Website Logo Opinions Please

OK - I see now. This is better. I will leave my previous post.

Rick Marchand said:
Here is #3 with a few tweeks... keep in mind, this is just grey scale. We haven't finalized colour, if any.

wildertools5_zps2b6dbcfe.jpg
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I was thinking along the lines of Karl in having your name stand out more. I wonder what it would look like if the font your name is in was made as heavy/dark as the stylized M but leaving the "by" lighter?
 
Rick Marchand said:
Here is #3 with a few tweeks... keep in mind, this is just grey scale. We haven't finalized colour, if any.

wildertools5_zps2b6dbcfe.jpg
Click to expand...

I agree with Karl's pevious post. When I see this logo I see it like this, a business or company offering a product by some guy who is an artisan outfitter. Similar to when Target offers some "exclusive" product line by a designer such as the line Simoni Legno did for Target.

I feel as if it should be a smaller "Artisan•Outfitter" over a larger and dominant "Rick Marchand" and "wildertools" justified to fit under your name. By the way, is it pronounced like wilderness or like wild-er as in more wild than the next crazy canuk?


-Xander
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Who is "Wildertools"? Some guy named Wilder?
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Rick has kicked himself in the butt since he began this journey, by using that moniker instead of just "Marchand" and his location. Several people tried to warn him about that years ago, but he's a stubborn ol' cuss. There is at least one other knifemaker with a similar brand name on this very forum... Google's not real helpful at distinguishing between the two. What's done is done.

It's probably too late for him to switch it up. He has a strong following, and I doubt it would be wise to change the "brand" now. At least the current logo includes his real name. :thumbup:
 
Rick has kicked himself in the butt since he began this journey
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Not exactly James... I kicked myself over entering the Custom Knife World under the name of my company, rather than my own. Heck, my current business cards say nothing of knifemaking and don't even have a knife image on them. Wildertools was around for almost 2yrs before I began making knives. You are right on the moniker, though. Ed Caffree really hit it home when he asked how someone would be able to do a Google search on the mark. Not having a searchable NAME on my knives was a mistake. Since then, I have been able to bring my name to the foreground. Are you talking about Jason Wilder's Wilder Forge? Marchand Knives, Wildertools, Wilder Tools and Rick Marchand seem to bring me up on searches just as quickly as Wally Hayes, Hayes Knives, etc... In various threads, I have advised folks to incorporate their name into a STAMP because it was hard for me, with the symbols alone. Sorry to carry on but your post came across as very negative... I don't feel my marketing choices have been as poor as you let on. You may have just been ribbing me (I have been known to do the same:p), if so, I apologize for making a fuss.

It wasn't really fair for me to not explain what my direction is for Wildertools(as in wilderness, wildebeest). I think many of you fine folks are seeing this as a custom KNIFEMAKER's site. While knives are currently a popular part of my business, they are only one component of a larger vision. Wildertools encompasses, knifemaking, leather goods, clothing, sculpture, primitive skills, wilderness living, guiding, teaching and several other future endeavors, including taking on additional employees and artists. I see Wildertools as becoming a hub/portal for all things handmade and useful. My knives will still be marked "Marchand" and will be made exclusively by me. I continue to promote myself as Rick Marchand on the forums and at shows. I guess what it boils down to is, I see "Rick Marchand, the Bladesmith" as but a fraction of the whole picture I intend to paint. I don't want to work 12-16hrs a day for the rest of my life. I want to make a decent living... just living and doing what I like to do.

As to why asked for your opinion? I didn't want the Wildertools website or its branding to completely throw off folks who where brought there by searching "Marchand knives". I will doing the same the same thing for the other components of my business.

Maybe I should have taken it further with the descriptors?

wildertools6_zps199a3176.png
 
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Personally, I think the Portal added at the end of that last one is a little confusing. You could make the font smaller and put "Portal for Artisans & Outfitters" or "Portal for Artisan and Outfitting" or "Artisans & Outfitters Portal to the Wilderness"
But honestly, I think the last one that you did was good, prior to adding Portal I mean. Well balanced, easy to read and doesn't lock your business into any one niche outside of well, the outside.
 
Have you bought up the URL's to other websites like ?
http://www.rickmarchandknives.com/
http://www.rickmarchandknives.ca
http://www.Wilder-Tools.com/

Buy up all those variations and then have them automatically redirect to your main site

If you don't, somebody else will and then sell them back to you, or setup a competing website using your own name against you.




I don't know if portal is the right word, but I've got nothing better for you.
Maybe "Outpost"
That text in the latest version is so faint I can barely read it on my screen
 
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ok so it's not just your mark but a company with employees in the future??? A portal??? Like a website portal??? I thought it was your mark or company's name??? Or simply your website heading???
By the amount of ? it's probably obvious that you lost me. But then again, I am lost most of the time :o so no need to explain. I am sure most folks get it.

