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I've been working on an application that works as a remote control for a media player, over the web. The remote itself is an application that runs in your web browser, on your phone or on your tablet that allows you to control the playlist, playback and library management of a media player.
My logo idea for it was to merge the Wi-Fi icon with a compact disc, and below is the render:

Product Logo; Blue Wi-Fi icon merged with Compact Disc

I've been spending far too long staring at this now, and I think that it works quite well as a concept. However I feel that the colours could be chosen better, but I did receive comments that it looked a little like Spotify's icon when green.

Any critiques?

After reviewing suggestions, I have come up with this:

Updated Product Logo; Blue Wi-Fi icon merged with Compact Disc

Any additional critique?

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    seems like an opinion based post... reformat in the form of a non opion-based answerable question?
    – Phlume
    Mar 17, 2014 at 18:08
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    I'd say it's a critique question (which is on topic), but the more details you can add, the better. For example, why do you feel the colors are not right? What do you associate blue with?
    – Yisela
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:24
  • I don't agree with @Phlume but it is right on the line. You may want to look at our guidelines and then edit the question further meta.graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/672/…
    – Ryan
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:25
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    @Dominic - I tried this, but I couldn't get it to work in a way that made it clear enough that it was WiFi and a Play button. Shame really, as that's a neat idea.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 17, 2014 at 22:41
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    What exactly does wi-fi have to do with the web? I think people are fixating on the CD imagery without really thinking about the desired outcome. The wi-fi logo is loaded with a lot of recognition, very little of which is web-based.
    – horatio
    Mar 18, 2014 at 15:35

7 Answers 7

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The WiFi part was immediately obvious to me. I think what's hurting the recognizability of the CD is the gradient. If you've looked at other CD renderings, the gradient is angular, not radial.

enter image description here

via: http://www.psdgraphics.com/psd-icons/psd-compact-disc-cd-icon/

Here's what it might look like with an angle gradient (though I think a couple more color stops might help):

enter image description here

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    Very nice! This solves the gradient weirdness and it's quite subtle.
    – Yisela
    Mar 17, 2014 at 20:38
  • I like this idea, actually. I'll see how it looks in different setups.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 17, 2014 at 22:23
  • This is good - if you can use gradients, I'd suggest it'd be more CD like with an additional angled gradient (maybe light blue?) and slightly sharper edges to the gradients.
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Mar 18, 2014 at 14:33
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I like it! And once I read the post, I completely get the wi-fi + CD. Having said that, I didn't get the CD the first time. About the remote not being there, I think the wi-fi symbol is a clear enough message, I wouldn't change this to include a remote (it would deserve a different question too).

Something I have (very small) issues with is the gradient that goes darker as you go up on the wi-fi but sort of around in the CD. I do think it helps with the concept of "information coming out of the symbol", so I would leave the wi-fi as it is and perhaps work a little more on the CD. I'd even check what it looks like with NO gradient for the CD.

Have you considered adding the reflections most cds show? Because you are going for something quite flat, you don't need to create a realistic reflection, I was thinking something like:

enter image description here enter image description here

Source: Icon Finder

(Not exactly like the first image, as it actually looks like wi-fi waves :/).

The center of the CDs also have that double circle that is characteristic of them. I'm not sure how or if I would incorporate these, but it's an idea in case someone else mentions the CD might not be as obvious.

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    +1 you are going to need a little reflection for the cd. Having said that, is CDs not a little prehistoric these days? ;)
    – benteh
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:39
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    @boblet I went from cassettes to CDs, then to digital. Yesterday I brought a turntable. So perhaps CDs are ancient, but discs are back, and they have reflections as well, don't they? :D
    – Yisela
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:42
  • I think these are all pretty busy and get the music down really well but I've lost Wi-Fi and still don't have remote control.
    – Ryan
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:44
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    I did rack my brains trying to think of something more modern, but the only thing that came to mind was a cloud, and that'd be far too generic.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:47
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    Ah, I was a little unclear: the OP needs some reflection on the blue logo he made, to make it cd-ish. You have the reflections, @Yisela, but missing the wi-fi-remote-thing. Like the turntable, but I am methuselah.
    – benteh
    Mar 17, 2014 at 19:48
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Does this logo effectively portray the product?

Playing devil's advocate: Does it matter?

I'd say, no.

