Hey guys and gals, I'm Mike Rundle and I head up the design of all things related to Business Logs and 9rules. You may know me from my personal weblog, phark.typepad.com, or maybe that negative text-indent image replacement technique. Now that we've got that settled, let's get down to business.
The new 9rules Network will be launching soon with two primary goals. The first goal is to provide readers with a variety of well written blogs on a wide range of topics all in one spot. The second goal is to provide writers of well written blogs a chance to reach a wider audience and potentially generate some revenue along the way. This community-like atmosphere is the main focus of 9rules — to have many different kinds of weblogs on completely different topics all brought together under one umbrella.
We're currently working hard on the infrastructure that will support this new network, but my immediate role in this entire thing is to design, design, design. We're not only launching a new website, but we're re-launching the entire 9rules brand as well. Since weblogs are the driving force behind 9rules, and Whitespace readers are some of the most well-informed bloggers in the world, we think that some design collaboration should be in order.
I see the 9rules network as a living, growing community of weblogs, and as such, I wanted the logo to represent something organic and changing. Weblogs are categorized based on topic, and then those categories make up the full network. This reminded me of leaves growing on branches, then branches making up the entire tree. So now that I've got my metaphor, it's time to start thinking about what I want to do with the logo.
The brands that come to mind when I think of "organic" design are Apple's iLife '05, BP, Jon Hicks' new logo, Adobe Creative Suite, and of course, Organic. Before starting this project, I've definitely seen all of these brands before and I'm sure they all weighed in on my creative process. I wanted a leaf-like logo, and to tie it into the domain, Paul thought I should have 9 integrated petals. So here's what I came up with:
I haven't even thought about the typography associated with the logomark yet (probably another entry!) so right now I just have the symbol. For smaller applications of the logo, as well as print work, the logo can be monochromatic and still have the organic look:
To be completely honest, this is the very first time I've opened Adobe Illustrator to produce something relevant. The Pen tool and I don't get along, so I was pretty reluctant to produce an illustrated logomark. Just like with all my designs, I rock them out analog style to start. I drew some concepts on my trusty Miquelrius notebook that integrated '9' and 'r' into a leaf design, but those just didn't cut the mustard. I started working with the logo in Illustrator, and just like all design work, it evolved into something different than what I started with.
I used the curve tool to make each side of the leaf, then used the Pathfinder palette to connect the two (thanks Mike!) into a leaf-like shape. From that I just duplicated, rotated, and re-colored to make the shape you see there. It originally was going to be completely green, but I thought adding color would help with the rest of the site's color scheme. Plus, the "budding into a flower" analogy worked with the overall strategy, so I went with it.
I started with some line drawings on paper with an idea in my head, and it turned into what you see above. Now that you know what went into the design, you can give some comments and suggestions. We're all ears.
Editor's Note: Mike will be traveling all day today (Monday) so I will try my best to answer any question until he gets to where he needs to get to.
Posted by Scrivs at April 4, 2005 12:24 AM
#1 | Number1
i can only count 8 petals, if there is 9, maybe each should be seperated by color, i think the yellow leaf should be halfed to show nine petals
#2 | Keith (http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/)
Looks very nice Mike. I too have issues with the pen tool and it's not for lack of effort. ;)
#3 | James Archer (http://www.fortymedia.com)
Nice work, Mike.
The little petals look a bit stunted, and it makes the whole logo look a bit off-balance, as if it wants to tip over. Maybe you could beef up the little guys, and then rotate the whole shebang a few minutes counterclockwise to make it less tippy.
#4 | Jason Marble (http://ocactive.com)
I like the concept. The colors seem pleasing. The two inside yellow petals could use a little more color seperation. It does kinda look a bit off balance as James mentioned, but it's not too bad.
I'd argue that the leafs seem a little stange or inconsistant. Try to show some consistancy with the color change in relation to the size of the leaf. It would almost appear, as you have it now, that the leaf should transition from red to yellow then green as it gets larger.
Overall, nice concept, pleasing colors, just seems a bit awkward in regards to the relation of the colors and leaf size. I'd maybe go for a walk in the park to draw a little more inspiration.
#5 | Britt (http://www.perhapses.com)
Excellent start. Illustrator! Curses! Take it into Pshop and add some bevels and drop shadows, baby!
Seriously, I would try a version with a more similar color palette. Work off slightly different hues for each leaf (I counted nine). I'd also like to see a version with thin outlines and leaf markings.
Get those on my desk by nine in the morning and you got the job.
#6 | Iasn (http://www.idowens.com)
I counted 9 originally, but after hearing others say they only counted 8, I can see how the yellow on the left would be hard to discern. Otherwise, the logo looks great; especially for a first attempt using Illustrator.
