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Been working on an icon for a blog called Bitcrate which focuses on tech/media stuff. First off, what I have so far:

Bitcrate

I didn't want to do some rehash of playing off computer 'bits' but thought the motif of the crate actually having been 'bitten'would be interesting-- the two ellipses protruding on the left are meant to be hinges or flaps that you might see on a crate, albeit a little more bent.

So two questions:

1) How would you improve the core image? Do I need to tweak some of the anchor points/handles?

2) To you, is the concept even good or DOA?

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I agree with a lot of the comments. I like the art style I don't think you should change it - I think that the perspective needs to be adjusted like below.

The white line is optional - I guess it depends on how your design finishes up. I prefer subtle so if you don't need it to accent the crate I'd leave it out.

I also think that the letters should be improved but not made glaringly obvious. I think you are on to something cool here. I played around and as seen below I got something that resembles a non-symmetrical butt :) I messed with a few other ideas but I actually prefer the way yours is developing over any others. At first glance I though of jigsaw pieces. I think you have an opportunity here to develop your logo into (as John mentioned) something similar to the arrow in the FedEx logos, or the A-Z smile in the Amazon one.

enter image description here

Good luck with your design - I hope I've given you some more food for thought.

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    hm, the white line made me first mistake it for a razor blade for some reason...
    – Tobias Kienzler
    Feb 28, 2014 at 9:42
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A few thoughts:

  • It took me a while to notice the B C letters in the logo.
  • The straight lines should follow the perspective of the crate.
  • Crate-ness could be improved.

I sketched a little something below, take from it what you will:

  • Characters is 8-bit-ish.
  • Crate is 2 tone.
  • Still has a 'bite' metaphor, but more legible letters.
  • Perspective is followed.

enter image description here

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  • sorry @rafd, I prefer the original, even if it is ambiguous. But that is just my opinion of course. The two tone however is a good technique to help establish the 3D form though.
    – John
    Feb 27, 2014 at 21:46
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    This is very strong, unfortunately in my book it gives me associations to html5/css3 logo.
    – benteh
    Feb 27, 2014 at 21:52
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At first glance, I miss the "crate" object, my brain identified it as a pillar. Perhaps if it was more square (less rectangular) it would be more recognizable.

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  • It would be more recognizable if it were square - I was going to mention it, but I actually like the vertical proportions. Seems to have a modern flavor IMHO.
    – John
    Feb 27, 2014 at 22:00
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It is a good strong, shape, but I confess that I did not get the bitten-thing, nor the hinge. I do however got the crate. To me, the white negative shapes sort of looks like puzzle pieces (eh.. at least one of them). You could of course play on that assosiation... bits and pieces --- puzzle pieces --- crate. But it might be a little far out?

I like the idea of "bit + crate", but maybe simplify a little, and maybe highlight the crate element - stylised of course. Warning: this is a very crude sketch, just to get the idea. enter image description here

To me this is what a crate is. I am not at all saying you should make it like this, I am just thinking of proportions. What you have is a good strong shape, it will probably work well in recognition, but I am unsure as to wether people will "get" it.

enter image description here

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  • I like the shape of the crate, the perspective is much clearer. But the bites were also the B anc C (to be honest, I missed it at first, so it might not be that clear either), and that gets lost in this design.
    – Yisela
    Feb 27, 2014 at 20:51
  • true - i am aware of that, i skipped the b c entirely. Might have a slightly more sophisticated idea.
    – benteh
    Feb 27, 2014 at 20:52
  • I think once the perspective is fixed, it will be more recognizable as a box. A box is less of a stretch to crate than a cross-section of a steel pillar.
    – John
    Feb 27, 2014 at 21:42
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Design is subjective, but this looks like a classy logo to me.

Only minor suggestion is to smooth out the smaller circles. Because they are almost round, they draw the eye unwantedly. Make them either oval (like the big one), or round, not almost round.

Also, instead of playing with the anchors on the two smaller circles, try using the pathfinder tool to crop out a pure circle/oval shape.

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  • thanks for the feedback! I had used the pathfinder tool initially, but I was trying to create a 'skewed' look for the circles so they look like they're following the perspective of the crate
    – GPP
    Feb 27, 2014 at 19:09
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    @GPP Try using the transform skew tool instead of doing it by hand. Also, I didn't see any perspective at first - my eye instantly assumed a flat shape (like a cross section of a steel beam). This is because your cutouts don't match the perspective direction of your sides. Try creating the whole panel half with the cutouts, then use the 3D tool or skew to create the perspective. That will keep your circles and sides perspectively aligned.
    – John
    Feb 27, 2014 at 19:21
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    I like the idea of making the C look more like an actual bite (with teeth).
    – Shawn
    Feb 27, 2014 at 19:29
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    Nice work! The "B" is reading as a "3" to me, though.
    – LindaCamillo
    Feb 27, 2014 at 20:12
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    Wow - I didn't see the "BC" in there either. Maybe it is one of those shape tests ("What does this look like to you?"). I guess I failed! Clever logo - reminds me of the arrow hidden in the Fedex logo...
    – John
    Feb 27, 2014 at 21:39
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Love the idea that you are working on, and I actually caught on to the B & C at the first glance. My two cents:

  1. Lose the protruding edges at the top and bottom, most crates don't have them

  2. The width MUST be wider than the height. Right now it looks more like a podium (used to give speeches). Increasing the width should help.

  3. As someone suggested, the B at times does resemble a 3 so try using a different font.

  4. The perspective of B and C must blend with the crate (as someone already suggested)

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  • thanks for the feedback-- I have been doing some other work but I've been doing some sketches intermittently around this subject today. I feel a little 'cheap' saying this, but I didnt base the B or the C on any specific font, but just the abstract shapes we associate with these letters regardless of most normal fonts
    – GPP
    Feb 28, 2014 at 6:54

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