Jun
24
I Need Your help!
ByI can not make up my mind !
I need your help choosing which logo image to go with.
(After I choose the image the Name Defy the Box will be added in.)
I am down to two images that are very similar.
(The difference is in the eyes.)
One seems to be concentrating more…the other laughing.
Which of the two resonates more with you?
Can you help me decide?
Let me know which one you like best by leaving a comment below.
Image #1
Image #2
25 Comments
June 24th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Hey Leah,
Those are great and I prefer the second one. However I’m in the business of branding and the one thing I don’t see is who you are or what you do. If I didn’t know any better I would think it was an ad for a kids Karate school. Branding can make or break a campaign and this just doesn’t work for me. I tried to call in last night when I was coming back from NYC but the system wasn’t working. It figures I finally get time to call and can’t get through. Oh well I’ll try again next time.. Keep up the good work!
Eric
June 24th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I like the first one better. …..
June 24th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
hi leah… i like the second one better, with the eyebrows partially hidden under the hat.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Leah, I have to agree with Eric (warning – I’m also a marketer). It doesn’t really speak to me about what you do. The ninja thing really doesn’t do it for me at all. And I am squarely in your target audience market. I’d be looking for something that has more of a sense of freedom than a fighting approach to it. That’s what would appeal to me. Just my two cents’ worth.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
The second one looks like it’s enjoying the breaking out of the box. I like that. We should enjoy liberation. Just my 2 cents.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Hi Leah!
I prefer the 2nd one AND the cartoon Ninja doesn’t speak to me. Don’t think it reflects you and what you do either. I’m in your target market too. I know you were hoping to pick one of these and wrap the project up buuuut…
Something smart, clever, and funny playing on living or thinking outside of boxes with a real person or people instead of a cartoon might be more the right speed. Something celebratory rather than violent. Freaky person exploding joyfully out of a box (a la popping out of a cake) maybe with icons for money and creative projects flowing out of the box all around them. Flash video graphic with various flavors of mildly freaky people climbing out of a box like clowns getting out of a car… the box has a label reflecting what you are helping folks escape from.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Thanks everyone for playing.
A BIG THANK YOU to Kelle, Erik and Lillith for saying that the Ninja image does not do it for you. You got me thinking!!!
I do want to wrap this project up BUT I also want the logo i choose to represent Defy the Box to really resonate with my message.
I think I need to take a step back and re-evaluate this ninja idea.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I think that Eric is right on. I thought it was some kids cartoon thing like they collect those cards with.
Sorry Leah I know your search has been long.
Robin
June 24th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I like the first one because the eyes look more like yours than the other. This person seems a little more intense.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Leah..I know you’ve out a lot into this…but I have to agree with Eric…neither of the photos seems to reflect what you are about. To me they look like Ninja Jack in the box toys for kids.
I also find their mouths being gagged to be a real turn off. It’s like the only way out of the box is to fight like a ninja warrior and use loner violence instead of self expression among kindred spririts.
I honestly would never have stopped to read read your site if either of those visuals had been front and center.
I don’t think you need to be so literal about the box…perhaps you could show the result…a free spirit. Defying the box is how you break free…but the bos is really in your mind…it’s not physical. That’s why I’ve always like your photo as part of the logo…you exude free sprit who thinks for herself…outside the lines.
I hope I havent been too brutally honest…I tell you the truth BECAUSE I care about you….and I want you to succeed.
With lots of love,
Ariane
June 24th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I also like the second image more, but I have to agree with the “marketers” on the ninja thing. I never quite knew what to make of the ninja idea, but hadn’t really spent a lot of time thinking about why. For me ninjas make me think of violence. I would relate a lot more to a drawing of some geeky buttoned up gal or guy breaking out of a cubicle if you were looking for a similarly themed idea.
Good luck! I know this is a difficult process and I commend you for all the work you’ve been doing to find your voice on this.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Hi Leah,
I prefer the first one because it makes me think of what my yoga teacher told me about how to direct one’s gaze when doing yoga positions. The second guy looks to me like he’s looking upwards, and the first one like he’s looking straight ahead, and I find that first version more coherent with your work and the sort of things you encourage.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
As far as the images go I like the second one.
