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Really Good Logos Explained

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“I love the whimsy and simplicity of this mark. It has the “I agree with Alex’s comments about the slightly off-putting
impact of an international symbol, but the childlike image this mark projects. However, it did catch my eye,
proportions and hot pink color give it a fun twist that which isn’t a bad thing in an industry as competitive as web
makes me want to know about the company.” design.
“I do wish the black shards were bolder; they seem lost and
“Does what it says, and with simplicity and wit. Not clever- tiny compared to the boldness of the glove/fish. Are they
clever, but with an image like this it doesn’t need to be.” really even necessary?”

“Is it a fish? A boxing glove? Either way, it’s bold and the
“Simple and clever. A very fun image that tells some story bloodshot eyes are cranky. The black shards of glass behind
of a windup rhino and is told on a vibrant background. the fish/glove look like the hairy arm of a boxer throwing
“These guys have fun with the simplest of items. A playful a punch. Not sure if it’s appealing to their clients, but it is
and creative group.” memorable.”

“Fresh idea to use a boxing glove as a fish. But a heavy

“A windup rhino in pink and white—it doesn’t get much attitude that does not look altogether easy to get along with
more cartoonish than this! describes this young design firm. Between the boxing glove,
Creative firm Creative firm
Dale Harris Marko Blagojevic large hooded eye and shards of black-glass-as-exhaust, it
“The out-of-proportion rendering reminds me of the won-
Bendigo, Australia Kragujevac, Serbia presents what I think might be a challenge to their
derful manga-related plastic toys Japan has been produc-
Client Client prospective clients.”
ing in recent years.”
Dale Harris CrankyFish
Industry Industry
Creative Marketing, Web Design agency

“The contrast between the cartoon speech bubble and the

classic text type gives this mark a fun but literary feeling. It’s
“This is a very eye-catching simplification. It makes the perfect for a café that’s about both chatting and reading.”
company look smart and modern. They look as if they
“A nice use of empty black space and asymetry, though
could probably help me with my tenant issues.”
the use of Clarendon throughout would have made it more
cohesive. The bullet points in the line of text are
somewhat large.”
“The color breaks make this logo smart. The bright orange
makes me think they mean business. “This word balloon could easily hold together a small
“It’s a great concept that viewers don’t need to spend any nuclear explosion; it’s so strong and iconic. The mass
time on to understand. It just works.” of black ink around the small and delicate type almost
collapses the text.
“Proportional adjustments would help this mark do an even
“A delightful simplification of two words that uses color better job and make it easier to read when used as a café
Creative firm store sign and in smaller applications.”
lab303 inc. Creative firm
contrast as the lone contrast. If you try this approach, do
Toronto, Canada 19Blossom Singapore check that you haven’t inadvertently spelled another
Singapore word in the overlap.” “Asymmetry makes this mark. I wish I could see the
Client
relationship of ‘wa’ to the line of type beneath.
Orange Group - Real Estate Client
Tenant Advisory Baytree Club Holdings There isno discernable size relationship.
Industry Industry “For some reason, they use two different, though very
Real Estate Food & Beverages similar, sizes of type. The tail of the ‘a’ is fatter than the serifs
on the ‘w’ and that’s a complexity that can be
easily removed.”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“The strength and simplicity of this mark make a strong “This is a very nicely balanced mark. The big, fat,
statement about the company. The simplicity of the type tech-style monogram works well with the classical fish
works well too. The lowercase type gives the logo a bit of and scrollwork. The contrast gives me the feeling that the
warmth and friendliness that balances the serious mark.” company may have some breadth in their design work.”

“The test tube as a symbol for chemistry, though obvious, “Very handsome use of shades of gray. Why a serif face for
gives us a counter here in the ‘O’ that elegantly echoes ‘DESIGN’? Wouldn’t it be more unified if it were the same
the negative/positive space of Univers, the font below face and size as ‘MPLS’ and ‘MINN’ and would
the symbol.” base-align with the bottoms of the lowest ribbon?”

