Critique: Improving logo so that it is more conservative/professional?

Question

I am building a logo for a company building generators powered by bicycles. Target market is both personal and business-oriented.

Here are a few different iterations of I've come up with so far. Please pardon the color schemes (I know some of them are probably garish):

I tried to incorporate elements like a bike wheel and lightning bolt, but feel that the logo can be improved in terms of layout. The logo seems crowded and messy. Right now all the versions I've created appear rather juvenile (closer to something on a teenager's skateboard than a logo for a professional corporation).

How can I make this logo appear more professional?

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend using a photograph that has been filtered for a logo. A photo is a great place to start for inspiration, but there is too much detail for a logo and those spokes would get lost at a small size. Logos are often used at small sizes so make sure your design is readable at all sizes. Also, it should read well in both black and white and color.

There are a lot of great books out there about logo design. I enjoyed http://www.logodesignlovebook.com/

Answer 2

I think you want to re-think a little. As others have said, that wheel is not really a good thing. Too complicated, too detailed, not really descriptive.

Since this is a company that makes generators powered by bicycles you want to tone down the pushbike/unicycle association.

The lightning bolt and the blue "splashy" background is too cartoon-ish: it belongs to those vintage comic books with "POOF!" "BAANG!" images.

The point of a bicycle is transportation. The point of a generator is electricity.

So see if you can go with the idea of powering (something). Do not get too literal: you do not need a guy on a bike connected to a lightbulb.

What I would do:

I would take the company name and primarily work with that. Often a much better place to start than with a blank canvas. Make the name recognisable, simple, elegant. And if it is possible to add graphics with elegance do that. If not, stick with a clear, identifiable name-based logo with possible blurb.

Answer 3

As @user27606 said, do not use a photograph directly for the logo... There is way too much details (see the thin spokes? That won't come out well when the logo is resized). What you can do is make a simple thin tyre (torus) which represents a cycle tyre, or maybe the Gear, and add the lightning-bolt to that...

Answer 4

"logo for a company building generators powered by bicycles"

If the first two images say anything they'll say that you sell tires for bicycles. That makes even less sense because why would a bicycle powering a generator need a rubber tire and spokes? I've seen a generator powered by pedals (it worked a blender) and the chain just went to a gear, like an exercise bike.

Using a lightning bolt to mean power is really not modern. I looked on Google Images for "electric bike logo" and there are a lot of plugs on them. Which might be cool except there's a lot of those. Though I actually like this:

http://image.naldzgraphics.net/2012/03/4-Electrobike.jpg

Just noticed there's a kind of lightning bolt in there, but it isn't obvious. Anyway, if you think about it, that looks more like a logo.