16 Choose My New Blog Logo
Brands get new logos all the time. Tastes change. Products mature. Companies gain a stronger sense of who they are and how they can serve their community. For Big Picture Web, it was the latter. After over a year with our current blog logo, today we invite you to help choose the new Big Picture Web logo by taking a short word association test.
It's not that I don't like my current logo. It's exactly what I asked for when I had it designed. It's just that I didn't really know where I wanted to take my blog and my personal brand at time. As a result, I get a lot of feedback that my logo doesn't really represent what I talk about (i.e., blogging, SEO, web analytics, etc.). I'm told it reminds people of tourism. Or maybe agriculture. But never Internet marketing.
New Blog Rough Logo Concepts
That's where John Stucker comes in. John is one of the founding principles at Pollywog, a naming and branding agency here in the Twin Cities. I've had the chance to work with him on a few projects and really admire his work. It baffles me how someone can take an entire brand and distill it down to a basic graphic, some text and maybe a cool font. I will never have that skill, but John has it in spades.
He's whipped up three different rough blog logo concepts to help bring the Big Picture Web brand to the next level. Keep in mind that "rough logo concepts" means:
- The color palette hasn't been set. What you see is placeholder and only demonstrates relative contrasts between the final color palette.
- Several elements may change. John will spend some additional time on a concept to fully develop it once a direction is specified.
- The final version will be shiny, polished and perfect.
And with that little disclaimer aside, let's reveal our three contenders for the new logo of the Big Picture Web blog.
Blog Logo Concept #1:
Blog Logo Concept #2:
Blog Logo Concept #3:
Take the Word Association Test
At this point, unfortunately John and I are completely biased. We've stared at the logos for so long that we can no longer possibly determine how they're perceived by new visitors. We need to get these logos in front of fresh eyes for fresh perspectives. Maybe you'd help us?
A word association test is a form of usability testing that addresses the branding aspects of your visual design. Users are presented with a list of adjectives and asked to select a particular number that best represent the logos or other visuals being tested.
I've created a brief word association test for the new logo concepts for Big Picture Web. Please take a few minutes to select the top four adjectives that best represent each new logo concept. You may assign an adjective to more than one logo concept. Be sure to hit "Submit" when you're done.
Don't Forget the Qualitative Data
Thanks so much if you decided to fill out the word association test. I'm also looking for any qualitative thoughts you might have. What do you think of what you see a particular logo? Do you like one more than the others? Why? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The best part of a usability test like this is that the community is involved in the creation of the image of the brand. And for that, thank you very much.
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Reader Comments (16)
Josh: Love the idea to involve your community in your design project. Have you ever heard of Crowdspring? Interesting concept--and a similar process (on a grander level).
Anecdotally, I like the first option above. However, I'm not completely clear on what the arrows and dot represent. The second option just doesn't seem like a good fit given your business. And the third is just hard to read (although I do like the idea). Hope that helps. I know it helps to have an outsider's perspective sometimes.
@arikhanson
These things are so subjective, in the end you should go with what makes you happy.
The logo could be a smiling dolphin and it would not matter much because your words, the value you deliver, your personality will associate the brand attributes that you really want represented.
You of course know all of this already! : )
-Avinash.
PS: But since you asked... I am a bit like Arik.... the first logo is clever but not sure it is "big picture marketing"... the other two are nice ideas but perhaps unconnected to what you want. And lest I only critique... here is my suggestion: http://zqi.me/cOaNEi : )
Arik - Thanks for the info on Crowdspring. I may have to give that a shot, although the anecdotal feedback I've been receiving is pointing me in a particular direction at this point.
Avinash - All three make me happy, but now that you mention a smiling dolphin...
To both of you, thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave your thoughts. Much appreciated.
The first one is my favorite too. Don't worry if people don't see the significance of the arrows and dot. When the gestalt happens and they see what's hidden in the design, it's like a slap to the head. :)
Devon, I love the symbolism of the gestalt and how it relates to Big Picture Web. We can all tend to stare way too hard at a problem until we refocus on the big picture, which can also feel like the slap to the head. Thanks for your thoughts!
i like the design of blog logo concept #. 2..it is simple but informative..i wish i can also make a design for my blog about mobile monopoly.
To add another opinion to the mix, I like #3. A little concerned how the frame overlaps the text (maybe the blue/black overlap areas could be shaded differently?), but it really matches the concept and I like that "BIG" is, well, big.
Honestly, though, while there are definitely good and bad logos, branding is such a personal thing that you have to go with what excites you. With my 1st two logos, I asked everyone I knew, got dozens of conflicting opinions, and ended up more confused than ever. On my last project, I went with my gut - ultimately, you've got to sell the thing, and you have to be excited about the brand.
Love your idea of involving the community on this project, and thank you for asking. From a creative strategist standpoint, my favorite is number three.
Option one doesn't make sense to me. I don't understand what the arrows are pointing to, and even if I did, the dot should be BIG to me, not smaller than the arrows.
Option two is cute. And should an informative blog logo be cute? Personal opinion, of course. I just don't know if I would ever expect serious subjects from a smiling logo.
I love option three because it's the most creative, yet commanding and to the point. I assume you know what you're taking about if you were smart enough to come up with (or agree to) a logo that creative. Perhaps the words "picture" need to shrink in font size just a hair so some of the letters aren't lost.
All the best to you, whatever you decide on. I agree with others above - chose something that is YOU and from the heart. :)
Sai, Pete and Colleen, Thank you so much for your thoughts. I have so much to think about!
All this talk about smiling dolphins is making me feel obliagted to chime in... I think I'm partial to logo #2. I'm not sure why; maybe I like how it's all neat and clean and contained, and the essence of the image seems to morph as you stare at it. It speaks "open-mindedness' to me, which is what I want in a blog.
My 2 cents. :)
I don't understand number 1. And I like the concept of #3, but the picture frame magnifying small part of "Big Picture" text, confuses me, esp. since your blog name is "big picture web." But it makes complete sense in terms of your tagline, "complex internet strategy in bite-sized chunks."
I like logo #2 the best because I'm partial to smiley faces of all shapes and sizes :) But really, it exudes a sense of friendliness and helpfulness at the same time. I also thought that it was really creative using the words to create a face. I like it when brands have personality. Also, the "b" and "g" represent big, open eyes that can really "see" the big picture. So, #2 makes the most sense to me.
Thank you Grace and Lisa! I am most impressed by how each of the three logos seem to have proponents just within the comments here. Art is truly in the eyes of the beholder, huh?
Josh,
I love the idea of involving your audience in choosing your new logo.
I think you've got it spot on by asking for specific feedback on what people 'see' in the new logos; you should gain a great understanding of your current audience, and therefore be in a very strong position to choose a logo that suits where you want your business to go in the future.
As an example I'm based in the UK and in general find that for our local businesses, by comparison, are a little behind you guys in the US. So it really makes sense to get your audience to help you make the choice, as you need to pitch it right for them!
Josh, I couldn't fill in the 4 adjective choices because I couldn't get past the first logo. None of the adjectives fit for me. But then it wasn't until I read the comments that I went back to find that there was a man in there. Had I seen it at first I might have been able to participate.
I like #2 as it makes ME smile. And I like #3 because it has a picture frame, albeit a small picture frame which doesn't lend itself to "big" picture.
I'm interested to see what you eventually pick (and why)
I can see that I will definitely have to write another post about the selection process. I have made my decision and the final logo is being created presently. Can't wait to share it with you all!
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of sunihsne.