“Oxychem hopefully uses some pretty strong containers to

transport those noxious materials. This logo suggests they
are organized, serious, intelligent and responsible. Seeing
this on the side of a truck or on a proposal would project
all the right things about a company doing serious work
Creative firm Creative firm with a high degree of conscience.”
Reactivity Studio Fauxkoi Design Co.
Austin, TX Minneapolis, MN
Client Client “The ‘O’s’ counterspace is nicely adjusted. This mark gives
Oxychem Materials Fauxkoi Design Co. credibility and reliability to this service provider.”
Industry Industry
Chemical disposal & materials handling Design

“A very recognizable logo produced very well. The “The change from cap to lowercase for the ‘j’ and ‘i’ are a
roughness of the face and creepiness of the eyes add nice way to add character and soften an all-cap logo.”
more interest.
“All the type feels a bit pasted on. It’s a shame the
“Great idea to intrepret music visually. As background,
typography doesn’t maintain the overall effectiveness
music in a major scale tends to be bright and joyful; music
of this logo.”
in a minor scale tends to be sad or pensive. This essence
has been overlooked in favor of an exploration of
“The rough, photocopy quality of this mark unifies art and ‘intervals.’
type. Probably done digitally, it looks as if it could have
“If ‘spaces between’ are to dominate, then chopping off
been crafted off-computer, then brought in.
parts of letters would make sense. Contrasts of caps and
“‘Couture’ is the third partof this mark that isn’t as unified, lowercase letters are well executed; all are crafted with
and it is sufficiently decorative to visually compete with a common weight. ‘MAJOR’ appears to have more open
Creative firm Creative firm the primary word. But at least it’s got bumpy edges and letterspacing than ‘MINOR,’ which looks accidental.”
Signalsmith Major Minor
Johannesburg, South Africa Sacramento, CA
the x-height is about the same height as the cap height of
‘TSOTSIBOI.’
Client Client
Tsotsiboi Self Promotion “Incidentally, Tsotsi, the movie, has a delightful logo too
Industry Industry (though not the one on the face of the DVD, which is
Clothing Design Studio mere typesetting).”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“The monitor serving double duty as a speech bubble “I like the illustration of the shark boy. It’s well drawn in a
distinguishes this mark. Symbolism adds depth of mean- funny, retro way. I’m not so happy with the type. It feels
ing to a mark; compare this to some marks that are mere like an Adobe Illustrator filter tweak rather than one
illustrations of a simple idea.” done by hand with the same attention given to the shark.
It should be much more nuanced and interesting, and
maybe violate the edges of the circle like the shark does.”

“Shark Boy is on his way. The type is inventive and well

crafted and might be more expressive breaking out of the
circle some.
“The colors work but seem to want to be higher-key.
Less detail in the illustration will make this a better garment
application image. A small label application of this would
look like a bear. Keep it simple and save the complex
version for the movie poster later.”
Creative firm Creative firm
Helena Seo Design Jeff Andrews Design
Sunnyvale, CA Salem, OR
“Punctuation is uncommon in logo design. The type
“This type stack is nicely executed—maybe too nicely. is distorted to appear as if under water. Very nice
Client Client Everything is boxed in and lined up. It’s supposed to be a
RealityDigital, Inc. Jeff Andrews
illustration. Two white outline thicknesses seem
mark for ‘creative thinking,’ but I’m not really seeing much unnecessary; making them look the same will unify the
Industry Industry creativity here—rather more order than chaos. Give me
Entertainment Retail, Apparel mark. Because of embroidery’s limitations, heavying the
a bit more mess and unpredictability, and I’d feel it was thinner line around Shark Boy would probably be
conveying the actual process of creativity.” worthwhile. Then thin the bold, white line betwen the
blue circle and the gold ring to match.”
“A typographic solution made possible by the happy fact
that most of the words in this logo are the same length.
I would have been tempted to add another typographic
trick to communicate the opening up of one’s mind—
increasing the leading as we read down the page, for
example.”

