With Video Library redefining itself — moving to a more streamlined space, positioning itself to offer ‘Movies by Mail, and offering movies exclusively on DVD — the time came to rethink the company name and logo. After all, Video Library has been Video Library, paired with some version of the little clapboard logo, for twenty-five years.
When the owners went looking for new logo ideas, I referred them to LogoWorks. At the LogoWorks website, you fill out a survey, telling the designers about your business. Part of the survey involves paging through their gallery of designs, noting the ones you like best.
Finally, the LogoWorks team produces three logo candidates. After you identify one you like, you can suggest tweaks and revisions (like “make the company name bigger” or “change the color”). LogoWorks then serves up a second round of contenders, and, if none of these are perfect, you get one more round of revisions, just to make sure the design delivers exactly what you wanted.
You get all this for less than $300 bucks — a real bargain, as far as graphic design goes — and, if none of the first-round candidates proves satisfactory, you can cancel the contract and owe nothing.
So the Video Library crew plunked down their cash, and LogoWorks, going above and beyond their promises, beat their own deadlines and delivered four possible logos:
Of these, the first option really stood out, but Video Library’s owners felt it needed some tweaking. After providing feedback (use the new store colors, make “To Go” smaller”), the owners got revisions back, but felt they were disappointing. The colors got muddier, and, instead of making “To Go” smaller and “Video Library” bigger, the designers just shoved “To Go” further up into the logo.
But after the owners identified these issues and explained what they didn’t like, LogoWorks responded with these final revisions:
Wow! The third option really dazzled everyone. Back in the day, a shiny logo with gradients and shading would have been a disaster — expensive to reproduce, especially on business cards and paper goods. But these days, refinements in color printing and computer graphics make more complex logos easy to work with.
I really like the new logo. At a glance, it suggests the industry (video), the media (DVDs exclusively), and even shopping (it looks a bit like a shopping bag, doesn’t it?). It incorporates the new store colors, and it looks very “Video Library 2.0”-ish.
If you’re looking for a new logo, give LogoWorks a try.
Mark,While I have used and agree that companies like logo works are inexpensive alternatives to logo development, I also think that the logos developed by these companies look alot alike.
I am posting a comment to add a footnote to your entry: If you need a inexpensive but legimate logo-see logomasters. If you want a brand, see a professional or agency. Is this a fair comment?
Todd
Todd writes: “If you need a inexpensive but legimate logo — see logomasters. If you want a brand, see a professional or agency. Is this a fair comment?”
Mark replies: I dunno. I don’t know who logomasters is, and I wasn’t trying to (and wouldn’t be qualified to) address the practice of branding.
While I’d agree that there are many graphic design companies that tend to create look-alike logos, after examining Logowork’s portfolio, I don’t think their company is one of those companies.
We’re really happy with the new logo from LogoWorks. Small business owners value fast turnaround and reasonable pricing; LogoWorks offers both.
Mark