Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with logo

BUtton Button Who's Got The Button

The Whelk — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:14:18 -0800

Shibboleth-Filter: I saw a man on the NYC subway wearing a strange button. A green san-serif "L" on a white background with a big red "No" strike-through symbol. Googlefu is failing me. What was he for or against anyway?

Where are all the letterform script logos?

subpixel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:26:55 -0800

I'm interested in finding examples of (likely extinct) brands and companies that used a letterform script for their logo. I'm positive I've seen many examples of logos that were reminiscent of the classic Coca Cola spencerian script letterform, but now that I'm looking for them I'm finding a whole lotta nothing.

Automatic sewing machine - I provide the design, the machine does the rest!

WhereAmI — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:04:48 -0800

Do programmable sewing machines exist? I want to be able to provide the sewing machine with a design or logo and have it sew it for me - in this case, a nice little dog to go on the breast pocket of a golf shirt. Surely something like this exists for a reasonable price? I'm thinking that a sewing machine exists that can take an image/cad file/etc. from a computer and then I just secure the material within the sewing machine's needle range, hit start and off it goes (think CNC machine or laser etching, except with needle/thread).

Wired t-shirt w/man being hit by lightning

poulet — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:20:33 -0800

Seeking info about/pictures of old Wired Magazine t-shirt with stick figure getting hit by lightning inside a yellow triangle The cover of the latest isse of Wired Magazine shows a warning symbol of a stick figure being hit by a lightning bolt. I remember that the very early issues of the magazine gave away or sold black t-shirts with this logo on them. Does anyone else remember this? Is it possible to buy these shirts? Are there any photos of them? (Yes, I've Googled around.)

Moto Logo

Shike — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:27:07 -0800

I need logo and font help. The name of my vintage motorcycle restoration business is MotoKrow. My last name means "crow" in Dutch, and begins with a K. I like vintage motorcycle logos, but don't want to copy. I'm very fond of the old Moto Guzzi logo. Anyone know what that font is? A simple logo like the Matchless one is nice. I'm no designer, and I thought this place full of smart people (like you!) would be helpful. Apologies in advance if I've violated some sort of protocol here.

pissing on Apple's logo

noztran — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:55:57 -0800

I'm looking for a picture of a person pissing on Apple's logo. Something more or less in the type of this. Thanks in advance.

Joomla header logo help.

futureisunwritten — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:14:56 -0800

How do I add a header logo to my Joomla site? I'm building a website with Joomla and I'm using the JS Education template because it's free and I can do drop down menus on it (actually, this part is already done).

The one thing that has me stumped is how to add our organization's logo to the header (instead of the text that's already there). There are tutorials out there that explain how to do this on the default template, but since I'm not using that, they're of little use to me.

I'm doing all this on local host, if that matters. And I'm a total noob and I don't know much about css/html, so please be gentle. Thanks!

What software should I use to design a Webpage logo?

hellodonna — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:09:42 -0800

I am trying to create a professional looking logo for a Web site. I am using GIMP but finding I am very limited in terms of what I can do with it. Is there a software package that I should be using that will allow me to create a good looking logo/header image? I understand Photoshop is the best however, it's really expensive (700.00). Are there any software alternatives or do I just have to pony up for Photoshop? By the way, I have a PC.

Define Tensegrity Sphere to a Child

goalyeehah — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:44:20 -0800

How to best describe a tensegrity sphere in a way everyone can understand I am using an image of a tensegrity sphere as a logo for my yoga studio. When people go to my website, I know they'll be interested in know more about it. How would I best describe it holistically in a way that a child can understand? And what natural phenomena does it best model?

Logo No Go?

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:09:23 -0800

Paging the MeFi Counterfeit Brigade. Two logos are suspiciously similar. How likely is it that the more recent design was copied? The new City of Kelowna logo, for which they spent $80,000 (consultation, research, design, etc.) is about to be adopted when, whoops! an astonishingly similar logo (designed two years previously) surfaces. What are the odds that this is a coincidence, especially considering that the first one was published on logolounge.com (scroll down)? Is there a computer design program that would spit out similar Spirograph designs with similar color combinations? Can/should the city copyright a design that is so similar, even though the original may not have a formal coypright? Give me your best sleuthing analysis.