“This stacked treatment works. The type becomes an

identifiable icon much like a theatre poster might. The
content of the text suggests breaking-out or discovery of “I love this character mark—it’s fun and well drawn. Not
possibilities, while the logo stays in the rigid box to the sure I want to drink their coffee though—I might end up
end. It seems there may have been a homage to change or feeling like he looks!”
evolution as the statement evolves, while still keeping with
the simple, bold, negative spaces design.” “This works, because bikers and coffee are such an unusual
combination. A memorable, well-executed mark that
“A very different approach in which letterforms almost steers clear of coffee-cup and coffee-bean clichés.”
Creative firm Creative firm become art. Note that ‘CLOSE’ is the only word to be
The Studio of Pius Eugene Jeff Andrews Design chopped in half horizontally, which fills it with meaning.
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Salem, OR Unfortunately, the impact is weakened by ‘MIND,’ which
Client Client is missing a bit along the bottom, and the much smaller
Self Promotion Conrad Coffee Company
ampersand. Make these competing elements ‘go away’ by
Industry Industry making them agree with their surroundings so the one true
Design Food & Beverage
focal point becomes visible.”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

Creative firm Creative firm Creative firm Creative firm

Roskelly Inc. Britt Funderburk Britt Funderburk Robison Creative Studios
Portsmouth, RI Upper Montclair, NJ Upper Montclair, NJ Springfield, MO
Client Client Client Client
WinkFlash Nicholson Hammerschön GmbH Kidz Kamp
Industry Industry Industry Industry
Photo Prints Full Service Digital Agency Manufacturing Camp And Recreation

“Simple and clean. The colors are well chosen. I would “I’m guessing that a ‘full service digital agency’ is “Hits the nail on the head. This is a great example of ‘less is “I like the enthusiasm of the boy’s head. It communicates
have rendered the sheet of paper without the black something like a service bureau? If so, I love the squares more.’ There is nothing extra here, and everything that is fun and eagerness quite well. The body adds nothing to
outline. It may have even been possible to show there was even more for their tie-in to pixels. The simplicity of this here works—even the color.” the communication. The head alone would work better as
a sheet simply from the curve of the emoticon and the mark gives a very professional, corporate feeling to the a symbol. It needs something more to communicate the
shadow, leaving the sheet itself as negative space.” company. They may not have a sense of humor, but their idea of camp.”
work will be perfect every time.” “A simple, straightforward idea, but an entirely
appropriate one for a no-nonsense hammer supplier.
“Perfect! The intentionally tight letterspacing makes the “The central position of the vertical strokes within each The red color is again suitably straightforward. The curves “We have a stylistic mismatch between the way the head
name a wordmark rather than mere typesetting, and the diamond, terminating at the diamond’s midline, is very on the claw end of the hammer could be more flowing.” and the hands are executed.”
color change makes a word space redundant.” elegant. Positive and negative space in complete
harmony.”
“An example of a genre of marks in which a simplified im- “This is a charming illustration, but it makes me wonder
“So much is gotten out of so little in this mark, in the way age is inserted into the negative space of a letterform. It where the line between an illustration and a mark is.
the ‘N’ is created so that the two squares take on new du- forces imagery to become space. The trick is to simplify “I think a representational mark, one that may be first
ties. It’s always a pleasure to see, both as a designer and as the image so it acts as negative space without oversimpli- perceived as an illustration, has to be viewed repeatedly
a viewer. This is a logo that will age well over time. Even its fying it, causing it to lose its distinctive character for that to register as an identifying symbol. If this rendering had
colors work without being trend-driven.” specific client.” two ‘Ks’ for fingers, representing ‘Kidz Kamp,’ it would
“A really good logo must, in my opinion, use—or at least become more of a symbol. Also, color use must mean
acknowledge—negative space. The ‘N’ doesn’t actually something: if 2 out of 3 clothes are in color, why is the hat
exist at all in this mark. It is the familiar shape we evidently made of flesh?”
recognize when the black and blue squares, with their
missing chunks, are positioned just so.”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“The unsettling juxtaposition of skull and cross bones with “I like the frog in diapers, but I wish the illustration was
the ‘cool whip’ child’s face makes you stop and think. I handled a bit more sensitively. The drawing suffers from a
think the mix of gravity and whimsy makes for strong bit too much detail and lacks weight and shape
communication in an area where something more serious relationships that would make it really sing. The type
might be lost in the mush. treatment is a bit obvious and cliché.”
“I wish the arched type below the mark was a bit
weightier and less spaced. It feels too delicate for “A humourous concept perfecty attuned to the
the rest of the mark.” product—a daycare center. The bouncing type is
actually relatively constrained, alternating between just
“Designing logos that need to communicate important two baselines. Any more would have been overdoing it.”
issues such as drug-use prevention is one of the most
difficult briefs for a designer. It needs to communicate the “Every type rule is made to be broken when it makes
urgency and seriousness of the message without sense to do so. Jiggling the baseline doesn’t typically add
seeming to, on the one hand celebrate it, and on the to legibility, but here it is perfectly applied. Well-used
other hand trivialize it. While nicely executed, I’m not application of color too: ‘LEAPERS’ naturally belongs with
Creative firm Creative firm sure this doesn’t resemble a Fisher-Price logo too much; the frog more than ‘LITTLE’ does.”
Refinery Design Company Reactivity Studio though dealing with children, possibly a more adult,
Dubuque, IA Austin, TX mature logo may have been more appropriate.”
Client Client
Tri-State Drug Task Force Little Leapers Daycare
Industry Industry
Law Enforcement Children’s Daycare

