:: logo re-work ::

after the NSS, you may or may not remember, i was feeling a little existential angst. to quote myself,

i identify so much more with the artists and artisans than i do with anyone else in my industry. every time a buyer admired the color and quality of one of my cards or posters and asked me whether they were letterpress printed or screenprinted and i told them they were printed digitally (in my studio, i sometimes added, though i knew that this sounded small-fry instead of artisanal), the part of me that knew what that sounded like to them just wanted to cringe. and then run out and buy a press or some screens and lend my work the credibility it apparently needs. that i apparently need. i have a very "i made this with my own two hands" ethic to my business but i think i'm always just the smallest bit plagued by the fact that ultimately, everything i make comes from my printer. i really noticed this at the show more than i ever have elsewhere. it's hard to highlight what i feel is a key element to what makes up up creative unique -- the fact that everything (except for the wrapping paper) really is printed in house much like a letterpress shop or a screenprinting shop -- when to most people digital printing is basically at the bottom of the printer's foodchain, even below offset. this is something i think i'm going to have to deal with one way or another during the next year, managing my own perceptions and managing others' perceptions.

my first step in ameliorating the angst has been just a very minor shift in how i describe my business. while "eco-friendly and 100% sap-free" is a very apt tag line for my business, it's not helping me convey the things i'd most like to convey about my business. it doesn't really explain what i do.

"design & print studio," on the other hand, seems to situate me a little bit better among the hordes of screaming stationers out there. it puts it out there that i'm an indie shop (just a little "studio" - doing design & print work); and i like how the word "studio" connotes something a but more artisanal.

to go with the new tagline, i've worked up a few new logo possibilitles. i'm striving for something that represents how i see my design work: clean, crisp, minimalist, and modern but with a certain quiet beauty, maybe a little play between masculine and feminine. i'm also striving to show off some pretty typefaces since fonts are a big part of what i do.

i'm eager for your feedback. what do you think of these 6 logo prototypes? leave me your:

(a) critiques
(b) praise
(c) favorites
(d) suggestions

please and thank you.