#7 | Kevin Navia (http://www.pixelpush.org)
True... never opened Illustrator unless that the stuff needs vector shapes or big resizes. I used to do work in PS and flesh it out right there then switch to Illustrator and paste the darn thing there and work with the pen tool!
Now, Illustrator is an indispensible tool for prototyping and final work. (Even with my limited $k1llz with the program.)
But hey, mangling your way thru it really pays off!
#8 | Mike P. (http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com)
Hey Mike, nice work. I'm with the others, in that the colors are nice but the yellow area could use some tweaking. It's a bit abrupt for my tastes.
Also, I would agree with James in that a little tilt CCW would work; it would make it seem more natural, I suppose, to have it tilted rather then straight up like that.
Exciting stuff, you guys must be stoked!
#9 | Peter Flaschner (http://www.peterflaschner.com)
The monochromatic version looks like a dove with a hard-on.
It also looks a bit tired I'm afraid. The leaf metaphor has been used so much lately - witness the inspiration you linked.
You guys have a bold new concept. Let's see a bold new logo!
#10 | Sunshine
Awesome concept and I really like the colors (except the muted yellow) On the same theme as most of the comments it seems off balance. I actually like the size and coloring of the smaller leaves and the largest one but the leaf group on the right seems out of place and secondary.
Maybe part of the balance issue is the size / placement of that right back leaf. Because it's larger the brain feels like it should be between the smaller leaves and the big leaf shape not in front and since it is in the front the brain (at least my brain) wants it to be smaller.
It seems even odder when it's monochromatic. My second glance (pre reading) had me wondering about the stunted canadian maple leaf. First glance was oohing at the pretty colors :)
#12 | Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am sure Mike will take all of these into consideration as he continues to tweak the logo.
Mike P: As stoked as a person to be and nervous as hell.
Peter: Interesting. I have always been fascinated by doves with hardons.
#13 | Adrian (http://www.boogenstein.com/)
I'm not sure about the leaf idea, it does seem to be very fashionable but not very original. Even Adobe have covered the boxes for the new programs with leaves! We'll soon not be able to see the web for the forest of foliage! Less validation and more hedge trimming!
#14 | Justin (http://kohwyj.xmgfree.com/blog)
Its a good concept, but logos usually have at most 4 or 5 "objects", which is a small enough number that people actually count. Take the Adidas brand; everyone knows its the three stripes.
With 9 parts in an irregular shape (the leaf), not many people will even know they're there (most likely they will see it as a red to green gradient, but not 9 parts exactly).
That's one thing that hit me that hasn't been mentioned before.
#15 | Andrew (http://kempt.org)
"Its a good concept, but logos usually have at most 4 or 5 "objects", which is a small enough number that people actually count."
people should assume it's nine because of the name. But even if they don't, it doesn't hurt the branding of a network.
#16 | Mike Rundle (http://www.businesslogs.com)
*Mike ducks an oncoming tomato*
Thanks for all the fantastic comments, I'm glad that it didn't just get knocked down because I know how rowdy you Whitespace readers are!
I realize that the leaf idea wasn't very original, but sometimes originality just doesn't strike you at the right time, and you end up designing something that just works for how you're using it. At least I didn't fill in the leaf with a stock image background to make it look 100% like an Adobe creation :)
I also didn't realize how big of a deal the 9 petals would be! As with most logos, the real metaphor and meaning behind it is usually lost on people unless they're instructed to look at certain areas or "keep in mind" certain aspects of it. Think of the FedEx logo .... did you know it has an arrow in it? Even if you didn't notice the FedEx arrow, or the 9 petals in the logo, it's not a big deal. The goal is to have the logo standup by itself without people recognizing the little hidden features, so if you were counting the petals that's fantastic too.
Peter: Now that I consciously made it look like a dove with a wang in my mind, I can't think of anything else, thanks!
#17 | Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
One thing you might want to be aware of if you plan to print anything with this logo on it, is that all the colors - save for one - are out of CMYK gamut. What this means, essentially, is that process inks cannot reproduce these colors. Also, only a few of them have a pantone equivalent which closely approximates what you have.
Like I said, this is only an issue if you plan on printing anything. But it is a consideration if you're looking to build a consistent brand which translates equally across any medium.
#18 | James Archer (http://www.fortymedia.com)
Mark's got a good point, and that's something you should probably plan for. This empire is eventually going to need some letterhead, after all.
The things we make as temporary fixes inevitably wind up overstaying their welcome -- it's best to plan for this in advance and put something together that will withstand the test of time.
#19 | Matthew Oliphant (http://businesslogs.com)
Then I think we need to use a fossilized leaf.
#21 | Mike (http://phark.typepad.com)
Well you can thank Scrivs for making the 9rules.com/images/network directory open ;) Oh well ...... thanks Yoko!
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