“This is a fun and festive mark. Using the letters is a nice “This no-nonsense mark is simple and well crafted—
touch to tie the classic Chinese symbol to the client.” perfect for a construction company. It says ‘built strong
with no pretentions.’ ”
“Whimsical and unusual.”
“I would like to see a version of this logo that only had
one stroke thickness.”
“This is a much more effective way of saying ‘DCM (heart)
China.’ Delightful approach that combines art and type “Figure and ground are used as a resource in this
into a single element. The eye seems slightly out of place; lettermark. Which is in front: the white ‘e’ or the black ‘c’?
it’s pointiness and doesn’t agree with the style of the slab Proportional stroke thicknesses are well handled too.”
serif letterforms, so the overall unity is just a bit affected.”

Creative firm Creative firm

Gee + Chung Design Roskelly Inc.
San Francisco, CA Portsmouth, RI
Client Client
DCM East Coast Construction
Industry Industry
Venture Capital Construction

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

Creative firm Creative firm Creative firm Creative firm

The Decoder Ring Dale Harris Stacy Karzen Niedermeier Design
Austin, TX Bendigo, (VI) Australia Chicago, IL Seattle, WA
Client Client Client Client
Austin Museum of Art Blank Expression Andy Nebel Intava Corp.
Industry Industry Industry Industry
Museum Music, Entertainment Public Relations Retail Enhancement Technology