Defunct telecoms logo is sooo passé.

softsantear — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:37:48 -0800

How do I remove (can I?) a screen-printed logo from a vinyl (?) bag? I'm talking about the kind of promotional bags you get everywhere, at conferences, from companies, etc. Generic cheap tote or duffle bag stitched with some sort of polymer-based thread, I guess -- with the company logo printed on in some kind of ink or paint.

Here are some generic examples from Google Images:
Bag 1
Bag 2

I have this great bag, very functional, but it has this honkin' awful logo from a telecoms company on one side. It's not really a big deal, but this would be one sweet tote if it were just plain black.

The image is really "burned in" to the material, so it's not something you can really pick away at. I was wondering if there is some kind of..... solvent or something that will peel this thing off.

Small-quantity vinyl cut stickers?

nitor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:01:17 -0800

I want to get a couple (or 4?) of vinyl stickers made (about 3"x3") that are white with a negative background to decorate my girlfriend's fleet of bikes. Obviously, this isn't a bulk order... Has anyone had experience with this? Any recommendations? Similar questions HAVE been asked, but i'm looking for vinyl cut stickers, not printed ones. I can only find sites that do bulk orders, or JUMBO decals.

What to charge for graphics?

Rykey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:06:12 -0800

Designed a logo/mascot for a friend's online business with the understanding that we'd "work something out" when he started to make some money. Now his business has taken off, and I'm not sure what to ask for. I'm not a professional graphic designer, but I'm handy enough with graphics that a friend asked me to design a logo for his new online business. Since neither of us knew how well his company would do, we agreed that I'd design the logo, we'd see how his startup did, and worry about the money then (we're close enough that this wasn't an idiotic arrangement).

His company has taken off pretty well, so we're trying to figure out how to best approach a fee structure for my work. My design includes the "mascot" for his brand, so it'll likely be reincarnated many times over as he introduces new products.

I'd like to ask for a percentage of his sales as long as my design is used (as opposed to asking for a straight one-time fee for each design), but I have no idea how much to ask for, or whether this is a good idea. In searching previous questions to AskMe, I saw an interesting suggestion here regarding the licensing of graphics work, so maybe that's more what I should be after.

This isn't a "I did some work on a handshake, and now I'm afraid of getting screwed" question. My friend is more than willing to pay me for my work, and anticipates keeping me on as his company's graphic designer as his business grows. We're just not sure what a fair price for my work would be.

NOT your logo

philip-random — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:36:22 -0800

What's the cheapest, simplest, most effective way to stop somebody else from owning my logo? I have a logo (image only, no words) that I have ambitions of using as a sort of stamp in a bunch of related online (and not) creative projects. My concern is not about denying use of this image to others (information does want to be free etc). Rather, I don't want someone else to be able to walk in, claim my image as their own and stop me from using it.

Am I being paranoid here or is there some cheap, simple, prudent, effective step (or steps) that I should take to protect myself?

In terms of jurisdiction, I'm thinking the world in general, North America in particular.

Who designed the "Don't Panic" flying green guy from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

waxpancake — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:23:46 -0800

Who designed the cute flying green "Don't Panic" mascot (seen here) from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and does the character have a name?

Attachment Included

mattdidthat — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:06:37 -0800

What is the etiquette and current wisdom regarding the practice of attaching your company logo to your emails? In correspondence with clients, associates, and vendors, I've noticed more people seem to be attaching their company's logo to their email signature, and I'm considering doing the same.

Is this standard practice, an annoying trend, or a frequently/easily-ignored option? Does it make you appear professional, inexperienced, or pretentious?

Is it an expected hallmark of a certain type of user e.g. graphic designers? What are the pros, cons, and no-no's of adding your logo to your email signature?

Can copyrighted images be used on grave markers?

kwaller — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:56:42 -0800

Can copyrighted images be used on grave markers? My father died last month, and we need to pick out a marker for his grave. He was a hot-rodder, and the love of his life was his '73 Mach I Mustang.

We'd be thrilled if we could have the classic Mustang emblem engraved on his marker, which is likely to be a flat, gray granite gravestone.

The funeral director with whom we were working let us know that copyrighted images weren't available for such use. Instead, he showed us some clip art. However, a family member talked to a coworker who used to work for a monument company, and she said that the Mustang emblem might be available. . . .

So, hivemind, is this something that we should pursue? I'd rather not rely fully on family hearsay or sources, and I'd prefer not to invite a legal imbroglio. If anyone (paging ColdChef) could give me a definitive answer and maybe some leads, I'd appreciate it.

