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I made this design for a friend who has started his own Martial Arts gym.
He asked me to design him a logo, I made this over the weekend for him. I started off with hand sketching and then into Photoshop.
A bit different to glass work but still fun to create these logos.
Dave
combate-arena-small-print-1000.jpg (143.45 KiB) Viewed 26133 times
In one weekend? That was quick. Looks very good, like the flames also.
You just throw the nice designs out of your sleeve.
But as a sign man I have to make a little point in the message of the logo.
Where in the logo can I see that it is a Martial Arts gym?
Could be a logo for a sporting event or an fighting arena.
I am working on just a simple design which contains floral scrolls.
By not wanting to copy, it takes me ages to make something that I like.
Wish I had those quick design skills you thought and trained yourself through the years.
Dave, I have a huge level of respect for you and you work so it kills me to say this design doesn't make a very good logo. There is just to much going on here for the actual name to cut through and be memorable especially when presented in small sizes such as a business card or letterhead. In my opinion you could eliminate the colosseum, wreath, the "Je Suis Prest" triangle and the columns with the number "2" as I as the viewer have no idea why they are there.
If it were me, I would reduce the size of the "C A" block and the fist and glove while increasing the size of the "Karate" and "Boxing" ribbons. You could even go as far as removing the torches all together.
Sorry if that was harsh but I assume you posted this to get honest feedback. It's always easier to criticize than to create.
-Paul
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
Paul Jukes wrote:Dave, I have a huge level of respect for you and you work so it kills me to say this design doesn't make a very good logo. There is just to much going on here for the actual name to cut through and be memorable especially when presented in small sizes such as a business card or letterhead. In my opinion you could eliminate the colosseum, wreath, the "Je Suis Prest" triangle and the columns with the number "2" as I as the viewer have no idea why they are there.
If it were me, I would reduce the size of the "C A" block and the fist and glove while increasing the size of the "Karate" and "Boxing" ribbons. You could even go as far as removing the torches all together.
Sorry if that was harsh but I assume you posted this to get honest feedback. It's always easier to criticize than to create.
-Paul
I do not agree Paul. This style of design is totally is sinq with the modern trendy style of design. People who will go to this gymm are young clubbing people. And this design has the same air and feel of trendy club-flyers being hot at this very moment.
I know I will be kicked in the butt for saying this, but maybe the design books should get an epilogue since in our days of multimedia the eye and brain works differently then it used to, back in the old and clean days of design. The power of a design nowadays is to recognize it. This design is readable when it is up and close and it is surely recognizable when be seen from a distance.
It's great that you like it Erik, I was just putting in my perspective.
Trends are probably different in my backwoods country but that's irrelevant because a good logo should not respond to trends but be simple and timeless in order to be useful to the company in the broadest range of media for a minimum of 20 years. If this design was for a poster my opinion would be different. Lets just say I wouldn't want it embroidered on my parka.
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
I understand your perspective, but if you want to get the attention of the public who would be interested in this get into their skin and make what they want to see.
It is the same as with chocolate, in earlier days one would make a design with a picture on how big the factory is, how the cacao beans look like, nice curlies etc.
Nowadays the big advertising companies studied the mental flow of specific customer groups and they would advertize chocolate with fire, seduction, big beautufull eyes, pearly white teeth and red lipstick taking a bite in the luxurious food of the devil.
Here a few links which I believe contains the look and feel of the supossed fighting scene:
Never the less I agree with the fact that the design does not exhibit its purpose of informing people of a gym.
I would say that there is a number of elements going on but that
in itself doen't in my opinion make a design ineffective. Dave did
understand where the combat sports originated, hence the
Athena theme. It could also be said that Alphonse Mucha had
a bit going on also but his works performed like magic.
Hope you don't mind Dave but I took you graphic and grayscaled
it to see how it read. Everything works I would say.
I can sure see how these instense designs we are able to produce
would give certain people fits, i.e. embroiderers.
Just one question Dave. Do you ever sleep?
Mark
Attachments
combate-arena-small-print-1000.jpg (64.07 KiB) Viewed 26046 times
Thanks for all your opinians guys I will certainly take it on board. The actual end use will be the main wall area in the gym and either side it will say Mixed Martial arts, wrestling etc that part will be signwritten onto the wall. As for the wording I think it reads well enough and the name also is readable. The guy who runs the club wanted a coliseum and a boxing glove and a karate sleave and his dads saying JE SUIS PREST. which I think means (are you ready) so to try and bring it all together in one go was kind of difficult but I think it looks ok and works for his business. Alot of kids will be training in this gym and he wanted the design to stand out with all these elements and look bright etc.. Thanks for the advice Paul . Out of interest and maybe turn this post into a design topic on how other people would have tackled this. what would you have done Paul? and others? I forgot to say that the main text and letters will be on its own as a logo for cards and front badges on the chest area of a t-shirt but the main design will go on the back .
Thanks for the interest and no worries Paul everyone sees things different so don't apologise.
Dave
Just to be clear, I never said it was a bad design, just that the design is not a good logo.
I think what you have done Dave would make a fantastic mural. However, a mural, pair of shorts, flyer, poster etc. is not a logo. A logo needs to be adaptable so that it can be incorporated for use in any and all of these things.
For example, This is a logo.
coca-cola_logo_script.jpg (78.81 KiB) Viewed 26015 times
And this is how that logo can be used in other mediums and translated into other fashions and trends over its lifetime.
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coca-cola-posters-91_thumb.jpg (44.81 KiB) Viewed 26013 times
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As for an example of what I would have done Dave I'll bite. Here's a very quick Photoshop hack.
combat.jpg (42.95 KiB) Viewed 26014 times
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
Paul. no worries .. my fault ,I probably should of worded the post different.
Here is the front Logo for his T-shirt badge . which as you say is more like a logo
Anyway he likes it so that part I passed with flying colours... Thanks for the input..
Dave
combat-full-size-badge-300ml-highlogo.jpg (119.56 KiB) Viewed 26030 times
To me it actually reads better in b&w than it does in colour.
The one thing that bothers me is the redundancy of the "Je suis Prest" (which actually means "I am ready" in French) appearing twice on the image.
I agree with Paul that it is a bit too much for a logo, but the center part of the image extracted works great where a simpler logo is called for.
All in all, pretty cool!
I believe there is no shame in failure. Rather, the shame lies in the loss of all the things that might have been, but for the fear of failure.
It's not a logo Henry,we decided it is now a design for a mural, the simplar design is the logo for the front of his shirts...I worded the post wrong But what you have done is more like a logo and looks good.
I like the slant to the hands and flames.. Thanks for your input. Kelly I like that in black and white also,probably could slightly darken the outer areas of the colour version.....
Thanks
Dave
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads