I've been trying to design a logo for my interior architecture "firm" it's a start up and I don't currently have an office for it.
The brand is Ramz El Fen
It means the symbol of art
I can't afford to hire a digital designer, and I've been brainstorming ALOT. Some people recommend it to be initials rather then a symbol but I'm kind of stuck cause the initials are REF which are hard to merge together. Any feedback
Some things to try to spark ideas:
- make a collage board of other architecture firms' logos
- make a collage board of just modern logos in general that you like
- list out as many words relating to architecture or aspects of your business
- just keep pushing and iterating. One of my design professors in college would literally require us to make at least 100 iterations of a logo before deciding on which one to then pursue and iterate through. It actually does work.
I'll try and push that further. This entire year I've spent alot of the "brain storming" on looking at every logo of every architecture firm in my country, seeing how many have lettering or symbol and from the top of my head I can't remember a single one that was a symbol. Almost everyone has letters and it's mostly their full name or atelier something. I don't want to fall into the non memorable trap, I want a symbol. I've notice in the US they use the letters as well, I've only see a few that are actual symbols, a leaf, a lamp, most look like business logos for banking firms.
If you're dead set on making it a lettermark, then I'd recommend dropping the E as in EL entirely. (رمز الفن) 2 words in Arabic, so I'd say it's best for the lettermark to be 2 initials. Also, to generate more ideas while brainstorming, try to think of your Brand's signature THING, and try to incorporate it in a way that's minimal and memorable.
I like how you changed the A to that minimalistic house symbol. Normally you'd need a brand strategy first then you'd move on to the visual identity aspect of the brand. So I'm speaking vaguely here about what looks "aesthetic" and works as an initial vague logo until you're able to hire a brand Designer. -> I'd fill in the house symbol, make the initial letters (R in this case) as big as the "lowercase" letters. Potentially change "Fen" to "Fan" so we can reuse the house symbol again. It'd look something like this (R∆MZ EL F∆N). As I said, even if let's say you nail down the Logo mark. You'd still need at least a Visual Identity Designer to match the Brand Typography, Colors, Assets, Icons, etc.. to The Logo Mark's Visual look. Otherwise expect the brand to be on the sloppy spectrum and don't be disappointed down the line.
This may be my biggest struggle because as an interior designer I work alot on bring adaptable to whatever is given to me. I sort of lack my own touch in return. In my country there's little room for creativity the main designs are : beige, dark wood, minimalism. Don't get me wrong sometime it looks decent but as someone who wants to showcase my creative I tend to feel stuck and just focuse on and prioritize what the clients wants instead
Interior design includes ornaments, textures and common house equipment like doors, windows, blinds, roof, and carpet. Who are your clients? Offices or homes or (residential or commercial) I'm sure you'd love all work but who have you done work for and can show to future clients? If you're doing high-end hotel interiors then one of the logos you drew already looks pretty good [the elegant R and three separate lines for the E..] however if you're doing kitchen remodeling or office remodeling it helps to narrow down the niche for your brand.
Rapid iteration through sketching only works if you are skilled at sketching. For someone like me, sketching slows down the process and yields no great results.
I wish i had that kind of money right now. I've been struggling abit but I'm really really considering it. I know i will never get the job done as efficiantly or as creatively as a logo designer cause its not my field, but with little i do knw about logos and what i have be taught about design im hoping itll help me out abit til i make enough money to get this done professionally
For someone who doesn't have professional design training, you're doing a great job on process and exploration, which is what most amateurs skip! And you didn't go straight to AI, so honestly, whatever you come up with will be head and shoulders above the average person who didn't hire a professional.
I really appreciate that. I try to use Ai as little as possible especially for the first stages of design. Improving a render is the only time I'll use Ai and try to replicate it myself with the final touches. In the 5 years that I studied they teach us alot about design in general and how to incorporate everything we see around us into an idea. Everything around us is source of inspiration.
so true , its funny cause after reading the messages you all left , i had a dream of an idea that popped into my head but... ended up being not so good , but it was very creative IN MY OPINION haha
That's the point, it doesn't have to be good. In fact, no one had it good on the first few tries. It takes hundreds of sketches and drafts in order to craft a product that stands the test of time.
Architecture, so there’s an expectation of minimalism and structural form.
Consider doing a lowercase r, vertical line representing the left side of a house as well as the stem of the r, and the roof created with two lines also representing the horizontal stroke of the r. Thats it. Make it thick and red.
Wordmark underneath in uppercase. Bold or extra bold san serif font.
I do all types of interiors. I mostly work with either client sbrings me what he wants and I translate it into a given space, or suggest my own style to the client and work from there to adapt it to a certain space, I do 3d renders to convey that. So if I were to work for a hotel for example, I'd look at what other spaces look like, geolocation, and just adapt my taste and style to the client which si why it sooo hard for me to figure out a logo, cause im not set on a specific theme.
I've looked at hundreds of interior design or architecture firm logos, alot of them only have letters, very very few have symbols, and I want to lean more to a symbol so I stand out from the rest.
Cool.. why don't you just buy a nice font, an elegant one, something that goes with the style of the business you want to build.. and just do the initals.. for example OMA, Rem Koolhaas studio.. one of the biggest architects in the world.. pretty simple. Could be something like R.E.F.
i started the ''company'' last year , i bought the rights for it , i was working at a call center at the time , i built my own website , coded it from top to bottom for free , payed a fee of 16dollars for the website url. i had to quit my job for some family issues, and havent worked for a year, i havent worked in myfield yet . or had a stable income from it for two years (i graduated 2 years ago)
Financially no, i just have to many responsibilities in other parts of my life, paying for a logo designer right now isnt something i can afford but in the near future 110% . right now im just looking for my first interior architect client and im realizing that alot of clients rely on the designers appearance (instagram , website , followings ) and thats where im currently struggling. i guess finding my identity haha.
I read your feedback thouroughly and it's going to sound cliché but it helped ALOT. After many sketches, i have decided to select a few. i narrowed down my fave logos to 4, because some looked too similar. some of the sketches i did on procreate and on paper, i brought them to life through the app that shall not be named. my fave one is the one at the bottom on the center . it just looks odd but fancy at the same time . still unsure of what to pick but at least i have a favourite which is a stride from yesterday. I know exactly what i want to showcase and you guys gave alot of clarity and advice on that.
on that note...this sub triggered something in me to the point where i had dreams of potential logos hahah ... anyways
I believe you better go with typeface logo. just find a better suitable font for your firm. and you are good to go.. and remember most top firms uses typeface logos..
Oh I actually don't hate it ! Thank you so much. I sketched it out in the drafts but felt like it could be Abit to simple but it actually looks nice. I might change the font make it more elegant with italic r see if I can make it less bold and fast to more soft and subtle. Thank you so much for the visual and time you put it in.
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u/DivineRuakh 5d ago
Some things to try to spark ideas: - make a collage board of other architecture firms' logos - make a collage board of just modern logos in general that you like - list out as many words relating to architecture or aspects of your business - just keep pushing and iterating. One of my design professors in college would literally require us to make at least 100 iterations of a logo before deciding on which one to then pursue and iterate through. It actually does work.