“This is a rip on lots of street art, but that’s what makes the “This feels more like artwork for a T-shirt or a skateboard “This is a nice poke at PR puffery. The pump and the main “Friendly and professional. This is a very nice symbol
connection to NY work. It’s a rat, not the Statue of Liberty than a logo meant to last. But I’d wear the T-shirt.” type are nicely drawn and relate well to each other. The that conveys a strong feeling of modern professionalism
for a change! I hope this was for a show about NY street smaller type feels like an afterthought both in style and without being sterile or cold. I like the type too, but I wish
art, or I rescind my compliments.” placement.” there was a stronger relationship of weight and shape
“A fusion of found parts—an ‘X,’ wings, and hairy tails— between the type and the symbol.”
all damaged by age. The designer has imbued this mark
“Looks like it was authentically spray painted using a mask. with attitude, which is necessary in the music and “Verticality and the gray color unify the illustration and the
That’s the essential quality it must achieve.” entertainment industry.” type in this humorous mark for a public relations consul- “A nice illustration of a touch screen in action, using the
tant. There is a slight lack of agreement between ‘COM- first two letters of the company name. It’s simple and it
PANY’ and ‘Nebel.’ This is a consequence of communicates.
properly matching the size of ‘COMPANY’ with ‘THE.’ But “The gray and green are appropriate—fresh but reliable,
this cascading logic is all predicated on tucking ‘THE’ just not too hip or whimsical. The custom type is set a wee bit
so inbetween the ascenders of ‘Andy.’ Is that sufficient too tight, and the ‘ta’ and ‘va’ pairs more loosely than
benefit to cause another problem? the others.”
“One solution is to size ‘COMPANY’ to fit beneath ‘Nebel’
and work with ‘THE’ to match, including adjusting length
of ascenders in ‘Andy Nebel.’ ”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“I love the hand-drawn flow of this script. It feels like it “I love the hand-as-tree to communicate ‘hand made.’ I
grew that way naturally. The space between the ‘V’ and ‘e’ wish it were bigger though. The type overpowers the art.
is a bit too tight, but otherwise everything about this logo
“There is a struggle going on between the rough shapes,
makes me happy.”
like the olive and the ground, and the super-smooth
shapes, like the hills and the type. For the rough direction
“Bit more air between the ‘V’ and the ‘e’, please. to really work, it should be rougher and more hand made.
Otherwise, lovely—warm, well-executed, friendly, organic. It feels a bit undecided.”
And without any hessian textures or tea stenciling.”

“This is a great take on the idea of being green (‘vert’ is “A nice simple idea, executed in the German poster
French for ‘green’). It’s very beautiful and modern, yet style of Lucian Bernhard. There is a slight discrepancy
hand-painted. I get the feeling that the store shows that between the smoothness of the type and the shape of
items can be eco-friendly without being ‘earthy’ the olive, and the colors could be punchier. The hand/
or ‘crunchy.’ ” tree could also benefit from being larger in the overall
composition, maybe in a squarer layout.”
Creative firm Creative firm “Feminine, organic, lovely letterforms.”
PS Cali, Inc. Turner Duckworth Design
“An arm as a tree trunk is a compelling juxtaposition.
Los Angeles, CA London, UK
There is a roughness to the olive and the black silhouette,
Client Client
Renata Helfman The Fresh Olive Company
which makes them seem just a bit out of place, given the
extreme sleekness of the other elements.”
Industry Industry
Retail Food

“This mark mixes metaphors in a very elegant way. Rough “This mark is a wonderfully executed riff on classic playing
meets smooth, fancy meets plain, road sign meets wine card art. It communicates the South African connection
label. It will never work when small due to the small script superbly with the mask, dot pattern and leaves, while the
type, but I love the use of empty space.” spade and banner communicate gaming powerfully in
any culture.”

“How to translate a clichéd symbol—a highway sign—

“Nice execution of a neat idea. Everyone is familiar with
into your own mark? Process it heavily and don’t put big
the ornate Ace of Spades, and this incorporates other
numerals on it! A spelled-out script number is fresh.”
elements without losing that central conceit. However, I’m
not sure what those other elements mean—leaves and a
tiki mask? Still, it’s memorable and technically well done.”

Creative firm Creative firm

Highway77 Design Espial
“A good mark should communicate on a subconscious
Northford, CT Johannesburg, South Africa level. This one does. Cover the type and you can feel
Client Client
what it represents. Interesting combination of stylized
Self Promotion Vukani and natural leaf shapes.”
Industry Industry
Graphic Design Gaming

