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TLR

TLR

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
1,574
So for a late Christmas present I just got a personalizer plus in today. So now I'm trying to think through a makers mark. My brother and I have been shooting ideas back and forth and I wanted to get some thoughts from the forum. This isn't the finalized size just let me know what you think about the deign. My name is Travis Roehm. I'm trying to keep this fairly clean and simple.

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I think its good but I would lose the angle on the end of your line or mimic the diagonal stroke of the M. Your graphic design teacher would yell at you for that ;)
 
It looks great at 2"X9" on a monitor....but try and reduce it to .1"X.5" and see what happens. Even at .2X1" ( a really big logo) it will not look the same.
 
Well, here are my thoughts:

1. This is your current design.

2. This tweak of your design simply changes the angle on the end of your T to create a subtle analogous relationship between the end of the T and the angle in the M to make it feel a bit more cohesive. But because you have the "oehm" in smaller letters it almost feels like TR OEHM.

3. This is the same as #2 with the ROEHM all the same size to see if it feels as though it reads better. Maybe, maybe not.

4. Ok, now We're getting better separation between the T and the ROEHM. The T is clearly legible in the negative space between the shapes and we're using that same angle in the M at the angle at the end to give it a bolder look.

5. Here we get a nice separation of the forms with each reading on it's own yet held together in a unified design. The serif font gives a little style while still very easy to read.





Now, I'm not saying any of these ideas are worth a damn. I only played with it for a short while. But this is the kind of thought process I go through when I start working out designs. There are a hundred variations you could create from your design. Think outside the box a little. Don't rush it. The mark you put on your blades will be there for a long time. You want to be satisfied when you see it.
 
All great for a letterhead.....but won't work in a small etch on an average size knife blade.
 
When I looked at your design I thought your name was 'TROEHM'.
I think it's better if you separate the 'T' from the rest, a small point is enough. Or just diffetent size etc., just play with it.
 
To each his own, but personally the smaller the better IMHO. I like letters chained together, a short last name, initials, etc... Traditional blacksmith touchmark stuff. I like breaking up the info like a lot of the ABS guys do with their JS or MS mark. You have a unique last name. Trust me... that is an asset...

I use
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I'm a fan of the traditional stamp on the ricasso of the makers name, or a signature on the blade
 
I concur, the initial and last name. The other logo is okay, but confusing and busy. If anyone mispronounced your last name before, show them the logo. I bet it gets worse! :p
 
LOL I got used to people mispronouncing my last name somewhere around kindergarten :) I seriously appreciate all of the advice. I'll do some research on the touch marks. Anyone know of any kind of online repository? I certainly don't want to encroach on any MS or JS marks.
 
TLR said:
Anyone know of any kind of online repository? I certainly don't want to encroach on any MS or JS marks.
Click to expand...

There's a sticky thread about that right here on BladeForums, in the Custom and Handmade section. It's mostly for collectors to identify various makers and how they changed their mark over the years, but there a ton of good ideas for marks, as well :thumbup: :)

You will quickly notice a pattern... most of them are bold, clear and easy to read. And most of them involve very little more than the maker's last name and location.

I consider the classic Loveless "football" shaped mark to be the standard by which all others are judged, and it's what I based mine on.

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James Terrio- Nice. Thank you. I've honestly never noticed that!
 
It's a really cool thread :)

Stock-removal guys usually put their mark parallel to the spine, just ahead of the plunge. Forging guys almost always put theirs parallel to the guard, and close to it on the ricasso. Why that difference exists, I do not know for certain... although I strongly suspect it's because hot-stamping a blade (as most forging makers do) works best on a square/parallel surface. Etching does not present that difficulty... you can tape/wrap a stencil onto or into any shape you want (convex, concave, angled, etc.).
 
james terrio said:
There's a sticky thread about that right here on BladeForums, in the Custom and Handmade section. It's mostly for collectors to identify various makers and how they changed their mark over the years, but there a ton of good ideas for marks, as well :thumbup: :)

You will quickly notice a pattern... most of them are bold, clear and easy to read. And most of them involve very little more than the maker's last name and location.

I consider the classic Loveless "football" shaped mark to be the standard by which all others are judged, and it's what I based mine on.

stencil0311.jpg
Click to expand...

Among the many Loveless innovations, etc, there is another one I suppose. That logo style is clean, elegant, and fitting for any type of knife...
 
james terrio said:
It's a really cool thread :)

Stock-removal guys usually put their mark parallel to the spine, just ahead of the plunge. Forging guys almost always put theirs parallel to the guard, and close to it on the ricasso. Why that difference exists, I do not know for certain... although I strongly suspect it's because hot-stamping a blade (as most forging makers do) works best on a square/parallel surface. Etching does not present that difficulty... you can tape/wrap a stencil onto or into any shape you want (convex, concave, angled, etc.).
Click to expand...

Thats good info, I did not realize there was a difference based on stock removal and forging, good to know. btw Jame that is the style stamp/logo I prefer, it has been done that way for a long time no reason to change it
 
To me all the letters look like one word. Either a period or just last name would be better. Are the many roehm knifemakers?
 
PT DOC - I doubt it. Unless it's my dad or one of my brothers (we all start with a T) I've never had an issue getting a username... any where on the internet. I also know we were each the only ones born in each of our years in our birth state with that last name. Unless I go to Germany it's a pretty small club :)
 
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