Got bored today and took on the task of rebuilding my logo for my graphics business. This is based off my first one when I started doing business cards 3 years ago. 6 hours into it already. Probably got another 30-40 to go. All done hand with tools from the tool box, no filters, 1 outside source the earth png. that I had made years ago.

Is the fish half empty or half full?

Why is the fish spitting after eating the earth?
I am not sure I understand the logo. What is the business-name?

Duh! Guppy Spews Graphics Inc.

dude, that is not a logo

Your're right, it is not a logo. It's a part of a logo.

whatever!!

He's right. That's not a logo.
Simplify it.

And remember, an effective logo must be sharp, cool, clear and understandable even if he's downsized to a very small format.

And he has to be clear even in single color mode (black and white).

That being said, I prefer vectorial logos.
Good luck.

check out this link for reference:

http://layersmagazine.com/artistic-expression-logo-design-from-start-to-finish.html

Thanks for the link.

This was just a business card at first, just something to pass out. Then it blew up in my face. At small scale (business cards) its just a fish spitting water, on a 10ft banner is where the details come out. I love vector work, don't get me wrong. But PS is where its at. My logo file like this is built at 12" x 24" at 400dpi CMYK. I build once at high dpi and use the image for everything. All the decals I do are 350dpi at scale.

Unfortunately I created this after I learned PS and before Graphic/Marketing classes. By the time I actually learned how to make a proper logo this was already established as my logo. If I change it I lose my name recognition. Everyone one locally knows the Dreamers Graphic fish spitting water and everybody that I designed for on ebay knows it also (mostly Ford decals, yes there licensed). And everyone knew where my store was at, most had no idea what I did, they just knew it said dreamers and had a fish spitting water. I would get 2-3 walk ins a week just from my fish spitting water alone to see what kind of store it was.

I enjoyed doing graphics for awhile. Business got so crazy from ebay I had to close my website, not enough hours in the day for me to keep up. Was working 16 hours a day 7 days a week. 40 sq ft run of decals every 2 days. Sold a little over 700 decals on ebay the first month. I pretty much lived in my store. Came to the point I had to make a decision. Try to keep up with the craziness of online sales only, or just do a job or 2 a week locally while doing Masonry restoration as a full time job. I picked the 2nd one. I usually make $60 a sale for business cards, last week was a tri-fold, bi-fold, 5 sets of cards, magnets, and a banner. I made a grand off of that deal in 3 days work.

I would love to meet someone with a passion for illustration or design. If I could have found a partner for my business I would have did websales. Had all the papers done for a new 8 color printer, cutter, and laminator. Rate I was going, probably could have paid off $40k in equipment in 6 months. I'm happier, healthier, and less stressed since I quit. Get to run and hit the heavy bag in the mornings now, and hang out with my freinds and kids on the weekend.

My brains wired to be a Illustrator, not a designer.

I'm dyslexic, bi-polar, and partially color blind. Its a blessing I can do this at all.

I name it dreamers graphc designs before I knew what I was doing was illustrating and it stuck. I had no plans of opening a store, or doing it full time. I'll be the first to admit, I am not a designer, I'm just another piece of shit with PS and a computer, but I can illustrate.

Attached are a pic of my first log design, yes its rough, and some of my ford illus. and such. This is just a very small sample, had over 100 different designs I was selling, every thing was made in the span of 2 months.

Pic of my card front:

Pic of my ford logo decal

Wheels caps I made

Cobra's

Shelbly wheel badges

Poni's

Car club decal for some guys in Italy

2 foot refectve cut out cobra

Refective DC/Monster

Ford grill insert in red

500 wheel inserts (reflective)

Stripes on a gt 500

Wheel inserts

truck flames

black silver insert cover up

See thru back window

BJ faux gas cap insert and steering wheel insert

Circle track car wrap

Decals I had to keep I had in stock in my store for ford ebay sales, this is just 1 wall.

Anyone looking to start selling some graphics here's some info for you.

Paper products - gotprint.net join the broker program, best prices and print quality.

Plastic cards - UVcards.com join the broker program also. Excellent product finish.

Decals - find a local car wrap business and discuse sq foot prices and materials for decals, you will have to make you own cutline. Decals need to be cut to shape and laminated. Look for a 4 color, preferably 5 color printer.

Market thru ebay. Post decal designs for sale. After they sell print them. People will tell you what they want.

0_o

Eye twitch...

But... That's not...

...

...

THAT'S NOT A £U$&ING LOGO!!!



Logo's are supposed to be simple symbolisms scalable and visible at smaller sizes.

You scale that down to 16px by 16px you know what you will see...
FUCK ALL!

Why 16 px by 16 px you ask?

See that URL bar across the top of this website?
Your logo is meant to act as a favicon on your website.

You do have a website right?

Here is a gallery of favicons.


You see there is nothing inherently wrong with a large detailed and complex version of a logo, but it has to be scalable down to it's simplest elements because you will be printing it on everything like, batch processed business cards and possibly key rings or badges.

The smaller it gets, the less detailed it will have to be, if you try to keep the detail, nobody will recognise your logo.

--------------

Next Symbolism.

Your logo has to be synonymous with you and the best way to do this is to design it with this in mind.

I wonder what the logo for Shell is?
Maybe the logo for BadRobot...
What's Batmans symbol?
The Flash perhaps?

These are logos that mean something and as such they are easy to anchor to a product.

You might be inclined to think... Wait Pixar's lamp doesn't relate to pixar, but the lamp was Pixars first animation project and they were the forerunners in their field, it's a mascot for the company which brings me to my second point.

Nobody knows your stupid mascot unless you are a forerunner in your field.

You are always shit at logo design until you sit down and actually think about what you want your company should be shown as and what the simplest most scalable symbol represents it. Never mind the materials, never mind the colour just yet.

Right now your symbol is.
A fish with the world inside it.

Does your company fish for anything?
Do you fillet fish?
Is your company fish for jobs?
Do you have a fleet of fishing boats?
Is your company called fish for the world or something with fish/world connotations.
Do you sell goldfish from around the world.

If the answer to the above is no, why is your logo a fish with the world in it.

Your business is what... "a graphics business"...

Jee-zuz... I hope it's called WorldFishSpittingOcean Graphics or your screwed.

Guess I don't know what the f*ck I'm doing. I'll close my business right now. Thank You

ground zero... they are all right!! your logo have to be simple and needs a sense

the name of your business is "dreamers", right? but I dont associate a fish, water and a earth with dreamer...

for example: you know the company "dreamworks"?
brainstorming: if you are dreaming --> its night --> moon


http://layersmagazine.com/artistic-expression-logo-design-from-start-to-finish.html

thats exactly the way, I've learned logo design at school

don't be dramatic now, Marx-man pops in once every year to post something similar, i don't think it's personal, you're just out of luck to have been chosen. Just out of curiosity, did you have permission to sell other company logos on decals? I ask because doing something like that would be illegal over here in Italy.