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

“While I’ve seen this type of design before, this one works “Nice, strong linework. A sense of power and energy in
pretty well. I wish the cross was not attached the figure, and a simple, compact arrangement that would
to the side of the house. It makes the design seem work well on T-shirts, badges and the like. It should
unbalanced and tilted.” appeal to children without resorting to kiddie clichès.
“The colour is somewhat weak—the white drop shadow is
“A nice example of a simple figure/ground, positive/ more ‘forward in the mix’ than the type, a design no-no;
negative relationship in a logo. The concept—a healthcare and the green is too tonally similar to the background
cross in a house—is very straightforward, but the elegant orange, making it ‘fizz’ uncomfortably.”
execution carries the simple idea.”
“Terrific and easily adjusted for one-color use: ‘GREEN’
“Tasty use of figure and ground, without the need for line. and ‘SAVER’ in black, and drop out all other colors.”
The process of making a mark for healthcare provided in
the home is achieved, quite naturally, by adding a symbol
for house plus a symbol for healthcare. I wonder whether
a similar result can be achieved, for example, for a
Creative firm Creative firm Dupaco Community Credit handyman or a home inspection service?”
Refinery Design Company Refinery Design Company Union created the The Green
Dubuque, IA Dubuque, IA i Saver Challenge to educate
Client Client children about the importance
Home Health Care Dupaco Community Credit Union of recycling.

Industry Industry
Health Care Financial

“Great name for a band and this font and tree/root

system work well together. This is a memorable mark, but
the success is that the simple yet rough artwork will
reproduce well on band T-shirts and photocopied
venue flyers.”
“This looks more like a logo for a kid’s party than a chorus.
Why dots? Why a ‘G’?”
“The idea of inverting a tree into a root is fun. But how
much artistic freedom is the right amount? Strictly speak-
ing, a taproot is a straight-tapering root growing vertically “Typographically clean and simple. Visually fun and
downward and forming the center from which subsidiary expressive on many levels. My only question is why a ‘G’?
rootlets spring. (A perfect example of this is a carrot This collection of dots/voices could easily define more
freshly pulled from the soil with its rootlets still intact.) creative shapes or letters.”
So, while there is nothing ‘wrong’ with this solution, there
may be a little more that could be ‘right’ about it; there
must be a tree that grows more like an inverted carrot “Reminiscent of the tests for color blindness developed
than this one. by Dr. Shinobu Ishihara in 1917, this mark presumably
“Also, if every rock band uses Blackletter, is it a sign of uses all the colors in the rainbow for more self-descriptive
Creative firm Creative firm hard-edged rebelliousness or simple me-tooism? And purposes.”
Ian Lynam Design Top Design
Tokyo, Japan Los Angeles, CA
does it say anything about the differences in their music?”
Client Client
Signatures Network for Taproot Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Industry Industry
Music Non Profit

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

Creative firm Creative firm

Campbell-Ewald Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Warren, MI Portland, OR
Client Client
Creative firm “This is nicely executed, funny and smart. The play with Self-Promotion Triangle Productions!
The Decoder Ring negative space works very well, and the weights all work.
Austin, TX Industry Industry
It’s a very subtle touch to have the eyes made from Advertising Agency Theater, Performing arts
Client
asymmetrical icons when everything else is perfectly
Carolina Panthers Chefs
Association symmetrical. If I were a DKR, I’d want it on my toque.”
Industry
NFL “Definitely a ‘Detroit-looking’ logo. Typographically, the “This logo gets its power from the title and those three stars.
“Rats in the kitchen—an edgy idea treated in an edgy way. ‘CAMPBELL-EWALD’ could be better if the arc was As an execution, I can’t help but feel it would have been
The negative- pace skull is beautifully executed. centered over the center of the logo as a whole, rather more effective to cut the shapes out of paper for
Logo for use on in-house Technically balanced and beautifully done. A winner.” than shifted down and to the right.” real. That would have given it even more immediacy.”
apparel and collateral
i materials for the NFL’s Caroli-
na Panthers Chefs Association.
The group informally refers
“A gross name that evokes disgusting images. But this logo “Blackletter with gear teeth, representing the automotive “Yes, the implication in this mark is provocative.
to themselves as “The Dirty brings it all to light and makes you laugh. Then it goes manufacturing capital of the world, distinguishes this mark. But formally, the three asterisks are the most potent
Kitchen Rats,” and requested further and adds the skull, complete with a cleaver and Though not precisely cutting-edge, it is worthwhile for its characteristic. In fact, if the word were spelled out, it
a mark that represented them bottle from the kitchen. It’s eye-catching, witty and use of what looks like real metal. The use of authentic would be a less interesting mark than it is now. Symbols
more accurately than the crest
bestowed upon them by the
produced very well. What more could you want?” elements, rather than computer-generated simulations, can replace letters in less rude words for the same effect.
league. adds tremendously to achieving a distinctive mark.”
“I wish I knew why the front wheel has those little black
“This mark is tattoo worthy. Love the skull resulting from shards—it is so atypical in this design that it should have
the negative space between the rats, and the kitchen meaning. Maybe if I’d seen the play, I’d get it.”
utensils as the skull’s eyes.”

