Short and sweet. This is the theme of this blog post. Not only am I so extraordinarily busy this week because I shot TWO wedding last weekend, but also because that’s what a logo should be. Usually.
Having a graphic designer as a husband is a major perk. Not only is he excellent in Photoshop and at creating anything I need watermark or logo-wise, but he is constantly pointing out to me why certain things suck, and now I see it too. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a critic, but now I criticize print work too! Way too often we are running across atrocities like spinning text in videos, Comic Sans text in print ads (shudder) and blaring contrast and weird colors in photographs. Don’t even get me started on spoken word and commercials because it’s lengthy what craziness hits the television. But in this world of wrong, there are some who get it right. Here is what my expert husband says about logos and how they should look:
“A logo should briefly describe your identity; capturing the essence of you as an individual (or company), what you do and your overall vision. Your logo must be simple, professional and instantly recognizable. If not, your entire branding will fall apart.”
Now let’s consider the evolution of my logo. Once upon a time (okay…a couple of months ago) I was known as A Moment’s Worth Photography by Sarah-Marie. Lengthy isn’t it? That’s reason number one that I rebranded.
Getting back to the story, here is my original logo back in 2009:
What I was thinking: The name A Moment’s Worth came from the thinking that no one can truly place a dollar amount on a single moment, especially a moment that is captured in time. I wanted to express that in my logo by showing a clock (time) and somehow representing photography or weddings (my niche). I chose an integrated clock with the hands being formed from a pair of wedding rings. I still love the idea, but both Jason and I laughed when we pulled this up and saw it again. Why it’s not good: It’s too big. It’s long and bulky, has no parts that can be removed yet still understood, it doesn’t express my personality or what I do, and more than two colors in a logo is usually a bad idea. Three colors is stretching it.
Attempt number two:
For this update, Jason completed the clock, shortened the name to just the initials, and made it so it would fit in a square (which is a good rule of thumb). I actually really like this logo, but there a couple of things that complicate it, and since I decided to totally rebrand, I just couldn’t keep it. Read on.
What I Was Thinking: All white, clean and simple, carried over my original clock theme. Usually shown all in white, the pink was the color of my website. Why it’s not good: Not very compact (think favicon, will it fit?), clocks have nothing to do with photography, AMW has nothing to do with me, too bulky.
Piggybacking on that second attempt, here’s another reason I chose to rebrand, and therefore changed my logo again… A Moment’s Worth shortened is AMW. Kinda sounds like root beer huh? As much as I like root beer, it’s not exactly the mental picture I’m going for when people think of my work and style. Though I loved this second logo, being thought of a the root beer photography just didn’t work for me.
Finally, the end result:
That’s a lot of changes! The name is different, the clock is gone, the color scheme is totally changed, and it’s a lot smaller.
Here’s why it rocks: An S with a piggyback heart? That’s simple, easy on the eyes, and unique. It only has two colors (score!), and on photos it’s usually shown in all white, like right above the title of this post. The image can easily be shown separately from all the other words for watermarking, favicon, or just for when I become internationally well known and don’t need the name anymore, and it’s compact. Plus, it has special meaning to me. It’s an S for Sarah, and an M for Marie (I vainly love my name), also seen as a heart (who saw that before I mentioned it? Confess below if you didn’t catch that!). Not only have I always doodled hearts since I was a kid, the heart is the heart of my business. It’s all about love. Love at a wedding, the love of a mother for her child, love between siblings, etc etc etc. I’m not a fashion photographer, so everything I shoot is love! It’s finally ALL ME! Now if that doesn’t fall within the guidelines for a great logo, I don’t know what does.