Meryl's Notes Blog

I tell ya — coming up with your own company’s brand is a killer task. I admire many companies’ logos and branding, but can never figure out what I want or like. Over five years in this business hasn’t helped it find itself and its identity.

The current logo looks sharp and professional, but doesn’t translate well to other media. Layers Magazine challenged three talented designers to share their processes for creating a logo. The resulting logos didn’t resonate and each felt like something was missing.

The nice and talented folks at Logo Design Works decided to take on my very difficult case. Here are the three comps (click the images to see larger):

Meet contestant #1, what I like to call “The Warhol.” This contestant enjoys wearing pop art style designs and features the face of the person behind the name and company. Since the company is a one-person business with no plans to expand, it makes sense to reflect the Content Maven’s identity. I think this is the best non-photo image of me I’ve ever seen.

Next up, contestant #2, Ms. Waxy. She lovingly represents traditional communication, which reflects meryl.net’s desire to provide traditional and professional services to clients with a personal touch. I remember receiving a wax kit as a kid and loved watching the candle wax drip and then pressing the impression into the soft wax leaving a little of me behind.

Coincidentally, I ordered a handful of shirts with a similar initial design that use a ink blot instead of wax. Could that be a sign? I just used the service’s create a logo and wanted to use red, but the service only had pink.

Finally, meet contestant #3, Ms. Silhouette. I love the idea, but I don’t translate well as a cartoon, do I? You’d think curly hair and slight dimples would be a good candidate for a drawing likeness.

Looking over the three contestants and examining their brains and talent — I think “writing * editing” needs to be dropped. It doesn’t work.

Watching Ms. Warhol do her walk. I like the font in #1. Surprisingly, I prefer that font to the one in 1.1 that looks like a typewriter font. Figured as a writer — typewriter would fit well. I also like the line and the Content Maven in scripty red as shown in 1.1. It looks more balanced to have the logo before the text — I think. I never admitted having a good design eye. How would the face look on small media like favicons and business cards?

I like Ms. Waxy. I wonder how well she’d translate to other forms and sizes. Perhaps, for a favicon, it’d be best to use just the M instead of the whole circle of wax. The meryl.net logo has undergone many changes, but has used the calligraphy-style font. I like the font. Can’t decide if maybe it’s time for a change to do with something modern like in #1 or stick with tradition.

Ms. Silhouette would do better for small things than Ms. Warhol. How could we perform a little line art surgery to make her more lighthearted? Her font is my least favorite.

Whew. Some tough choices here. Input anyone? Or we’d love to hear your story about your company’s logo and branding. How did you arrive at the logo you have?