New WGA Logo Referendum, Round 2

[kbraband]

@Jeremy wrote:

After some heated discussion, the Board has chosen a “stylized g” logo that we think all Wisconsin geocachers will be satisfied with. As an added bonus, merchandise featuring this logo is readily available in stores and some geocachers may already own it (some people, like green&gold, have more than others :)). And there is a good chance you can pick up something with the new WGA logo (and a French verb starting with F meaning “to waffle”) on clearance or at a garage sale in the near future.

Whoa, Jeremy! Why don’t you just go ahead and diss God and the American Flag while you’re at it? 😆

[Da Bloodhound]

I think Jeremy is on to something!

Now if we could add the “W” and “A” in the same format and colors (got to love those colors) We may just have the winner.

Sorry Seldom the stylized “G” is to girlie for my liking.

DB

[Ry and Ny]

Must be an eye of the beholder thing. I don’t think the stylized “g” is girly at all, merely a slick, simple, modern logo design, which in this day and age is what catches the eye.

[seldom|seen]

Also remember, it’s not finished yet. I’d strongly urge the WGA board to consider having a professional agency take the winning design and develop a few final variants for the WGA body to choose from. Just because the logo appeared prematurely on an event t-shirt, does not mean that it should just be left alone and not taken through the final step to a final polished design.

[Da Bloodhound]

❗ ❗ NOW ❗ ❗ I totally agree with Seldom on the graphics professional approach to the new association logo.
Even if it means allocating association funds it would be well worth it in the end to have a first class memorable logo.
Need to start a bank account ear marked for this? I’ll pitch in.
Sorry, still not sold on the single “G” thing though.
DB

[TyeDyeSkyGuy]

I believe the votes speak for themselves on this topic. If our votes don’t count, then why bother voting?

Please, no comments about the 2000/2004 presidential elections. 😆

PS, no offense to the artist, but I do think the stylized “g” logo is it bit “girly”. And although Dave’s logo is similar to the Washington logo, I still believe it to be the most bold design. I’d personally rather keep the old logo than start using the stylized “g”. Unless it’s the aforementioned green and gold version! 😉

[zuma]

@seldom|seen wrote:

Also remember, it’s not finished yet. I’d strongly urge the WGA board to consider having a professional agency take the winning design and develop a few final variants for the WGA body to choose from. Just because the logo appeared prematurely on an event t-shirt, does not mean that it should just be left alone and not taken through the final step to a final polished design.

Thanks for the input S/S, especially since you are especially experienced in this area. Can you describe in greater detail the process that you would suggest for moving forward?

zuma

[Team Hemisphere Dancer]

@zuma wrote:

@seldom|seen wrote:

Also remember, it’s not finished yet. I’d strongly urge the WGA board to consider having a professional agency take the winning design and develop a few final variants for the WGA body to choose from. Just because the logo appeared prematurely on an event t-shirt, does not mean that it should just be left alone and not taken through the final step to a final polished design.

Thanks for the input S/S, especially since you are especially experienced in this area. Can you describe in greater detail the process that you would suggest for moving forward?

zuma

Why doesn’t the WGA just invite S|S in on the decision comitte as a “path forward” consultant?

[seldom|seen]

@zuma wrote:

@seldom|seen wrote:

Also remember, it’s not finished yet. I’d strongly urge the WGA board to consider having a professional agency take the winning design and develop a few final variants for the WGA body to choose from. Just because the logo appeared prematurely on an event t-shirt, does not mean that it should just be left alone and not taken through the final step to a final polished design.

Thanks for the input S/S, especially since you are especially experienced in this area. Can you describe in greater detail the process that you would suggest for moving forward?

zuma

If we accept that the “concept” of the cheesehead dave option, the vote winner, is too similar to the existing logo for Washington state (something that should have been pointed out to the whole body before the referendum vote), and I would would strongly argue that it is;

And we accept that the 2nd place winner is going to be the “concept” for the new Wisconsin logo;

Then I would suggest a poll to solicit input from the general body of the period of one week, asking what it is they like about it and what it is they don’t like about it. There seems to be some concern that it is “girlie” which I don’t see, but is a concern if members are bringing it up. As designers, we don’t always have the capacity to step away from the design and external reactions are vital to developing a final logo.

This process brings up issues of similarity, like the “gospel” logo and the pill-bottle in my logo looking like something else that we wouldn’t want representing our state – talk about “girlie”!

From there, I’d suggest taking it to a design firm to finalize a half dozen variants for the general body to vote on and make the final decision. As we are already at an approved concept, this final step should not be as costly as it would be starting from scratch as we are already 80% of the way there. A couple hundred dollars, tops.

If you are interested, I can provide a quote and samples of the work we do, but you should probably source 3 firms and solicit quotes and sample work based on the concept and desire for 3-4 variants. Go with the best balance of quality work and cost of work.

[Da Bloodhound]

How about taking one giant step back, if we as an association, are going to employ a graphics firm? We, the board, should meet with them, explain our addiction, DO NOT show the winner, or losers of the straw pole and get some totally unbiased design and suggestions from them? We could provide results of our pole after the initial suggestions from the firm and hammer out a final design from there.

BD

[EnergySaver]

I consider myself fairly unbiased, since I didn’t submit a logo idea and I could see any of the “top voted” logos as working well.

But purely from the “big picture” logic of all this discussion, this is my feedback …

(a) assuming that the cost is not a restraint, I say have a design firm come up with their own concept(s), as someone else suggested – then have some committee agree upon maybe the top 2 or 3 to bring to the general membership.

(b) but then also have the design firm suggest a “tweaked” version of the “g” logo.

(c) then have a revote with the best design firm designs and the pro version of the “g”.

… Normally I’d say “a vote is a vote”, but in this case it’s in the best interest of the WGA to not get all legal about having a re-vote. I’d feel different if the winner of the vote would be crying foul, but I don’t think we’d have that situation.

[Da Bloodhound]

If that’s the route, why not a stylized “W” logo?
❓ DB ❓

[nohandsgps]

How much are we talking about to have a professional agency design a logo (ballpark)?

[cheezehead]

@Da Bloodhound wrote:

If that’s the route, why not a stylized “W” logo?
❓ DB ❓

There’s a good idea!

[seldom|seen]

Round and round we go.

Seems like a decision to go down the Design Firm path would have been wise at the beginning and I don’t know how wise it is now to turn around and backtrack a hundred miles being this far down the road. But then, we are geocachers…

All of these concerns were voiced early in the process and many members felt that the WGA should take this to the professionals, It was decided to not go that way for cost reasons and also to involve the talent pool of the designers amonstg us. Not necessarily a bad decision, as we do have some strong options.

I think coming up with G variants and even a W variant of the chosen concept is well within the bounds of exploration of a final logo based on a chosen concept.

I don’t think we should be asking a design firm to start from scratch as that, in my mind, opens up the possibility for all of the effort to date to be tossed aside in the favor of an entirely new design, not put forth by the body. And that is not the chosen path of the WGA board. Some decisions we need to live with.

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