Critique - Logo design for a beer brewery

Question

I have made a logo design for a beer brewing company,

Ræit

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Background for the name

The name is based on the background of my surname, Reiten, and stems from the Norwegian word "Reit", which means "(a piece of) land/field". I wanted to use Æ instead of E to express that the company is from Norway, and also because it fits better with my logo idea (see next section).

Background of the logo

I wanted to combine the name Ræit, and a piece of barley in the name, the "Æ" is replaced by a glyph of a barley grain. I uploaded two different logos, using different fonts. Because I have some questions about the fonts as well (see next section). I want the brand to express nature, mountains, forests, fjords, cottage, Scandinavian, but I want the logo to be simple and recognizable. And this is what I came up with for the logo.

This one is using Modum regular

This one is using Newslab regular

I have a few quesitons:

1. Is the angles in the "Æ" too sharp? (See α in below image), making it too difficult to read the logo as an "Æ"?
2. I have not seen many brand names that incorporate the logo in the middle of the brand name, as I am doing with the "Æ". Is is poor logo design to go this?
3. I am not sure if it is a good idea to have the height of the "Æ" above and below the baseline of the font? (See orange line in below image)
4. If using the newslab font, will the font and main logo become too similar? I mean, there are only straight lines.
5. If using the modum regular, you get some more sleek, "rounded" corners on the letters, but I do not like the anit-aliasing on them, so you do not get that crisp font, but I am not sure if that is a bagatelle/trifle. I am also wondering if the contrast is too subtle, and a font with a bigger contrast is better or not?
6. I am not good with fonts, and I am having a hard time finding one that fits with the logo (the barley grain). I am open to a completely different font if you have any suggestions.

I am not a professional designer. And I only do this for fun, but I want to get you opinions on it.

Answer 1

Many times it happens, and it's very common in questions made here, that what is trying to show is only seen in the explanation and not in the image. In this case neither barley spike nor character Æ are perceived. The question:

A very common vice in us, the designers, is to create images from our memory when the logic work should be taking the real object as a starting point and make the abstraction from there.

In my opinion the lower case special character Æ resembles more the spike than the "Power Ranger" version ;-) and gives a good contrast with the typography.

Of course the logo is not finished, you have to solve this formula, but restarting the path again from another point of departure can give a very good result.

The favourable points of your logo as it is now:

1. You already have a concept basis, in graphic design it's practically 50% of the work done
2. The conjunction "origin & special character" is something I would try to enhance instead of masking with a failed pictogram.
3. The typographical choice seems to me a good option and I would look for the contrast with the pictogram, as it is now, the image is subordinate to the typographic shapes. I don't think this is the best option: the slab typography has too much personality and what your logo needs is more visual power in the image to compensate.
4. Find an adequate formal balance between the character and the barley pictogram, perhaps with more emphasis on the character. In fact, the use of color I think that largely solves this point

Answer 2

Is the angles in the "Æ" too sharp? (See α in below image), making it too difficult to read the logo as an "Æ"?

Yes, I have a very difficult time reading the logo with the Æ at that angle. It is very important that a logo/wordmark containing letters is instantly legible.

if you'd like to include a glyph in your name I suggest playing with the simplest letter in the company name, the "i". Here's a quick example of what I'm thinking. The Æ character is now much more legible.

Answer 3

I see a few issues...

1. Æ is not a commonly known, or pronounced, glyph - at least in the US. Yes, you see it at times, but it's not really that familiar to many people. For a logo which ideally would gain immediate memory traction, it's a hurdle from the start. (Be aware, designers [and Norwegians, Danes, etc] may be more familiar with the glyph than the average English speaker - Heck, I even use it in the following bullet.)
2. Obfuscating the Æ by attempting to convert it to a symbol or to represent something in an obscure, aesthetic, manner further decreases its recognizability. And it doesn't really matter what you are trying to convert it to. Any decrease in readability may be a bad thing.
3. Using the Æ in the name will immediately promote memory traction if it is recognizable. So, really, you are defeating the general purpose entirely by essentially hiding or disguising one of the ideal aspects of the name. If you see RÆIT -- it's memorable due to the Æ - so why hide that aspect??
4. E and Æ are pronounced differently. Are you certain you aren't changing how the company name is pronounced by altering the spelling? REIT I would read as "right". Where as RÆIT I would read as "rayit".

Looking at your samples, as others have posted, I perceive neither the Æ nor the barley.

I would suggest a different direction entirely.

For me, the last thing I would want less readable is the most unrecognizable part of the name, the Æ. So I would perhaps find a different manner of incorporating some symbology. If it is to be barley/wheat, then perhaps using the I not the Æ. And I'd probably speak to the client about using the Æ rather than an E to ensure they weren't concerned about pronunciation.

Answer 4

Might be worth adding some non letterform elements to reinforce the barley aspect, and contrast natural curvilinear forms with the rigidity of the text... don't take the font in my quickie seriously - I'm at a client site on a client machine without my typical array of fonts available - see the concept rather than the execution: both contrasting with and literally breaking the bounds of the letterforms makes the barley æ more dynamic, as does tilting its axis a bit.

Just a quick thought there; hope it helps.

Answer 5

Your grain-AE is solvable. Let it be dominant, not only a letter between the others. It's readable even as distorted if it's seen first.

You have also several other possiblities to lift up something traditional. There was an era well before the invention of gunpowder when Norwegians spended glorious days and did what they wanted (see NOTE1). You can probably quarry something from it.

NOTE1: At the expense of the others. Advanced seafaring gave to Norwegians operational mobility which made possible surprising attacks with overwhelming local superiority in all European coasts. Only fortified cities with permanent garrisons could resist.