A Logo Proposal

[LuigiBaute]

Greetings, @Birch-san

I wanted to collaborate with this project by delivering a free logo proposal, If that's something you're interested in let me know!

I'm a Graphic Designer and an Open Source Enthusiast! Cheers! -Luigi.

[Birch-san]

Hi @LuigiBaute,

Absolutely. :) the current logo is just a photo I had lying around. I'm not attached to my icon, so if you have a proposal I'll happily consider it.

[LuigiBaute]

Hey @Birch-san , This is what I came up with I hope you like it!! Any suggestions? I'd like to know what you think about it.

[LuigiBaute]

Hi @Birch-san ,

Did you like any of the proposals?

let me know, thanks! :+1:

[Birch-san]

Hi @LuigiBaute,

Thanks very much for the designs.

Overall, I still prefer the orange icon that I currently have. It's hard to describe the function of juicysfplugin in an icon: MIDI messages -> soundfont samples, with easy soundbank navigation.
The orange works because it's a symbol that describes the history of the plugin. The goal was to use JUCE framework to make a plugin compatible with Fruity Loops. Hence a juicy fruit.

I'll give some specific design feedback.

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Column 1 looks like an equalizer or a mixer. This is misleading; juicysfplugin does not perform either of these functions.

Column 2 is a waveform. It resembles the output of juicysfplugin. But it's too general. It could describe almost any audio software.
The notches on the waveform look significant, but they're meaningless.

Column 3 has a good idea. It conveys an important aspect of juicysfplugin: easy UX for selecting presets from a soundfont. The keyboard (slightly) conveys that juicysfplugin accepts MIDI input.

====

This design is a bit busy. When small, it looks messy. There are some easy ways to simplify it:

• Remove the background; let the logo be full-size
• Remove a key from the piano
• Remove the text; it's mis-spelled, the font is bad, and it won't be used anywhere in the .app's icon
• Use a simpler font on the numerals, maybe a pixel art font

The line work is messy.

• Don't round every edge
• Use sharper miters
• Your edges are getting anti-aliased for no reason
  • Use hinting
  • Be more careful in your process; the piano keys almost look like they're drawn freehand

Consider your mastering process:

• JPEG creates unnecessary quality loss and precludes transparency.
  • PNG with alpha channel is good, ICNS is ideal for macOS icons
• Icons are required for a variety of sizes
  • Detailed art will not look good when downsampled. It may need a simpler design for small sizes
  • For really small sizes like 16x16 it would need to be redrawn as pixel art
  • Well, maybe in 2018 we don't need to worry about the smallest sizes, because everyone has big or high-density displays.

====

As for the style variations…

Row 1 has too much contrast.

Row 2 has better colours. Orange with grayscale is a nice color scheme, but it suggests "professional" and "utility", whereas this application is supposed to be "easy" and "fun".
The shadow is meaningless and pointless. It's trying to copy a style trend for no reason, and it complicates the colour scheme.

Row 3 is too familiar. I recognise these gradients from App Store.app, iBooks.app and Instagram. It's copying style trends for no reason.

I really recommend using a more formal technique for choosing colour schemes. Consider the free web application Adobe Kuler:

I also recommend that you do not copy style trends. In colour, iconography, and linework: don't draw things that you've seen before. Except when it's beneficial to invoke the user's existing knowledge.

====

Out of interest: what is your motivation here? Are you looking for practice? Are you trying to build a portfolio? Are you interested in audio software or open-source?

I can't use any of these designs as they are, but I am happy to continue giving feedback. If you want to iterate on any design, I recommend that you iterate on column 3, row 2.

Additionally: when trying to create a brand or an icon, you should begin the process by asking questions about the subject. It's important to understand the goal of the project and the message that it requires.

[LuigiBaute]

Thanks for the tips @Birch-san I really appreciate them, you're totally right :+1:

My goal is to contribute to open source project and also improve my portfolio while I'm contributing.

I did follow the trend designs,

its a simple design most people like (doesn't mean that everyone should)

I would love to give you a new proposal with having in count all these important details you've described for me, if that's good for you I'll be uploading another proposal soon :)

[LuigiBaute]

Hello @Birch-san what do you think of this one? I tried to improve the visibility issue you mentioned before, and adding an orange ''juicy'' colour to it, hope you like it :+1:

[Birch-san]

Hi @LuigiBaute , thanks for iterating on the designs.

Your new designs no longer show the selected preset (the original design depicted a pressed "0" button). This makes the radio buttons harder to understand.

The background doesn't contribute anything to the symbol. I would remove it.

You could simplify the colour scheme by making it a cutout. Instead of white vs grey, it could be white vs transparent.

The angled font has weird proportions. I would also recommend using an actual pixel font (perpendicular angles only, quantized to a grid).

I suspect the linework still lacks stroke hinting. It's getting anti-aliased even though it's a rectangle. This makes the lines blurry.

It's weird to use rounded edges on the radio buttons, since you use rounding nowhere else in the design.

The colour schemes are a bit uninspiring. The orange isn't vibrant enough on its own: to make it juicy, it needs to be contrasted with a yellower orange.

The rounded rectangle is a bit tired. It looks like an Android app. Consider other perimeters, like a polygon, or even a square with a tapered corner.

The composition is too informal. You should align visual elements to a grid. Grids help the viewer understand the picture quickly, and prime number (like 3x5, 5x7) add interest by making it harder to find patterns. Golden ratio is also aesthetic.

Flat makes it simple, but it's also a bit unoriginal. You could add perspective (i.e. align the art to "vanishing points").

More original would be to draw the keyboard like segments of the orange fruit. That would provide perspective and interesting geometry.

[LuigiBaute]

Points taken, I'll come up with something new.

[LuigiBaute]

I tried to go more realistic, this is just a mock up, it can be any colour you like it, if you got an specific orange (color) it could be convenient. I hope you like it @Birch-san

[Birch-san]

Hi @LuigiBaute ,

It's generic and misleading.
The analogue controls are really unrelated to this project. It looks like a mixer or equalizer.
Presenting it as "generic audio hardware" really harms the brand and message of this project.

Thanks for your time, but I think it's unproductive to continue submitting designs.