can play with it too.

At least some of you got feedback, I didn't receive one comment about my modified UrbanOhio logo :(

 

 

Your's isnt showing up for me.

The manhole Freethink's has potential and so does koow's.

 

EDIT:

 

I was bothered by the choise of words.

 

What's this about my manhole?

 

At least some of you got feedback, I didn't receive one comment about my modified UrbanOhio logo :(

 

 

Your's isnt showing up for me.

 

I like it:

 

 

Freethink's won't work. Try printing it in one color on a shirt. Great and cool idea, but not executable.

...and now for something completely different.

 

I like this a lot. How about the "urban" written in spray paint graffiti art style and make the "i" into a smoke stack (or is that going to far?)?

I like both freethink and kingfish's ideas. Freethink, do you have experience with Illustrator or a vector drawing program? If so, it would be great to turn that idea into a vector image and play around with making the type look more like an actual part of the manhole cover. Right now, I think the problem that I have with it is that the type just looks like type on an image. I hope this makes sense, and obviously, this is just my opinion. Otherwise, I really like the idea of the manhole cover as a logo.

 

I also like kingfish's idea as well. I think I would like to see this concept played around with .. maybe play with some different kinds of typefaces, that type of thing. But I think both are a cool start.

I like this a lot. How about the "urban" written in spray paint graffiti art style and make the "i" into a smoke stack (or is that going to far?)?

 

Maybe too Cleveland!  :wink:

 

I like cd-clevelands. With some modifications to meet the requirements, I think it could work.

I like KOOW's submission as well

I like both freethink and kingfish's ideas. Freethink, do you have experience with Illustrator or a vector drawing program? If so, it would be great to turn that idea into a vector image and play around with making the type look more like an actual part of the manhole cover. Right now, I think the problem that I have with it is that the type just looks like type on an image. I hope this makes sense, and obviously, this is just my opinion. Otherwise, I really like the idea of the manhole cover as a logo.

 

I also like kingfish's idea as well. I think I would like to see this concept played around with .. maybe play with some different kinds of typefaces, that type of thing. But I think both are a cool start.

 

Mine definitely needs fine tuning. Font-wise, I wanted something substantial enough to create the shape of the skyline but loose enough to pay off the skyline reflection. I think there are also some wiser building choices. Right now it's just the 2-3 tallest from the Three C's, Toledo, Dayton, Y-town and Akron. I think (I'm sure you skyline dorks can identify them all). I'm pleased with the Gotham City feel, and am happy to reference Ohio's river culture (again: props to cle for identifying that, too).

 

Now can we please make Mr. Urban smile again?

I'm a skyline geek, not a dork. However, 200 Public Square should be taller than Rhodes ;-)

As if Rhodes State Tower hadn't caused me enough grief...

I like King Fish's idea, but I think the words urban ohio should be the reflection.

I really like this, but perhaps not as a logo. It would make a great T-shirt design or banner. And the Urban Ohio needs to be in bold or somehow more prominent. Is there a way to get the Web address in it?

 

 

 

This would be a cool bumper sticker, especially if the Web address was more visible (in yellow text)...

 

 

 

These would also make cool bumper stickers...

 

 

 

This is just too damn cool...

 

 

^Hey!

You're copying off me.

Copycat!

 

:-D

I like King Fish's idea, but I think the words urban ohio should be the reflection.

 

With "UrbanOhio.com" reading right-side up, I presume? I'll take a look. That could work better. But for what it's worth, my rationale for having the skyline reflect is two-fold:

 

1) It obscures the skyline just enough to spare us from the temptation to read it too closely (or at least frustrates it), while, upon closer inspection (emphasis on "closer"), portraying an accurate (quiet MayDay) glimpse of our state's collective urban identity.

 

2) It is my feeling that the primary takeaway should be the website name, and that the love of cities should be secondary but no less revelatory--literally a reflection of what we're about.

 

I like the symbolism of mirrors and what they reveal (and conceal) about our true selves. Kind of a Dorian Gray/vampire movie thing.

