OK, give me your opinion

It looks as good as any other logo I've seen, I like the font. for some reason i think the round part of the microphone should be red... oh yeah i saw a deal on 20/20 that said all of the major logos have a red dot in them(like target for example)

A logo must meet two criteria above any others, including cuteness or cleverness: it must be immediately recognizable and unique. Yours satisfies both criteria, so from a purely functional standpoint it should work fine.

A logo should also be easily reproducible on any medium with consistent fonts and colors. Big companies issue fat style books that go into excruciating detail about how their logos are supposed to appear in various applications, and are surprisingly picky about fonts and colors. They do this because consistency aids in being able to defend the logo from infringement by others as well as against claims of infringement by others. This is one reason logos tend to be kept simple as possible, so that they can be reproduced with reliable consistency.

Uniqueness trumps simplicity, though. Years ago NBC decided to revamp their logo. They hired a graphic designer, who, for a million bucks, came up with a new logo that consisted of the letter "N". Whoohoo, I'll bet they felt they'd got their money's worth. Then they received the dreaded cease-and-desist letter from the lawyers for the University of Nebraska, who, it turns out, had already trademarked the letter "N". Theirs didn't cost a million bucks, though - a graphic arts student had "designed" it for free. In the end, NBC had to pay the U of N for the right to use the letter "N".

The only suggestion I'd make is to choose something other than yellow as the main color, simply because it doesn't contrast well against a white background. Maybe instead use the complement of yellow: a medium blue.

They hired a graphic designer, who, for a million bucks, came up with a new logo that consisted of the letter "N".

Ha! In my previous incarnation as a signmaker I did a lot of work for a restaurant/fast food chain over here 'Little Chef' - the logo was.. you guessed it, a chef - they paid £250,000 ($500.000) for an agency to change him to the same chef, but holding out a tray.....nice work if you can get it.

OK, I'll be blunt. I don't think you could've found a worse color combination. I hate the yellow on white - it's bland, horrid and doesn't have enough contrast. The basic rules regarding contrasting/complementary colors were ignored here. Also, the yellow waveform lines are pretty distracting - it seems like they're trying to form some clever shape (puppy ears?) or hidden word that I'm supposed to notice, so I find myself focusing on them rather than on the name, mic, etc. I suggest axing the waveform lines or straigtening them out so that it's obvious that they're just waveform lines and nothing else. If it was my logo, I'd consider moving the mic down and use the ball of the mic as the "o" in pupco, then right justify "studios" to the mic handle. Other than that, it's a nice logo. I also like the font.

OK, so everybody else beat me to it - I must be getting slow in my old age.

ORIGINAL: jamesg1213
For some reason it says 'Golf' to me.

Now that you mention it...

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

A logo must meet two criteria above any others, including cuteness or cleverness: it must be immediately recognizable and unique. Yours satisfies both criteria, so from a purely functional standpoint it should work fine.

Agreed. Very good points, bitflipper.

ORIGINAL: bitflipper
Maybe instead use the complement of yellow: a medium blue.

Yeah, but those are the University of Michigan's colors and we all know what happened to them last week (thank you very much, Appalachian State!). My Michigan State alumni group is still celebrating UofM's embarassment!

I like it. What bitflipper said was good advice.

There's one thing I would like to add:

It's important for ANY logo to look good in plain old black and white. If you can make it look good in black and white, you can make it look good in any colors. I'd love to see your black and white version.

And btw, I don't think it's 'cheesy' at all. Best of luck with your venture.

Hey Dwire,

Here's a thought, if your advertising a studio then maybe you should use a pic of a condenser mic with a shock mount instead of that standard mic you have.
I think that what you have is good, catchy and simplistic but to me it does say Karaoke !!!

Anyway, thanks for sharing this with us !

Rod

It's a good logo, but I think I have to join the contrast on a light background choir. If you use it on white paper I suggest suggest looking into ways of upping that contrast. Can be done in many ways besides changing colours BTW [embossing, for instance], but colours are easiest and leave the general idea intact.

[edit for clarification]

ORIGINAL: dwire

OK, everyone now it is time for bashing or praise, I am looking for HONEST opinions about my new studio logo. I want honest answers, if you think it sucks, say so. If you like, give it the thumbs up! I am slowly entering the field of project studio-dum and would like some feedback from all of you experienced veterans on my logo, so let the bashing or praise begin!

Thank you in advance,
Douglas Wire
PUPCo Studios

Hello,

This is what I would tell one of my clients:

With the name "Pupco" I'd like to see a cute cartoon doggy (maybe a black and white springer spaniel with a big smile in an almost "Disney" stylee). The current mic graphic is barely recognizable as a mic (except for the studio muso-o's who hang out here). Even though they are almost never used outside of studios, the general public recognizes the Shure 55SW or the old RCA ribbon (with the "capsule" shaped housing) as representing a mic. So I'd suggest an old-tyme mic in detail instead of the vague representation currently used. The obvious connection would be to have the doggy holding the mic or holding like he's singing into it. I think those wiggly lines are supposed to convey electricity. If so, I suggest real lightning bolts.

The weight of the graphic elements should emphasize what you do because what you do is more important than who you are. The largest type should say "Independent Recording Studios" with "Pupco" being the smaller element.

The only comment on color is the lemon/lime yellow doesn't do it for me. I rely on a graphic artist's offering when it comes to color.

To sum it up: cartoon doggy singing into or holding an old tyme mic, lightning bolts, big words "Independent Recording Studios," smaller words "Pupco."

GK

I disagree. If you ask someone from the general public to draw a microphone, they are going to draw something that looks like an SM-58, which is exactly what is in his logo. Leave it as is. One other thought about the yellow: it is hard to see against a white background. If you aren't going to place it on top of a white background, then it doesn't matter. I couldn't come up with a logo like that. Good work.

People from the general public shouldn't be in a recording studio, people from the general public start bragging on a Thursday about how they are going to dance to Wigfield on Saturday Night !

Excuse me for a moment but I think I'm gonna puke !!!!

Rod

Personally I think a rotating blue Strat would be cool

I agree about the Disney dog and a RCA mic... thunderbolts...etc.

Pupco reminds me of my two Jack Russells.

ORIGINAL: jamesg1213

I like the design, I don't like the yellow. For some reason it says 'Golf' to me.

+1

It's too symmetrical for my taste. The yellow doesn't provide enough contrast, and if you can't deepen it, I'd set it against a darker background. I also agree that it isn't particularly identifiable as a mic. Maybe work the cord into the image. It has the sense of trying to be an angel.