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Problem / Question:

I designed a logo for a little project I just began contributing on, but there's a problem:

enter image description here

The F was unbalanced, meaning there was no way I could use this logo on rectangular button or shape. Ultimately the balance makes it a poorly designed logo.

I've been working for hours to balance this thing, but I simply cannot figure out how to create an "F" that is balanced with the "I" & "X" using the style shown here (this is horrid):

enter image description here

Is there any way that I can achieve symmetric balance with the letter F in this style?

How should I proceed after hours of not finding balance in this design?

Result after building upon advice here:

enter image description here

Note: I'm still not liking the balance / shape that I've achieved. I'll keep trying.

Thanks to everyone who helped here, and feel free to chime in in the future with advice that might help others with this kind of problem.

This is posted as an answer, but just to make sure everyone sees it:

I think the lesson I learned from this may benefit others in the future:

When it just isn't working, try re-thinking your design.

Sometimes it's good to just play it simple. Although the simplest solutions can often be the hardest to reach:

enter image description here

While this isn't related to the question directly, it's indirectly important: I kept working a design that didn't seem to want to be what I needed.

In the end the answer was to revisit my objective and ask: Am I trying to create something because I like the style, or because it's the right style for the job at hand?

The answer was obvious in this case.

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  • @MrE.Upvoter What do you mean? I used / built upon the advice given in the accepted answer (see the second image).
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 18:41
  • @MrE.Upvoter so you're saying I was supposed to just put the project away and stop thinking about it the moment I posted my question? I took advice from answers, and ultimately used it to improve my understanding of how to fix this kind of problem. Ultimately, I learned an important lesson here and decided to share it, under "Addendum:". Hopefully others will benefit from this question in that respect, in fact, I'll post it as an answer. Thanks for your time.
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 18:48
  • 1
    @MrE.Upvoter to me, this was not brainstorming. To me, this was a serious design that I had worked on for many many hours and believed could be the perfect logo if I could figure out the right balance. I can't help it that I learned a valuable lesson and decided to pursue the solution I had learned in the process. Again, thank you for your time. Have a great day.
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 19:00
  • why not flip-flop the "i"? instead of slanting the top left and the bottom right, try slanting the top right and the bottom left.
    – user32966
    Oct 30, 2014 at 20:59

5 Answers 5

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Can you use one of the front slash line from the x letter and work something out with that? It could give the logo a nice flow. My suggestion is a 5 minute work with bad proportions, but it might give you an idea of something....

enter image description here

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  • Note that I appreciate the effort, (thank you) but the reason this was not selected as the answer is that it showed me that the F could not work. This isn't balanced, and can't be with any change while remaining readable. So my answer expains the solution that your answer helped me to get to.
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Nov 2, 2014 at 21:22
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Here's a quick take on your original idea using the same lines as the X to create balance and combining parts to reduce the overall size of the logo.

Personally I believe logos should come down to the simplest form possible to create a striking presence.

condensed logo idea

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  • One problem: Everyone who isn't looking for "Fix" sees "AX"
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:27
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Maybe smaller horizontal line on f now, with less space between letters :)

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0
-1

I think you could just work with the F that you have and adjust the other letters. A quick cut/paste fiddle around, reveals to me that it has too much space between letters, and imo, the whole thing would flow so much better if the I was italic - I also flipped it horizontally.

I made a quick square mockup, don't really know what to write, the picture says most of what I can offer.

enter image description here

The change of colour is a result of the blending modes used to get it to an acceptable state of example in the quickest possible time.

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6
  • Wow that's so much better... I just need to get the hand of brainstorming different possibilities. I mean I spend hours going through logo possibilities, find something that looks good but turns out not to be right, but it turns into a 8-10 process before I find a result that I like. And then I usually decide I dont like it after all and mess with it until I've gone a completely different route.
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 2:45
  • Take solace in the fact that no world famous branding was developed on the first try and within a day. The best advice I can give is here: When/how to stop brainstorming new ideas and move on when there is no clear frontrunner? I've never produced a logo I was overly proud of, but also bear in mind, we are our own worst critics. Just keep trying, and learning, and trying more.
    – Dom
    Oct 30, 2014 at 3:03
  • It's funny that you link that post; It's five months old but I noticed I had been the first to comment on the top answer.
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 5:52
  • Very unprofessional thinking you have there sir. 1) I don't hold grudges; I don't remember whatever you're talking about (this is always the case - I don't hold onto altercations). 2) I awarded you the accepted answer before realizing I had already awarded it and put it back. 3) Who on Stack Exchange takes it as personal offense when the OP doesn't up-vote their answer? Perhaps I forgot? Hmm...
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:37
  • Well aren't you just a negative dramatic person :)
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:58
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I think the lesson I learned from this may benefit others in the future:

When it just isn't working, try re-thinking your design.

Sometimes it's good to just play it simple. Although the simplest solutions can often be the hardest to reach:

enter image description here

While this isn't related to the question directly, it's indirectly important: I kept working a design that didn't seem to want to be what I needed.

In the end the answer was to revisit my objective and ask: Am I trying to create something because I like the style, or because it's the right style for the job at hand?

The answer was obvious in this case.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    Slightly off-putting to ask a question. Get answers which clearly show effort, then award yourself the answer for something completely different than what the question asked. Hence.. my down vote.
    – Scott
    Oct 31, 2014 at 18:05
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    @Scott I selected it as the answer because it was the answer to my problem. Simple as that. "How should I proceed?" The answer was "It's not working as is. An F can't perfectly fit there. It gets close but not in a way of being obvious. I had to re-think the design."
    – CuriousWebDeveloper
    Nov 2, 2014 at 21:13
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    I would disagree with "fundamentally impossible to balance that f".
    – Scott
    Nov 2, 2014 at 22:49

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