Simterra needs a logo!

[GS_Bob]

I was planning on tackling this one, and I might still try, but honestly this is probably a task that should be looked at by the more artistic savvy individuals here (not to mention those with more free time than myself, programming for Simterra is already eating all my free time)

We need .jpg or .gif logos to start using. At the very least, we need something symbolic of Simterra. Preferably looking for something that fits well into a square (or circle) and then a banner style.

Keep in mind the rules of good logos
-Should resize well and be recognizable at any reasonable size.
-Simplicity breeds recognition. And in logos complexity leads to confusion. Keep it simple.
-Should look good in black and white, or in grayscale. Color is fine as long as it still prints out well in black and white.

As a note these rules are from a full year spent working with logos and product design, and these are well recognized within the industry for a reason.

As a note some ideas I've had if people want to expand on them.

Stylized Ball with lattitude and longitude lines that has a black outline that fades to white and a white interior that fades to black.

Stylyzed globe with the right half missing in such a way to form the S shape, with a T overlapping from below. In the banner version it would spell out Simulacrum and below would be terra.

A globe shaped like a diamond.

As may be seen I'm fairly interested in the 'world' theme, but that is by no means a requirement.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

For those interested in playing around with things, but don't have a photoshop equivalent, I highly recommend GIMP. It's free and pretty effective without having to turn to dubious pirating.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

Obviously would be smaller, and I would add text to it. But thought I'd get opinions before trying to explore it further. As a note, I have a layered version that has quite a bit more to it saved on my computer, so most modifications or additions along these themes would be easy.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

I could also exaggerate the lines over the ball to still give the ball definition but also possibly be the t in Terra by adding 'feet' to the lines and thickening them a bit. Then I would take the open area and have the S as a white addition in there. Or I could try adding negative lettering in there.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[Drake]

That reminds me of the logo for some of the Nippon Tech Megacorps in TORG... >.<
_________________
"A posse ad Esse" - From Possibility, To Reality

"If you're scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you and that understanding empowers you." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Ravenwatch/index.php?act=idx

[GS_Bob]

well, I do tend towards that kind of thing (Especially Shadowrun, they had some awesome logos for the Megacorps), but yeah the whole sleek semi futuristic looking stuff are definitely favorites.

Point of note that's actually one of the reasons the forums ended up looking this way, although I can't remember whether it was my final choice or Drew's. 5 years is too far back to remember.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

Still shooting from the hip on this one. Obviously some effects could be use to clean it up, but I find that if there is something for people to disagree with they're more inclined to comment / brainstorm than if I were to present a blank slate.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[Charis]

I like the idea for the logo, but the font is kind of bizzare, and doesn't seem to fit. If i have some free time tomorrow (and power) I might toy around with it to see if I can find something.

[GS_Bob]

I'm not fond of the font at all, but if I were to try making this thing for production I probably wouldn't use a font at all, and just do it all by hand. It's got a world of polishing to go as well.

But the lettering is the easy part, is the ball / globe worth keeping?

Advantages
-Simple Clean Lines
-Watermarks very well
-You can put it on any background without too much detriment.
-You can put anything on top of it and expect it to be legible.
-Works as a grayscale, and on any scale.

Disadvantages
-Doesn't capture Simterra as well as I'd like.
-By itself it's just a circle.
-On a bad computer it would print out pretty badly.
-It doesn't lend itself to color that well.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[Drake]

For some reason I see:

Obsidian Glass Orb instead of the Ball
Green Ivy Vines instead of lines
_________________
"A posse ad Esse" - From Possibility, To Reality

"If you're scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you and that understanding empowers you." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Ravenwatch/index.php?act=idx

[MetricMike]

[GS_Bob]

Other ideas.

Crystalline sword with Simulacrum Terra written on it.

World half enclosed in crystal.

Sword lying on the ground (using perspective) with some crystals around it. This one would be odd in that it isn't necessarily self contained, but I kinda like it.

Sword stuck in the ground with a Fedora on the grip, and on the other side a crystal pendant hangs off of the hilt.

the word Simulacrum starting out strong and fading via gradient towards the end of the word, and the word Terra underneath as an earthen style text (IE looks like rock, dirt, trees, or something else earthy) with crystals embedded in the top. Or growing from crystal.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

please keep in mind these are very rough 15 minute deals, and I am no master artist. Look at them for concept, but my plan isn't to spend more than half an hour on any given concept till we find one that is worth keeping (which I still like my original one the most, but I'm just tossing out options and thoughts).
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

More badly done logos along same theme, but a world instead of a tree.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.

[GS_Bob]

As an added note I have nothing against other peoples ideas, I just couldn't make them quickly, and may still take some time to do just that.

The obsidian globe with Ivy is cool, I'm just not sure how to do that at the moment with some decent investment of time.

They world instead of the ball I have in the upper ones is still a possibility as well, but same thing, it's hard to add that in.
_________________
Missing Head Judicator -
One day Drew hit me with a Sword, then I obsessed. Obsession led to Game Staff, then to Head Judicator. Drew should hit more people.
Then I moved. Now Drew can't hit me anymore.