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 Really Good Logos, Explained Chapter 1: Loud & Proud

This logo takes the ‘60s Filmore style and has a fabulously “This is a nicely drawn monkey—cheerful and
whacky time with it! The lettering is nicely drawn and welcoming. I love his face too; maybe Paul Frank could use
spaced, and the goofy containing shape is just wonderful. some help.”
I particularly like the feet.”
“Good, strong, iconc illustration; nice color choice. Will
“Playful and fun, but still beautifully executed. The ‘Austin work well at small sizes on the Web. I’d have engineered a
Powers’ logo was a very visible example of a psychedelic way to keep the linewidths on the paws more equal
logo poorly executed, but this—the colours, the type— (or even completely equal, natch).”
pulls it all together effortlessly. The ‘The’ slowly sinking
into the top is a lovely touch.” “Very fun and illustrative icon for an illustrative group. I’m
sure all their members appreciate an icon as fun as the
“Hilarious! This is more than just a logo for a puppet show; group’s name. I enjoy seeing this ‘little chimp’ much more
it’s also a strange little puppet itself. It’s very well executed than just seeing the acronym ‘LCS’ on their website.”
and will reproduce clearly on kids’ T-shirts, toys, games,
and, of course, puppets.”
Creative firm Creative firm
Glitschka Studios Glitschka Studios
Salem, OR Salem, OR “‘The’ is in the process of being absorbed by the
Client Client ‘Skrumps’—a delightful, kid-sensitive treatment. That
Jim Henson Company Little Chimp Society Henson’s Muppets caught the imagination of the
Industry Industry American television public in the mid-1960s is referenced
TV Production Illustration Marketplace in the funky psychedelic lettering and color combination.”

“This is the Godzilla of type treatments—big, fat and bold. “This logo is sweetly simple and nostalgic without being
I almost missed the drip the first time I saw it though. I complicated. It’s a perfect blend of type styles. It makes
think it should be bigger and ‘juicier’ to stand out and me miss linoleum and lemon meringue pie!”
contrast with the super-extreme, heavy-duty type.”
“For me, putting ‘the’ on the same baseline would have
“What makes this work is combining letterforms and an been better—either that, or centering the type on a
illustrative element in which the letters dominate, but the horizontal line—than reducing the ascender of the ‘h’ to
minor illustration adds the meaning. This has a slight ‘yuck match the cap height of ‘Curtis’. At the moment, the ‘the’
factor,’ and it really is an illuminaton of the word’s meaning doesn’t know which way to go.”
rather than an expression of the business’s actual purpose.”
“Wonderful simplicity and expressive typographic
contrast. It hints at vintage ‘50s/’60s design, and the colors
Creative firm Creative firm are impressive: orange and brown are closely related.
Atomic Design Korn Design
Crowley, TX Boston, MA “A design can be considered ‘done’ when nothing can be
Client Client
changed—even a little bit—without damaging the overall
Liquidator/Paula Monthie Sage Hospitality Group result. This is such a design.”
Industry Industry
Estate Sales Hotel

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