New Logo Critique/Advice

[james]

Nothing wrong with having a logo or something to add to your invoices, etc. For some bizarre reason though, designing for yourself is always one of the most difficult jobs you will do!

[Pignut]

Originally Posted by rossable

ha, your old logo looks like bacon... i jest.

The same thought had occured to me:



...and now I seem to be calling myself Pignut!

Originally Posted by rossable

i personally feel that freelance designers have no use for logo's unless they are tying to give the impression that they are a company with a few employees and use plurals when referring to themselves.

I think I see what you're saying.
I'm now worried that I am being foolish and/or presumtious in using a logo.

I certainly don't want to give the impression that I am a company. I am just trying to present myself appropriately for an industry where I want to be employed.

College were fairly big on us developing a personal logo. It would seem from some of the posts here that this approach isn't exactly endorsed by everyone.

I understand about letting the work speak for itself but when you haven't got an impressive body of commercial work behind you, it's difficult to be so confident.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[zumojuice]

pignut, are you indeed 41?

[Pignut]

Originally Posted by zumojuice

pignut, are you indeed 41?

'Fraid so.
Why do you ask?

[ilabstudios]

Personally I like your current design, but would recommend making small adjustments.

I wouldn't fall in the trap of get too caught up in this modern "web2.0" style trend and try to make everything more funky, as sometimes this devalues the originality, like Toon said.

Out of those you have done, I prefer "F", as most of the others are not legible, but in that modern style again, which I cannot stand. Try selecting other font types.
Helvetica is obviously a popular choice.

[zumojuice]

Simply that you talk about college alot, like it was yesterday, or you were still there is all.

[Pignut]

Originally Posted by zumojuice

Simply that you talk about college alot, like it was yesterday, or you were still there is all.

Oh - I see.

Well it wasn't quite yesterday but it was last year! I've stayed in touch with some lecturers and students so it's probably still a strong reference point for me.

I'd worked in a variety of roles, chiefly IT, for many years.

Eventually, I got fed-up with travelling about and crappy hotels so I took a couple of years off and decided on my future direction.

I'd always been interested in graphic design and that's how I came to be a 39 year old student.

...I'm now a 41 year-old unemployed bloke!

Seriously, I don't regret a minute of the time on the course. I loved the experience and just need to get my sh*t together and make a serious go of finding employment.

[zumojuice]

Ok, that makes sense to me now. How much web skills do you feel you have? do you see yourself as working inhouse/agency or being freelance?

[Pignut]

Originally Posted by zumojuice

Ok, that makes sense to me now. How much web skills do you feel you have? do you see yourself as working inhouse/agency or being freelance?

Web skills - virtually none. My IT was all ditchwater dull, commercial stuff - Human Resources systems for large multinationals in the main, with some Engineering/Finance work thrown in.

I did a dreamweaver course a few years ago and got interested in CSS and the whole idea of "semantically correct markup" but it never really moved on from there. I did a few "brochure" sites but found that clients generally wanted some sort of content management and online-transaction features that were out of my league, skills-wise.

As for work, definitely in-house. The freelance thing holds no interest at this stage. I haven't the experience or the discipline to make a go of it yet. I always end up overworking stuff and undercharging - not a recipie for commercial success!

I'm looking at Liverpool and Manchester but there's rarely a vacancy that I'm qualified for. Most junior positions still seem to require significant industry and Mac experience, neither of which I have.

[zumojuice]

Well thats bloody true! I have a year's commercial and I am still struggling. I think the best bet either way is to build up some projects so you have a varied portfolio. And keep applying for stuff. I started at nothing and it's meant to get easier each time. In practice, I think it's quiet there for jobs.