Logos do not have to portray the product in any literal sense--or quite often, any figurative sense. Take the Nike Swoosh. Or IBM initials. Apple Computer.

Point being, don't dwell too much on literal representation. Make sure the logo is relatively unique, works in the context that it will be used in, and doesn't mis-represent the product. Beyond that, it really does come down to aesthetic preferences (both yours, the clients, and hopefully, the end-customers most of all).

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    I would disagree, you are comparing a logo for a brand who creates many products to a singular product logo. Bear in mind this is for software and will likely appear on a user's Desktop it is important they create associations. Apple may just be an apple but the iTunes logo is quite clearly to do with music. The manufacturer logo can be ambiguous.
    – George
    Mar 18, 2014 at 11:34
  • @George - if you're thinking about an icon to represent a product then that implies completely different needs than a logo; it seems that this naming is creating some confusion, if a product icon is what you really need instead of a logo?
    – Peteris
    Mar 18, 2014 at 12:12
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    @Peteris Poppycock! Evernote, Firefox, IE, Chrome, Skype, uTorrent, Photoshop, Opera, VLC, MS Office... the list goes on, they are all the companies logo. Sure the icons vary system to system but they are all based on the logo. That's just minor semantics, this is software and you are giving advice that is generally bad for software. Hence why software often has its own branding second to the brand that creates it, because it has to be clear and purposeful.
    – George
    Mar 18, 2014 at 13:59
  • @George you're making wide sweeping generalizations. An app icon is not the same as a logo. It can be, but doesn't have to be. And even then, using say chrome as an example, it's clearly not any sort of literal representation of a web browser. There's nothing about the chrome logo that says 'web browser' literally or even figuratively.
    – DA01
    Mar 18, 2014 at 14:04
  • @George - Take a look at your own first example of Evernote - logo evernote.com/media/img/logo-new.png vs icon iphonedriven.com/sites/default/files/evernote-icon.png Of course they share the brand, but they definitely aren't "using their logo as the icon". I'd say it's exactly the opposite! For such software, you focus your branding on building a great icon first as the base for their brand, and then derive the logo from that. There are many, many good logos that couldn't ever be used as good app icons; so for software companies you have to keep in mind the difference.
    – Peteris
    Mar 18, 2014 at 14:07
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The CD is not reading well. The hole of the CD is the problem. You are using a blue circle as opposed to negative space. I think you need to rework this aspect of your logo.

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  • I've taken your suggestion and incorporated it into an updated design.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:22
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I like it. I think it works based on your concept and goal, and isn't at all too similar to Spotify's logo. Good work.

However, I'm not entirely sure I get "remote control" from it. Without know more about the product its hard to say though. Based on your concept of Wi-Fi combined with a compact disc though I think its very well executed. It certainly gives me music and Wi-Fi.

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  • Do you have any suggestions on how I would better achieve the "remote" aspect of my design?
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:23
  • I dont even know what its remote control for so no.
    – Ryan
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:48
  • Well, it's a remote control for a media player.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:49
  • My mouse is a remote control for a media player. Is it a mouse? My PS3 has wifi and a media player, are we talking about a PS3 and a new remote for it? Whats it look like? You have some vision and idea in your head but unless you can describe it to us (do so by editing your question not in comments) we have little way to help.
    – Ryan
    Mar 19, 2014 at 11:05
  • In which case, the remote itself is an application that runs in your web browser, on your phone or on your tablet that allows you to control the playlist, playback and library management of a media player. Question edited.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 19, 2014 at 12:15
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'Wi-Fi' is not a synonym of 'the web'.

When I saw that wireless insignia embedded in your logo, I would expect your app to do something to my wi-fi. A new app to connect to wi-fi networks, maybe an app that scans for Access Point information. If I had picked up that it was a CD maybe I would think it is an app that backups my wireless settings to external media.

Basically, my mind's eye immediately thinks 'local networks, it definitely has nothing to do with the internet'.

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  • It's definitely not a synonym of the Internet, however it is one for "Connectivity", which is what the app is about. I would be more than happy to try and integrate something other than the WiFi logo if you have any ideas.
    – Steffan Donal
    Mar 18, 2014 at 16:03
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it's not an iconic shape until it's reducible to a single color for all shapes, lines, etc. the 2 tones indicate conceptual incompletion. too me, the cd and wifi are not references from the same era. i would challenge you to basically portray "media player" aka linear timeline signal flux and "internet" in a singular shape

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