Now as far as the Ninga goes, I also agree with the folks that don’t get it. I am probably your target audience as well and it doesn’t quite work for me. FYI!
peace, c
Happy Box Busting!!
June 24th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Hey,
i wanted to give my own personal take on this, so I didn’t read other people’s comments until I published my answer. Now I’d like to add that the ninja idea does work for me, but indeed, not the logo you have presented so much.
It’s too cartoonish, like a japan-imation. I’d like to see a blend of consciousness and ninja-ness, with the notion that the limits of the box are constantly moving…
Good luck with this endeavour!
June 24th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I like # 2 but I would add your tag line in there “defy the box”
and “Break free from your pre packaged life”
It speaks to me and I am struggling to get a move on(and to work With you).I think your on the money.It just needs some tweeking
June 24th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I like #2 you just need to add your business name & tag line.
It speaks to me and I am struggling to break free. I think you are on the money. It just needs a little tweeking.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Ariane…I want the truth..thats why I put it out there to you all! I value your perspective.
You are the second person who says they like my picture as part of the logo…mmm.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Once again…thanks for the feedback! I am going to take a step back and re-evaluate the logo thing.
You all Rock !
Thanks for your honest feedback.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Hi Leah! Of the two, I like the 2nd one better – there is more positive expression in the eyes, I think. I agree, though, with the previous comments about it’s representation of you and your business; neither feels really right on yet.
Also, something that bothers me in both of them is the fist – in a more passive fist, the thumb is on the inside (as in these logos), but in a defiant fist, the thumb is almost always pictured on the outside of the fingers. Do it with your own hand & see which is more natural.
Good luck in your decision making!
June 24th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
SECOND ONE SEEMS MORE ANIMATED…. OH, AND YOU ROCK!
June 24th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
I like #2 because she seems more joyful. Cary likes #1 because she seems more determined. That’s what we’ve got. good luck!
June 25th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Leah,
They are very cute and pretty however… I say HUH?
Who are you? A ninja Warrior
What do you do? Break through Walls
What can you do for (to) me? Beat me up
June 25th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
When I first saw this logo as the winner, I didn’t like it… however I didn’t want to be negative about it and it seemed like a done deal so I didn’t say anything. But… since you have asked for honest opinions, I have to say that I just don’t like either one of them. Your logo is very important and will be with you a long time. The image feels angry and aggressive to me and that is not how I want to approach making large changes in my life. Especially at the outset when I’m a little (or a lot) scared of making these changes to begin with. What I want to see is an image which shows me the end result, the benefits, the happy ending of making these changes. I don’t want to know at the beginning of the journey how F’in hard it’s going to be to break free of the walls until I’m already going through the process and it’s too late to resist… otherwise I may just never go there.
Fyi, I had a really awesome experience with my logo designer if you’re interested in pursuing other avenues.
June 30th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I have to agree that its not quite right for what you do. Although the eyes are happy (in the second one) its still hard to tell at first glance what the emotions are. One thing that would greatly improve this would be to remove the mouth covering to show some kind of triumphant face.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Well, looks like you might not use the ninja image after all…but here’s my perspective on it:
I myself resonate quite deeply with the Ninja icon. I think of the original ninjas and how they were an independent, organically developed counter culture that arose “out of the box” of the regular elitist Samurai society. A ninja, by definition is a “master of the art of stealth”….perhaps that isn’t the whole picture when it comes to the skill set required to break “out of the box”, but you are giving people tools that increase their cunning, speed, flexibility, agility, and focus. As for the reference to violence, that’s besides the point to me. We’re “breaking” out from the box, aren’t we? The ninja may use force, but the ninja’s force is fluid, graceful, technically brilliant, and uses the least resistance. To me, the ninja doesn’t represent force or violence, it represents mastery and independence!!! That’s my GIRL-Devil’s advocacy!
Nin-Jutsu has a series of mudras (sacred hand positions). Meditating with these poses brings the esoteric side of ninja empowerment. Maybe….instead of the ninja breaking out of the box using himr fist, heshe could be gesturing a mudra or magical hand symbol that represents the technology that you (LEAH!!!) are offering in your program.
OH, and I like the first Ninja the best, because the second one’s overhanging eyebrows bug me.