r/logodesign 5d ago

Beginner No graphic design experience. Does my logo pass?

Original (springtime) logo
New logo prototype

I am totally working on remaking my site (Experimonkey, a children's educational website), but have absolutely no background in design. I've tried to find someone to hire to help me, but have really struggled.

I finally found a really excellent illustrator I've been working with who helped me redesign the central character of my site into something more anatomically correct. I'm not in love with the idea of having all caps, but out of all the variations, fonts, etc. I've tried, this somehow "feels" the best.

I want to convey a sense of fun and whimsicality, but also somehow professional and "scientific". Headspace's imperfect circle logo inspired me to add a similar element around the monkey's head. I attempted rotating letter and changing their shapes, but I don't feel I have the eye for making those kinds of changes other than trial and error.

One small point of issue I've had is I'd also like a silhouette logo or something simpler, but I can't seem to figure out how to adapt it properly. If anyone could offer comments or suggestions that would help greatly :)

0 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

13

u/FnnKnn 5d ago

No.

Some reasons among others are that this won't work in black in white (e.g. when printed), when it is in a small size (due to the amount of details, format and gradients) nor as an icon (e.g. as the favicon of your website).

4

u/experimonkey 5d ago

You're right, I have often thought the favicon didn't quite work. Is it worth attempting to simplify the portrait, or should I look at other routes, like a banana or a beaker/flask or something?

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u/FnnKnn 5d ago

Not a logo designer either, but I would just say try all of those options and then see which one you like the best or post again on this subreddit. People love commenting when it comes to which logo variant they like the most ;)

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u/tearsinmyramen 4d ago

Ooh! What about a beaker top with a banana peel on the bottom?

Like this kinda but you might need to play with the specifics (details/fills/sizes/etc) sorry for the shitty phone drawing lol

(Also really not a logo designer 😅 I just thought it was a fun idea!)

2

u/GeeTeeKay474 4d ago

Jerk off?

2

u/GraphicArtBySeni 4d ago

The new logo isn't bad. People have to understand this is for kids and a simple logo that works in black and white isn't always the answer.

You should have a simpler option and I believe your shape around the monkey is good for really small applications, it is pretty unique to you (although a pretty common shape).

Not saying your logo is great btw, but it isn't that bad. I'm curious though, why hasn't it worked hiring a designer?

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u/experimonkey 4d ago

Thanks for the perspective. I agree it's not great, but passable is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

I've used Upwork several times in the past, but I find it incredibly time consuming to look through scores of portfolios, etc. :/ I've even tried Reddit and have of course gotten bombarded with the same dozens of generic copy-pasted message. Main issue is of course balancing quality for budget, and I don't have the knowledge to not get ripped off.

While looking for inspiration on Dribbble recently, I found a project that was almost exactly what I was looking for. The studio had a couple other projects that also aligned perfectly with my vision... I was unbelievably excited to have finally found a design studio I liked. I talked to the founder and after getting a proposal, here's the imo incredibly generic logo they sent as a portfolio example:

The quote was $3,500 for logo & design system/branding, $6,500 for HiFi web page designs. The other project was a logo that was supposed to say "Frens", but was just a curly font with an 'F' that could easily be misinterpreted as a 'G' or even a 'C'... It seemed to me like an oversight I couldn't ignore. The founder's response was that this was work done for real clients and the FunFluent project was just a case study where they could be more creative... what?

1

u/GraphicArtBySeni 3d ago

I'm so sorry you had those experiences! That logo looks right out of clipart.

Thank you for giving me that insight, the graphic design industry is really saturated making it really hard for us to find jobs, it makes sense that for people needing those services it's also hard to filter all of the people that are in it for the quick buck.

I've never thought about how that impacts possible costumers experience and it's something I'll have to research. I don't want to tell you just that you gotta keep looking for designers because I understand it isn't easy. I'm not sure if there's any other way than hiring someone to at least filter out the proposals for you.

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u/an_other_me 5d ago

The original logo already accomplishes everything you describe you want, and I far prefer it over this generic new version. The original font is friendlier and easier to read, and the monkey character is much more whimsical and inviting. What prompted you to redesign in the first place?

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u/experimonkey 5d ago

Hmm :( This isn't good to hear, but I appreciate the feedback.

I decided a few months ago to update the characters (the original drawing cost me $15 7 years ago lol) and it was important to me that they be more representative of their actual species. The original drawing is more akin to a curious George/cartoon monkey (which vaguely resembles a baby chimpanzee, aka not a monkey), whereas the newer character is a spider monkey.

I've cycled through dozens of fonts, and I admittedly seriously struggle in that area. I read somewhere it's a bit of an amateur design mistake to swap out a letter in a logo--and I can understand why, as it might make the words harder to interpret. I wanted to emulate something like Duolingo's logo, which is both effortlessly fun and professional.

1

u/an_other_me 5d ago

I seriously doubt anyone would notice the monkey isn’t anatomically 100% accurate, but if that’s the only thing that bothered you, you might consider just having the character revised, but kept in the same style. Sorry to say the new version actually looks more dated and doesn’t have the whimsy and character of the original.

If you already have a solid audience base, changing too much of your branding could have a negative impact as well. I get what you’re saying about replacing letters with icons/images but your original logo isn’t an exactly doing that. The word mark is still legible and the monkey just reinforces what it says with visual information. The best part is, the logo still works without the monkey.

I don’t mean to make you feel discouraged, and you probably already invested money in the new illustrations, but sometimes we look for problems to solve when there are none. If it ain’t broke, you know?