Could you make it more Maori?
Maybe instead of "city + nature" you could represent "West + Maori".

hhp

I will take that on board thankyou, however I would like to try and represent our nation without relying on Maori designs as an increasing number of identity designs do.

Are there ethical considerations when applying Maori designs to logos?

Obviously people do harness that aesthetic, but are there bad reactions in doing so?

take care
g

Dont forget every maori tribe and/or family has its own style.

I'd find it difficult to make an 'overall' lookign maori design.

Personally, I like the logo.

regards,
---jacques

It's nice, but, alas, seems almost too 'clip-arty'.

I think it's just the subject matter. Mountains + Cities could describe a thousand different places on this planet.

Aloha Jill!

I'll have to agree with Darrel

BTW, what does this 'new company' do?

I would have to agree that it needs refinement, I can't say exactly what the company is at this stage as it is not yet public, but it is going to have something to do with helping smaller companies and young entrepreneurs make it overseas.
Type will be part of the logo in the end but I would like to get the symbol working by itself first before I add another element.
I will do some research into Maori designs as this seems a popular suggestion. In doing this I wil have to take care as it is easy to put your foot in it when you don't have a solid understanding of a culture. Thankyou for all the great feedback.
Jill

> helping smaller companies and young entrepreneurs make it overseas.

To me that changes things a lot. Like it probably makes the Maori angle dumb.

hhp

Unless you reference the Maori legend of the young boy who sets off to sea and ends up populating all of Polynesia

Brilliant! Use a [stylized] outrigger canoe (or whatever is the typical Maori sea vessel).

hhp

many people have already touched on the concept so...
visually, i think that it's unbalanced. but more importantly, when i first saw it, i saw electricity or lightning or something, not mountains. i had to read your description to get it.

i think you can establish a difference using the line weights or line styles of each half, and not have it look like lightning.

Jill, does New Zealand have a distinct shape like, like when viewed on an Atlas like Australia? Maybe you could explore that area. Mountains and buildings could be the Manhattan (NY) skyline and the Palasades (NJ). The Palasades the best kept secret of living in New York.

Is this actually for Chris Gibson's final semester class?

If so, clever thinking to put it here. At this stage, it says little about New Zealand. Why would you make it so the "average nzer can understand it"? Has clip art become the default non-verbal language that kiwis understand? I don't really think that you should aim for the average. The average is a myth to me!

Good luck with this, I will be interested to see what you come up with.

I agree with kris. Clip Art isn't a style, and understanding comes with the clarity of the communication, not the style.

You've started an interesting approach, just push it around some more.

Any type associated with the logo?