Logo: Tool Sharpening Company
Hey everyone. I’ve been reading Typophile for awhile now and finally decided to post my own work up for critique.
I’m working on a logo for a company called TMA. They are a tool sharpening company for mostly custom/specialized tools and serve clients like Lockheed Martin. Their preferred direction was something simple, more modern, and clean looking so this is what I came up with. I tried to suggest a drill bit-like shape with the letterforms while keeping the elements “sharp” looking. Please let me know you thoughts. Logo design is probably where I’m weakest right now as a designer so any helpful criticism is welcome. Thanks!
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6.Oct.2008 7.01pm
My first thought is that you are on the right track.
My next thought is that you might not have to force everything to fit together so tool-like. I think the letters T, M, A stacked vertically would still feel “toolish”, even if they kept a little more of their letter-shapes. Router bits, or something that has been turned on a lathe, for example, don’t necessarily have edges that are flat all the way down the sides, as this logo is. Luckily, the letters are all symmetrical, so part of your “machined” look is already done for you (aren’t you glad the company isn’t RPJ?)
I would try some that open the space up between the letters a bit, so that the TMA is a little more clearly “readable” at a glance... of course that is just my first thought of suggestion–you get to have the fun of playing around with it. Perhaps the point of the M could meet the upper point of the A?
Have fun, and keep us posted.
7.Oct.2008 11.29am
Could I suggest something more subtle? I’m thinking a fat, sans serif ’TMA’ set with a slightly ascending cropped baseline.
7.Oct.2008 4.00pm
Maybe not have the left side of the “A” go so far over. Maybe just make a regular “A” with a crossbar. I like the T and the M but the A isn’t readable to me and makes the whole logo not look like the initials.
Sharon
8.Oct.2008 8.51am
This is an excellent start. I think you are taking the drill bit motif too literally. You may have gone a little too far in abstracting the letters, especially the “A” - it is completely unreadable as an A. What I would imagine is very important in this kind of business is precision. Abstracting the letter forms is fine but their message still needs to be precise.
10.Oct.2008 4.40pm
I also think the letters are much too abstract but I like your approach to “keeping it sharp”.
I would definitely suggest doing a version that reads “TMA” left to right, instead of vertically. You also might play with the idea of sharpening up each individual letter. T could be soft, M could be a hybrid between soft and sharp, and A could be sharp. (Might be hard to do subtly enough, without looking silly and amateurish.) But the idea of making the type do what the company is about, is definitely worth pursuing.