Question

Topic: Branding

Which Of These 2 Logos Work And Why?

Posted by Anonymous on 1/30/2014 at 11:33 AM ET 250 Points
This is basically a market research type question for a new logo that we want to use to brand our women's division of Hair Club (i.e. Hair Club for Men). This division is used to help women who are suffering from hair loss feel better and more confident about themselves with our hair enhancement processes. We currently cater to medical driven conditions, but we are developing a fashion forward process of clip on hair which is intended to add volume to lifeless hair. Included in this process would be the custom hair piece, as well as styling services.

We have these two logo's that we like, and need to gather opinions from the marketing arena.

So basically we would like to know which one works better and why?

A few more requests:
1. Please suggest a color.
2. Please state your gender.
3. Please state your age.

Please click to view the logos:
https://email.hairclub.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/2829/p/p-0011/t/page/fm/0


Thanks so much for your input!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 1/30/2014 at 1:23 PM Accepted
    Not sure why our opinions are relevant, but I'm happy to vote. I prefer #2 because it's clear that the graphic reference is to women's hair. The graphic in #1 is less clear/obvious; could be a fish or sperm cell.

    Color: Burgundy/purple. Gender: Male.

    The people you should be asking are your target audience.
  • Posted by Moriarty on 1/30/2014 at 3:05 PM Accepted
    Oh dear! I like number 1 because it's kinda how women think of themselves. I agree that the other's clear, but women are a little more visual - and that means you can be a little less direct.

    Sometimes!

    I agree with Burgundy, one of my favourite colours.

    A swift Facebook campaign would get you in touch with people who need your services - and as a test would also gather valuable information for you.

    Marital status: divorced.
  • Posted by Moriarty on 1/30/2014 at 3:06 PM Accepted
    And lovin' it!
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/30/2014 at 7:24 PM Accepted
    I've spent 28 years working in the realm of graphic design: creating it, managing it,
    and applying it so what follows is written from my professional point of view.

    Of the two, I prefer # 2, although I'd like to see other versions.

    I'm not a huge fan of word marks that are all in capital letters, and for my money,
    the capital "C" and "B" are needlessly ornate.

    Graphically, it can be more powerful to have just one visual element as part of a piece of typography.

    Although the capital "C" and "B" may have the forms they have as part of the overall cut of the font, the decoration is a distraction, and as such, it dilutes the power of the capital "A" and its swirl.

    How does version 2 work as a positive image (colored lettering on a white background)?

    How do both logos work at various sizes, at various resolutions (72 dpi, 150 dpi, 300 dpi)?
    How do they work in Pantone colors, as CMYK splits, in black on white, and in percentages
    of solid color and black?

    Will you seek (or do you already own) official registration of the final mark (giving you legal rights to use the ® symbol)?

    Will the mark instead simply become a a service mark (used with the SM notation)?

    Or will you simply use the mark as a trademark (with the ™ symbol)?

    The three are different and need to be reviewed appropriately.
  • Posted on 1/30/2014 at 8:14 PM Author
    Thanks for the feedback so far. We took a company wide poll to over 100 field employees who work closely with our clients, and a majority of them picked #1, almost 90%. They chose #1 based on what our company stands for--which is creating better well-being and increasing self-esteem to those who suffer from hair loss. Mostly for the reason that #1 feels warmer and more welcoming.

    We do own the name and use a registration mark. the color will be adjusted to possibly a burgundy or possibly lavender shade. Still up in the air on that one.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/30/2014 at 8:47 PM Member
    The fact that staff like the logo is nice, but is it really valid? Are they your clients?
  • Posted on 1/30/2014 at 8:55 PM Author
    Our staff are counselors, so they may know our audience better than they actually know themselves. But I feel like that old "know your audience" cliche is geared more towards content marketing. Do you think that Nike studied their audience before they made the check? I think Probably not. more so, the audience made the check mark. What do you think?
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/30/2014 at 10:34 PM Member
    All logos are marks—abstracts; symbols—nothing more. Until that have meanings attached to them all logs are blank slates. They gain their meaning and their visual weight from associations. They come to signify and embody the traits, qualities, feelings, emotions, and perceptions that the companies and organizations behind them exert in the minds of the people interacting with them.

    What Nike may or may not have studied about their audience isn't the point, nor is a position based on logical fallacy relevant to this discussion.

    You came to this forum asking for opinions on two logos from a marketing perspective, seeking opinions on "which one works better and why?" but, it seems, having already made up your mind based on the opinions of 90 percent of your staff, few of whom, I would suggest (unless they're all shareholders), are qualified to make judgments that will impact the future of your company.

    I've given you my opinion—based on almost 30 years experience of creating graphic design,
    Cliches become such because they're based on truth. Your products, the feelings, and self esteem you're giving your clients, it's all content: it all underpins the belief in the minds of the people buying your products that your brand delivers what your marketing says the brand will deliver.

    Although your staff may know your product and your clients, unless they've spent time creating graphic design, their opinions, as joyfully connected as they may be to the needs of your clients, mean little. You may gain more traction in the marketplace by showing versions of your logos to the people you've served and to the people you will serve. Consumer opinions matter.

    The choice of which logo best represents everything that your company is, can be, and will be in the minds of consumers, and what your company will represent and stand for in the marketplace against your competition needs to be taken by a small group of senior managers, or by your brand manager, NOT by majority rule.

    The Nike logo was created to signify motion. It also had to look good on athletic shoes. The first versions of the logo were rejected. Of the initial design, Phil Knight, one of the founders of Nike said, 'Well, I don't love it, but maybe it will grow on me'. In that case, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman (one of the other founders and a track coach) were the customers.
  • Posted on 1/30/2014 at 10:55 PM Author
    I think we are on the same page. Thank you Gary.
  • Posted by steveg on 1/31/2014 at 7:15 PM Accepted
    Why did you choose not to have a smile in the lips?
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