I hope you get it figured out.
 
JCoutts... That last logo image was just a quick mock up.... "portal" is probably not the best word. I might even change all of them.

Patrice... This website name is not meant to be taken as a makers mark for my knives. I already have the moniker and "MARCHAND", which has worked very well. I wanted to have aspects of my custom knifemaking identity incorporated into it but the site itself will be more than just knives. When you pull up the site, you will have clearly marked categories that include Knives, Leather Goods, Clothing, Wilderness Skills, Blogs, etc... Contrary to how busy it sounds, the website will not be confusing and be very easy to navigate. My main goal at this point, is to simply avoid somebody not recognizing the fact that Wildertools IS me. Much the same way I want to avoid confusing people who are only interested in my leather packs or bags. I am trying to find a way to present my brand, that is friendly to all the different aspects of my business.

Count... I currently own wildertools.com, .ca and .net. and most search engines will bring up my site if you type in different combinations of "rick, marchand, knives, wildertools, wilder tools, etc..." I see that the rickmarchand.com, .net and .ca are available. Thanks for pointing that out.



My biggest regret is that I never counted on how many people misread/mispronounce "wildertools". I immediately think "wilderness, wildebeest, wilderment, wildering". I never expected people to insist on reading it as 2 separate words, no matter how many times it is written as one. I also never considered words like "wildflowers, wildman, wildfire, etc... curse the English language! But that has actually proven to only a minor hurdle.
 
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AVigil said:
We know your Name is "Marchand" and we know that fancy "M" is part of your logo. But for the masses who do not know who you are it looks like your name is "Rick archand" with a mountain in between.
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I'm another who does not like the stylized M. If I can't clearly make out what a company name is on a logo I tend to dismiss the company. I find that if I have to try to read something I won't unless it is very important, and most web based purchases are not. If somebody just sees the logo (say on the aforementioned shirt) and gets frustrated looking for Rick Archand (names of people may be easier to remember for some, or they may be interested more in researching the person behind the company), then you could very well turn people off of your product before they even see what that is. The banner under your ads or #4 of your first choices are clear to read and stylish. If you go with the stylized font then I would suggest having your web address listed on any other forms of advertising to prevent confusion. Just my opinion.
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Rick, are you completely determined to hang onto "Wilder Tools"?
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I have a feeling that some of you think I am reinventing my name as a knifemaker... that is far from the fact. Wildertools was planned out long before I was ever a knifemaker. My vision was to be a hub for handmade goods and sharing skills. I am simply putting that business plan into action.

Karl, if you made a few wool blanket coats as a hobby, didn't have your own website but wanted to see if you could sell some, would you rather have your name associated with a company named Wildertools or Rick Marchand Knives? Wildertools is not limiting.

The reality is that I have had a website named "Wildertools by Rick Marchand" for 6yrs and aside from adding a searchable makers mark to my knives in 2008, haven't had a problem with identity. I was just updating the existing look and wanted input from a design perspective. It was unfair for both me and you guys to delve too far into the marketing strategy without having a full business plan in front of you.

You guys have helped me more than I expected. This has been great, Thank you!
 
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as i understand it the W & M are specific characters that need to remain as they are... but not specific to which letter they represent... the W is just slightly distracting to me... could be my own personal brand of OCD... but it just does... just for a thought experiment... what if the W were upside down and backwards to make the M and vice versa... the M in place of the W... As i've seen it the configuration isn't orientation specific... so reversing them just makes it seem like they were stamped the other direction... I've stared at it for some time... really like the M as the M... but the W just seems off with that final leg being more upright than the rest... and the M as a W would still be a clear and consise W... and vice versa... or, since it's your site... be happy with it and go with it... it's meant to represent you... be a little bit of your character in print...
 
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It does look nice. But you are presenting essentially a paragraph as your logo.

Some of the best outfitters L.L. Bean, Cabelas, Bass Pro and REI have gone in a simpler direction for their logos
 
AVigil said:
It does look nice. But you are presenting essentially a paragraph as your logo.

Some of the best outfitters L.L. Bean, Cabelas, Bass Pro and REI have gone in a simpler direction for their logos
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That is definitely something to consider as well.
 
So I really like brainstorming this kind of thing, I used to do some design work. I had another idea for your Wildertools pronunciation concern. You could always add a tag line like "Wildertools for your own personal Wilderness" something using Wilderness could subconciously correct people's pronunciation. Not necessarily for your logo, just as something on your website.
 
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