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Looking for an open design critique on a few logos. (Sorry, for some reason some of the logos seem blurry.)

The concept is software for the auto industry. The brand personality is about wisdom, high-end/royal and effective.

The middle logo was the first concept from one provider, the other two were from a different logo provider. This isn't a logo “set” that I'm working with… I'm just trying to see which one of these three to build off of.

  • Which font is the most legible?
  • Which mark is modern and memorable?
  • Which color scheme represents the brand values better?
  • Which logo style would work well at small and large sizes?

Which option is the best and why? It's okay to be straightforward, I appreciate any professional insight. Thanks. enter image description here

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    We have some Guidelines for critiques. "Open critiques" are not really a good fit for Stack Exchange sites as there can rarely, if ever, be a definitive answer to such questions. Face it "Which is better" boils down to opinion in most cases.
    – Scott
    May 16, 2022 at 20:26
  • Thanks @Scott, I added some more clarification on feedback. Open feedback is still helpful, but I see the value in offering specific feedback points.
    – Ryan
    May 16, 2022 at 20:31
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    Also voting to close this for the same reason, sorry. My tip: All three options have 4-6 graphical ideas in them. They are way too busy. For example in the first you have: A shifted centerline in the big A, a negative silhouette of a car in the big A, the front grill of the car in purple, two colors in AUTWO, three different fonts, 4 different colors in total. Ideally you should try to boil it down to just one or two graphical ideas in a logo.
    – Wolff
    May 16, 2022 at 20:37
  • @Wolff the middle logo was the first concept from one provider, the other two were from a different logo provider. This isn't a logo "set" that I'm working with... I'm just trying to see which one of these three to build off of.
    – Ryan
    May 16, 2022 at 20:46
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    None of these (including the name) resemble anything established high class stuff. Restart. Take something, which sounds "noble" like Grosmont or Bosworth. A two part name sounds even better, if the 2nd part is short. The design should be simple. An example i.stack.imgur.com/O7oFS.jpg BTW. The names are picked from historical maps.
    – user82991
    May 17, 2022 at 8:48

1 Answer 1

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More opinion than anything else ...

First... I initially missed the word "software for" in the question. After realizing that, I think all 3 of the designs fail at presenting that particular aspect entirely. I thought these marks may have been for a review site or a dealer. I had no clue, by looking at any of the 3 marks, that "software" was the company focus.

Left to right 1, 2, 3....

Which font is the most legible?

1 and 3 are the most legible. The reverse type of 2 (green) is a bad idea and there's not enough contrast between the green and black for that mark to work. I do feel the color choice is poor in all 3. Not because of the hues but because of the values. The green is too dark to be reverse. The purples are too light to be seen as prominent.

Personal pet peeve... using 1 type glyph and expecting it to be read twice. That's not normal behavior when reading and merely makes a mark less identifiable. #2 is using this a bit too much.

Which mark is modern and memorable?

"Modern" and "memorable" are very subjective terms and in the eye of the beholder. There's no rule which one can use to quantify either. In broad, general terms, to be "memorable" a mark needs to be fairly simple and easy to read. While #1 could be okay. If I had to choose one of them, I think #3 fits this best. Whether they are "modern" is another matter. What's seen as "modern" today may not be in 5 years. I think shooting for "timeless" is a better path in the long run.

Which color scheme represents the brand values better?

My personal opinion is that green is hard-pressed to pull off "high-end" or "royal". Not impossible, but takes concerted effort to be done well. Purples and blues are good for that, but not screened, washed out, purples.

Think of trusted services.... financial institutions, emergency services, etc,... blues and purples are most common ... especially blues. I suspect purple was used because if you search the web for "royal colors" you find an overwhelming amount of web sites telling readers purple is "royal". I don't really disagree, but the purple and black designations in these may not be best overall. The black outweighs the screened purples and the "royal" aspect doesn't come through.

Which logo style would work well at small and large sizes?

You can test this yourself by merely reducing the image. I also feel for logo design it's imperative to see forms in one color to get a better sense of balance and unity.

enter image description here

As you can see above #2 fails completely. The contrast is too low and that black box behind "cents" is too tight and reduces legibility. You can also see in the one color versions the name of the brand is the least prominent in all three designs.

While I think the iconography is okay, I think it's merely too overwhelming in #1 and #3. Actually the car in #1 is a bit too obscure to be effective. It could be enlarged to be made more prominent. It's a decent idea, but needs to be fleshed out a bit more.


Sidebar: I also think the name is somewhat convoluted... I get it... "two cents" where automobiles are concerned... but I can't help but think "AutoCents" makes for a better brand, of course then there's the cents/sense issue (this may not be change that can be made, I'm aware.)

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  • I also think it's a problem that the iconography mostly connotates "auto" and not really "software". It needs to somehow show the connection between computer and wheels.
    – Wolff
    May 16, 2022 at 21:30
  • Thank you so much for the feedback. It's appreciated
    – Ryan
    May 16, 2022 at 21:51
  • @Wolff :) I completely missed the word "software" in the question.... now that I'm aware.. I agree entirely. I was thinking this was for an auto dealer or auto review service/web site - Like consumer reports for cars.
    – Scott
    May 16, 2022 at 22:00
  • I would go so far as to say the company name itself is wrong for a software company. It very strongly makes you think precisely of review services, consumer reports, target group analysis, surveys, etc. – not software. May 18, 2022 at 8:27

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