 

Logically, there's no reason it can't be the opposite; Ohio's great imaginary metropolis revealing Urbanohio.com as its secret identity. But again: I don't want people to get too hung up on the buildings. Short of creating a fantasy skyline (which I think betrays the true vastness of Ohio's urban presence), I felt like the upside-down superskyline was a compromise worth looking at.

 

I'll take a look tonight, at which point I'll realize that I am completely wrong and that my slippery cousin is dead on the money.

 

 

This is just too damn cool...

 

 

 

No: YOU'RE just too damn cool.

I like this one, as well as the pink and gray variation.

 

 

I think the main problem is that the flag makes it too tall and too busy for a logo.  Would it work better if we just kept the bottom part and put "Urban Ohio" above it?

Nice logo. Very bold.

 

Now can we please make Mr. Urban smile again?

 

Haha. He just doesn't seem the same does he?

Place a strip of duct tape where his mouth should be and turn the "Os" in "Ohio" into "Xs".

Kingfish, that's definitely fantastic.  I only have three thoughts about it:

 

1) Wow - friggin' awesome.

2) It might be possible to use the "dot" part of the address as an homage to smaller-town Ohio, by having it reflecting as well - I'm thinking a courthouse with a clock tower kind of thing...

3) That's the thing about logo's - they seem simple, but wow, when someone actually knocks something out of the park, you know it.  There may be advice and do's and don't's, but that stuff's just a guide - you still need someone to make contact, and at that point, wow...

 

Head...expanding...to...enormous...proportions...too...big...for...room...

 

My favorite so far but we need a better assortment of buildings from around Ohio but I love it.  How did you make it?

Thanks everyone for your comments on the logos, I appreciate any and all feedback. I must admit I am a little obsessed with this. My thinking on a logo is that if you take the text away you should still have a good idea of what the graphic represents. I believe the image should speak for itself. As far as the manhole logo(sorry Musky-It makes me nervous too), I wanted the text to look like a city worker had just rolled by in his truck and stenciled it on there-like fresh paint. I wanted to stay away from the "negative" graffiti thing. There is still one component that I want to add, but it hasn't looked right yet to me.  I will also work on a b+w version. I originally had a white line but the double yellow just said city to me allot more. The only other logo I think will work would be from Kingfish, but It's kinda of deceiving because the skyline looks to much like NY or Chicago-but that's just my thinking. Other than that this has been allot of fun.

Have fun with this. I'm going to bed.

 

 

 

Admins & Site owners ... This IS the BEST ONE so far! Omg ... this is a great idea!

 

What's so great about this concept is the fact that is represents us in a few different ways ... (skyline, notable towers, water Ohio River/Lake Erie, etc ...)

 

I would buy this as a t-shirt!

^^I really like that too... its really one of the only ones that jumps out as an obvious improvement from the old logo, not saying that the current logo is bad.

I think I have to agree with the others so far...This is the winner!

What if the buildings were offset slightly from verticle, like a shadow?

Freethink: Instead of the text from urbanohio.com, you should place an image of the urbanohio.com bumper sticker... like it fell off somebody's car. Something like this:

 

(disclaimer - done in literally three minutes.)

Thanks for all the kind words. There's still a long way to go to September 7th; I smell logo gold out there somewhere.

 

By the by, if someone could PM links to good clean shots  (with clearly discernible profile and hints to scale) of the signature structures from Canton, Springfield, Hamilton, Lima etc, I'll try (UNDERLINE "TRY") to work them in somehow.

 

Dzekuje!

Freethink: Instead of the text from urbanohio.com, you should place an image of the urbanohio.com bumper sticker... like it fell off somebody's car. Something like this:

 

(disclaimer - done in literally three minutes.)

 

Did that sticker fall off Colday's car, along with the transmission?

 

Posting "The Picture" in 4...3...2...1...

I like Kingfish's the best. Great design! The others are great designs but I think Kingfish's works best as a "logo". I think the sewer cap idea would work well if it was a little more abstract.

What if the buildings were offset slightly from verticle, like a shadow?

 

I was thinking that myself.

 

But yes, I like Kingfish's and everyone else's designs!  Keep them coming!