Logo Contest Finalists

[Thalzon]

I'm actually quite fond of GEC05's.

As am I.

Thirded.

[Nova]

I'd go for José, billybandit, Blitz Lunar, or GEC05. Here are my opinions in each piece.

My top 4:

José's is very clever, I didn't even notice the staff at first. However, I would like to see a different font and more colour.

billybandit's is excellent colour wise, and is simple. However, it's almost too simple.

Blitz Lunar's looks very nice, and has been done very well. However, it is slightly unoriginal (Guitar Hero guitar?). I like the white+black+red effect, though I think it needs a little more colour.

GEC05's has a very nice 3D affect, and the control pad is cool. However, it doesn't have any "core" theme to it, as in, a symbol you can relate to VGMusic with.

Other contestants:

umxprime's looks extremly cool. However, the font might be a little difficult if someone was not to know what it is, and it also lacks any symbols, period.

Cyberthief's has a nice appeal to it, though it's slightly too complex in shape, yet too simple in design.

Porygon7's is nice, though too plain IMO.

[DrZaius]

Lunar's and Porygon's images are also pretty good on their own in my opinion, but I don't think they look as good attached to other things, like the website's main page or on t-shirts or on... coffee mugs, as José's.

[Kurtis]

Since I've posted my feelings in #vgmusic already, I'll just recap here in the order of the initial announcement post:

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While José's is perhaps the most creative and possibly also most visually appealing, I just do not see it working integrated into a website design. Sure, it'd work on a T-shirt just as the logo by itself, but I just can't see how it'd work on a website without being detached from the content - there's just too much white space. In any case, as others have said, that font must go.

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billybandit's idea works, but I just think it's a bit too unrefined. I don't really have any more comments about it.

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Lunar's... no, for several reasons:

1. He said it himself - it's a rip-off
2. It's just a violin with Photoshop's cardboard cutout filter run over it and with a few simple shapes added to the face of it.
3. It's a bit too grungy for the content of the site, I feel.
4. It too wouldn't integrate too well into the actual design of the website, similar problem as to what I see with José's.

Not to mention that I do find it a bit conflicting in interest to allow an administrator of the website to enter such a contest. It leaves plenty room for bias, especially when he can vote for himself.

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umxprime's is a bit too simple. It's just a website banner, really. It wouldn't work on its own too well, even if it is visually appealing.

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GEC's is by far my favorite. I realize that it shows virtually nothing related to music other than overtly stating it, but it is visually appealing, and it indeed could be easily integrated into a website design. It would also work as a standalone graphic.

Personally, I'm not immediately reminded of Penny Arcady as The Sorcerer is. I see quite a distinction.

I like that the colors themselves are reminiscent of those used for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but to be more console-neutral, those too could be changed, especially to work into the possibility of having multiple, switchable site themes.

The digital control pad could even be thought of as a "+" almost, as in saying "Video Games + Music!" Perhaps it would have been better if a set of headphones or something was dropped over it in a similar graphics style, but I like it as it is. How many bands do you know of that integrate musical icons into their logos? I know this site isn't for a band or anything similar, but "video game" is certainly its genre. Genre or theme is what is most important to me when considering a logo for such a site.

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I mean no offense to the other two entries who passed, but I honestly do not see how they made it to round 2 of voting. They are quite rough in appearance, and I don't see how either could be used as a standalone graphic or as an integral part of a site design.

[solis]

GEC's is good to me because it does indeed state the obvious, but for some reason feels at home here. Some of the others were well done, but just way to fanboy or cliche in my opinion.

[talking_chicken]

Hmm. Once we get a winner, could we still get the other logo designs as T-shirts or something (with artist approval, of course), sold through the store? I'd probably buy José's or Lunar's on a shirt even if it didn't win.

GEC's is by far my favorite. I realize that it shows virtually nothing related to music other than overtly stating it, but it is visually appealing, and it indeed could be easily integrated into a website design. It would also work as a standalone graphic.

Personally, I'm not immediately reminded of Penny Arcady as The Sorcerer is. I see quite a distinction.

I like that the colors themselves are reminiscent of those used for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but to be more console-neutral, those too could be changed, especially to work into the possibility of having multiple, switchable site themes.

The digital control pad could even be thought of as a "+" almost, as in saying "Video Games + Music!" Perhaps it would have been better if a set of headphones was dropped over it in a similar graphics style, but I like it as it is. How many bands do you know of that integrate musical icons into their logos? I know this site isn't for a band or anything similar, but "video game" is certainly its genre. Genre or theme is what is most important to me when considering a logo for such a site.

After reading this, I definitely thought about this logo a lot more highly. I could definitely see this working. My only problem with it right now, and it's probably nothing in the end, is, while the logo looks cool and it would definitely work on the website, I'm having trouble associating it with *this* website instead of just a generic logo about video game music. Not only is "video game music" just three dictionary words put together, it's also a fairly common term these days. If you saw this on a shirt and you hadn't seen the logo before, would this website be the first thing you think of, or at the very minimum, would it connect to add a .com to the end of it and find out there's a really awesome web site there?

