Help me choose a logo!

T

trogdorr

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Jan 3, 2015
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So I have been making knives for a little over a year now, and I'm finally to the point where I feel that I can put my stamp on my knives without embarrassing myself. The thing is, I don't have a stamp. I've compiled a list of six of my designs that I like and I was hoping that you could help me narrow it down to one. I will be using an electro-etcher, most likely just a modified car battery charger to start. My concerns with some are that the lines are pretty close together and I'm not sure how well the detail will be shown. Also I've been looking around and have found some makers of custom vinyl stencils for just this purpose. Being that many people on here have had much experience with electro-etching, is there anyone/anything you would recommend? I haven't done anything like this before and any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

With that being said, here are my ideas.
34dffa69815d133dfedd70954abf7a06.jpg


Let me know what you think, and thank you for your time.
Trogdorr
 
I think they are all a little too "busy". Too many lines and too many sharp angles, considering electro-etching. Less is more, and with any of these I still wouldn't know your name if I need or want to find you, for say, some future work.

Paul
 
sheathmaker said:
I think they are all a little too "busy". Too many lines and too many sharp angles, considering electro-etching. Less is more, and with any of these I still wouldn't know your name if I need or want to find you, for say, some future work.

Paul
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Before I had scrolled to the above comment, I was thinking exactly the same thought, same words - too busy. Ditto to Paul's comments.
 
I like #1/2, the circles to me seem busy. You also need to remember that, for the most part, these are going to be very small marks, so smaller fonts like the USA might get difficult to read. Personally I'd beef up the font choice a bit to something bolder, maybe thicken the lines of the image a bit so it can still be seen even on the tiniest of knives.
 
Good stencils from a company like TUS-Tech will make any of your designs cleanly. Vinyl stencils will probably not work well, weeding will be very painful. I personally don't think your designs are good from a marketing perspective but, maybe that is not important to you.

Bob
 
Hi. I don't know who you are and your knife stamp won't tell me how to find you. Until you reach the level of famous, I'd suggest your logo include something that makes it easy to find you and your product on the internet. If your name is short, just sign your work like David Boye.

One last thing, the first thing someone should notice about your knives is the excellence of design and craftsmanship, not your logo. Way to many makers have too large, too elaborate or poorly placed marks that detract from the knife. You may be proud of your name or logo, but the customer wants to be proud of the knife. Only when you are famous is the mark as important as what it's on (think Loveless :) ).
 
Just when I think im getting somewhere posting here always pulls me back to reality haha. Back to the drawing board I guess.Now if I were to use the same style of lettering to spell "JACKS CUSTOM KNIVES" would that be as objectable?
 
"Less is more."
Look at the marks of the great knife makers that you see here.
Dean.
Hanson.
Fisk.
Wheeler.
Just their name in a clear legible font.
We already know it is a knife.
We already know it is a custom.
We need to know who made it.

Besides...
You don't want your knives to look like a plumber's truck do you? :D

Save the logo for your website, bus card and catalog.
I agree with the rest, the logos you showed are too busy (disparate elements stuck together), won't reduce well and don't have obvious meaning.
Look at the Formula One logo to understand the sentence above.
 
the designs are nice. they dont give much information though. my favorite mark is the bob loveless mark, a full name and location. i want people to know who made the knife in the future, after they leave the purchasers possession.
 
one thing I've learned about logos is that they should be recognizable regardless of scale.
 
trogdorr said:
Just when I think im getting somewhere posting here always pulls me back to reality haha. Back to the drawing board I guess.Now if I were to use the same style of lettering to spell "JACKS CUSTOM KNIVES" would that be as objectable?
Click to expand...


Back to the drawing board…….Jack WHO? Like was mentioned above, I can probably tell it's custom made. My buddy has one and I want one too, but who the hell is "JACK" and where do I find him.

Think J. (whatever your last name is), and that's it…or you could add city and state on a second line.

Paul
 
honestly the intersections of everything hurt my eyes....
I'm also here - "So I have been making knives for a little over a year now, and I'm finally to the point where I feel that I can put my stamp on my knives without embarrassing myself. The thing is, I don't have a stamp."
I hired a logo guy for me, he's still working on it.....
 
If you care about marketing yourself and you do not have an easily remembered/spelled name, you need something else to identify you. People will not find you on Google if they can't spell your name correctly; I know this from experience. "Jack's Custom Knives" might not be the sophisticated way to go but it could be the seed for a brainstorming session. If the graphic that you posted in the original post is important to you or tells your story in some way, it's ok to incorporate it; I just don't think it can stand alone. There are makers who can get away with nothing but a simple graphic as their stamp (sunfish comes to mind) but, they have spent years establishing themselves and building a reputation before being able to make that work. My advice is, don't think about coming up with a stamp, think about a branding and marketing strategy.

Bob
 
Yep.
Use the logo your parents gave you.


sheathmaker said:
I think they are all a little too "busy". Too many lines and too many sharp angles, considering electro-etching. Less is more, and with any of these I still wouldn't know your name if I need or want to find you, for say, some future work.

Paul
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Karl B. Andersen said:
Yep.
Use the logo your patents gave you.
Click to expand...

Nothing says more than a name, use yours. Many makers start off with first and last name ("Handmade" below if you like) then drop the first name altogether, or leave first initial. Simple, to the point and you can fit it anywhere on the blade.
 
I agree with the more "experienced " folks here.
Small or large entity.
Paul Long
Randal Made
Dell
IBM
KISS
 
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