Grave is in OK; we don't have too much to spend.

Photoshop won't let me be small gracefully

dance — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:52:58 -0800

Whenever I try to write in really small characters in Photoshop, or, come to think of it, save anything small (like an company logo for email signatures) - it comes out all blurred. I'm saving as non-interlaced PNG but I think the same would happen if it were a JPEG. I've had this problem for quite a while, through several different versions of Photoshop. At the moment I'm on CS4. Photoshop isn't really my thing, I use it for touching up digital photos, not creating logos - but it would be great to get this resolved once and for all: how can I create tiny images without pixelation/blurring. Any help appreciated! Thank you!

What is this bag? What is this logo?

Eater — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:24:39 -0800

The other day I spotted a very handsome shoulder bag of brown leather with a red stripe. I want to own one just like it. I wasn't able to ask the owner where he got it, but I was able to spot the manufacturer's logo. It looks like a heart, split down the middle into two lobes, and lying on its side. I've drawn a very crude version of it here. It looks faintly familiar to me -- does anyone recognize it? And in general, is there a good resource somewhere for looking up logos?

It's the fist that keeps on fisting.

Kickstart70 — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:04:09 -0800

Back in 1999, I created this fist logo. Over the years I've seen a number of places repurpose it and when I do I mention that it's not really cool (debatable, I know). I still keep seeing it. Or do I? Is it (April 3rd) the same fist? Further, is there some places that my fist has gotten that people keep grabbing it from?

What is this FLAMES logo from?

scottreynen — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:42:46 -0800

I bought a sweater at a thrift store with a flame logo on it and the word "FLAMES" under the logo (Photo). The sweater was made by Champion, so I'm thinking it's a sports team logo. The only Flames team anyone seems to know is the Calgary Flames, and this doesn't appear to be their logo. What did the logo come from?

Help a wannabe graphics designer make a logo

coachjerry — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:52:54 -0800

What are some good resources for designing a logo for my company? Looking to get a trademark/logo for a new youth sports program. I've downloaded some (very basic) drawing programs to try to create this logo (one is Intaglio, for Mac, demo version only), but I am "artistically challenged". Searching for clip art online was not very helpful - lots of links, not much content. Any "artistic" links, books, etc. would be welcome. My son mentioned a site he thought he heard about here - a company that designs logos for companies for a small fee. Does this sound familiar?

help me identify this usb pen logo

Iananan — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:06:24 -0800

Can you help me identify this logo? on this. my usb drive has sort of died lately, but still shows up when i plug it in with usb legacy support off. not arsed about the data, but would like to format it somehow. i have heard there may be programs on the manufacturer's website. the problem being that i don't know the manufacturer. any clues?

Logo mojo

curagea — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:03:37 -0800

Logo redesign: Help me come up with a good logo for this site. Although I haven't been asked for a logo redesign, I don't like the current one (you can see it here, in the upper-left corner), and felt it could be better. "A test of creative skill!" I thought as I sat down to work on it...

...and I'm stuck. I can't think of a good design for the organization (call it Global Center) in general. No one else in the Global Center has an idea either.

Main points:
- The name of the organization has to be in the logo somewhere, and removable without messing up the rest of the logo if need be. Unfortunately, it's horrendously long.
- The current design, without the name, would seem like a logo for an environmental agency - which is not what the center is about. I'd like to still keep the globe, but if it needs to be ditched, then so be it.
- I'm striving to have it similar to the logo of another organization (closely affiliated).

So for better reference, here's the logo for the Global Center, and the logo of the other center.

Anyone have any pointers, advice, design ideas? They'll be much appreciated!

Come to Campus Now and Receive this Handsome Tote Bag!

Andy's Gross Wart — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:10:41 -0800

I have volunteered to help my university procure gifts for speakers and alumni who come to campus to recruit students. What are some good commemorative gifts you have received? The recipients of these gifts will range from billionaire CEOs to middle managers. Due to budgetary constraints, I am imagining gifts under $25. However, I would like to find gifts that are useful and appreciated, so t-shirts and ceramic mugs are not what I had in mind. I was thinking of products along the lines of mini-Leatherman, LL Bean tote bags, or travel mugs.

What are some good gifts you have received and enjoyed that fit this criteria?