I'm probably just nitpicking, and it probably doesn't matter in the end. Just two cents, that's all.

[Blitz Lunar]

1. He said it himself - it's a rip-off
2. It's just a violin with Photoshop's cardboard cutout filter run over it and with a few simple shapes added to the face of it.
3. It's a bit too grungy for the content of the site, I feel.
4. It too wouldn't integrate too well into the actual design of the website, similar problem as to what I see with José's.

Well the cardboard cutout filter is actually artifacts/stylising caused by vectorisation. Those could potentially be tidied up. The grungy look would totally not suit the current site. But then.... none of these would suit the current site, so it is better to pay it no heed. As for integration... mine and José's would be a little tricky, but that's something that could again potentially be worked with. But yeah, mine's not original enough anyway. I was hesitant about entering it but did anyway for a laugh. I'm not totally kosher about staff entering contests, myself.

One thing you have to remember is that these logos are, in a way, not finished. If required they could be tweaked to fit any suitable design. You should be looking at the potential and the imagination/ideas there more than the actual current state of them. I look at José's and billybandit's and think "wow, what a great idea", but I'm open to the idea that they could be changed if necessary.

The problem with GEC05's for me is yes it could be implemented into a website design, but not vgmusic! Maybe some other random gaming site out there, but this site is primarily a music community, so it's an element that should be emphasised rather than marginalised. How many other gaming sites out there have used a control pad in their logo? A whole lot. The challenge lies in making it bespoke and individually tailored to a specific community. I don't think it's any more visually appealing than the other entries. Shrug, just an opinion.

As for colours, that's not even something that should be a factor:

http://lunar.shakal.net/temp/1.png
http://lunar.shakal.net/temp/2.png
http://lunar.shakal.net/temp/3.png
http://lunar.shakal.net/temp/4.png

The digital control pad could even be thought of as (..)

Bad idea. Leave nothing implied, seriously. I think it should explicitely embody what the site is about,

Hmm. Once we get a winner, could we still get the other logo designs as T-shirts or something (with artist approval, of course), sold through the store? I'd probably buy José's or Lunar's on a shirt even if it didn't win.

That's a cool idea. I hope so. I think Porygon7's would probably not suit a t-shirt so much as a website, but I guess it could work if it was blown up big enough.

[billybandit]

Wow I'm a finalist... thanks!

I'd definitely say José's is the clear winner here, but the others are very good.

billybandit's is excellent colour wise, and is simple. However, it's almost too simple.

Thought that was partly the idea of a logo? Cheers anywho

Anyway yeah mine definitely needs some serious polishing, I quite liked the idea but it'll never be a José

[Blitz Lunar]

It's simplistic, but yeah a lot of logos are. However I think it's a clever and very effective idea that - to my knowledge - has not been done before by other websites. It's iconic! And people can see it and instantly think BAM vgmusic.com

You have to think about the potential - we can do loads with very simple designs. They're easy to edit into more complex things, even.

[Gec]

I think considering the potential factors to simplify or change a design should be analized as well in voting.

[Nova]

I just realized, mine was never added into the actual submissions!

Oh well. I can use it for my own site another time.

[Kurtis]

I think considering the potential factors to simplify or change a design should be analized as well in voting.

While I do agree that if the potential for polishing should be considered for one, it should be considered for all, I also do recognize that there's a difference between polishing an existing entry to better fit an intended design and changing an idea altogether. The latter somewhat defeats the purpose of holding a contest of this nature in the first place.

I just realized, mine was never added into the actual submissions!

Making exceptions for one individual is not fair to all the others who did actually meet the deadline.

[X]

I just realized, mine was never added into the actual submissions!

Making exceptions for one individual is not fair to all the others who did actually meet the deadline.

I believe her comment was meant to be more of a "whoops, I guess I'll use it for something else."

[Kurtis]

I believe her comment was meant to be more of a "whoops, I guess I'll use it for something else."

CRAP! I forgot to hand mine in! X_X

Am I too late?

Considering this quote in the other topic and then the additional disappointment that it was still not accepted as a submission after the fact expressed in this topic, I'm led to believe otherwise. I do understand and completely empathize with the situation, but as I said, it's just not fair to the ones who complied with the rules to make such an exception. However, the quote from this topic implies to me that he/she did indeed try to submit the work after the deadline and had hoped it would still be accepted, only realizing finally that it actually was not now that the first round's winners were announced.

[MaliceX]

Dang, nice logos. One can admit the current one is beginning to become as old as Microsoft's original Windows symbol

My preferations, in order:

Blitz Lunar (I swear that looks like a double bass than a guitar gamepad. This got me to smile for a while)
umxprime (Simple, yet post-modern. )
Porygon7 (Score on a circuit, I like that!)
GEC05 (Basic, but does fulfill as a memorable logo)
Jose (Although a bit 'busy,' the minor details do describe the site.)
billybandit (Simple, though I think one would perceive this site as a Punk Rock, Mainstream Radio music site with that "fuzz," in my opinion.)
Cyberthief (Does serve as a memorable logo, though that face creeps me out. :S)