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Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 02:15 PM

I have to come up with a logo for a web tech company who's image or theme is a Nucleus.

I don't know if it is because it is friday or what but I have a mental block and can't come up with anything I like.

Anyone have any interesting ideas/mockups they can throw at me to get the old creative juices flowing again?

They want something that looks like a nucleus but to me everything looks to Homer Simpson at the Power Plant-ish to me. They also don't want it to be simple but more fancy like this logo:

Any ideas would be appreciated.

itistoday · Apr 7, 2006, 02:23 PM

big glassy looking orange circle in the center, with a large highlight (very OS X looking) with three smaller (about 1/10th the size) orange glassy-looking blobs swirling in a perfect circle around the center, with plenty of motion blur. The motion blur "tails" of the swirling circles should follow the curve of the bigger circle and fade away. If you want, perhaps put a letter "impressed" into the big circle representing the company's name. The whole thing is rather similar in theme to Cingular's jax-guy:

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 02:26 PM

Oh I forgot to mention they want it green.

itistoday · Apr 7, 2006, 02:27 PM

Heh, ok, so make it green instead.

Dakar · Apr 7, 2006, 02:29 PM

Good eyes, itis. I was thinking the same thing.

Teronzhul · 02:52 PM

I'm not a designer, but I think I would play with using a oversized stylized central C since it is already round and could be fashioned into an atom like image while retaining its usage as a letter. It could be closed off with the following l and emphasize the center of the word while giving you a small amount of logo space.

Just a wacky idea

edit: mspaint ftw

I expect payment in full.

andi*pandi · Apr 7, 2006, 02:42 PM

what is the name of the company?

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

what is the name of the company?

Net Nucleus

epluth · Apr 7, 2006, 02:54 PM

maybe something similar to core image?

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by epluth

maybe something similar to core image?

You're right, that would be perfect. I not quite sure hot to make that in Photoshop though and I need to come up with some sort of variation.

epluth · Apr 7, 2006, 03:10 PM

I played with it a bit, but cannot attach images... yes, a variation with sophisticated/sanserif font. I'm seeing it.

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 03:14 PM

This is what I came up with so far:

They want a corporate font with just a tiny tiny cool aspect to it.

andi*pandi · Apr 7, 2006, 03:31 PM

Very nice, like the font, but the ball with shadow thing is pretty generic.

perhaps I'm being very literal, but I would have a rough pill shape, with an inner imperfect line, shading, and the nucleus letters in rounded sans serif, roughed... and merging. lots of dots/bubbles around them. Is that the most obvious thing ever? Yes.

this doesn't look near as sciencey as I was imagining, but for 15 mins... an idea.

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 03:39 PM

Not bad. The boss really likes stuff that looks like this:

Hence why I am going with the ball thing.

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 04:01 PM

Here is another idea.

Rumor · Apr 7, 2006, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Here is another idea.

Makes me think they make golf balls.

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 04:15 PM

So far the boss likes the first one

olePigeon · Apr 7, 2006, 04:31 PM

I need to go into business. I could get clients, then just post on MacNN and have you guys do all the work for me.

Dark Helmet · Apr 7, 2006, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

I need to go into business. I could get clients, then just post on MacNN and have you guys do all the work for me.

Hey hey, well so far I have been doing the work some people have just been nice enough to give me ideas and I am grateful for it.

Heck I'd buy them a beer if I could.

davesimondotcom · Apr 7, 2006, 04:44 PM

Whenever I get stuck, I do something else creatively.

Play a game of Scrabble
Go to a place like Wordlab's Wordboard and come up with names for people
Take some photos
Take a shower (I do my best thinking there)
Take a walk
Sketch

As far as the logo for Net Nucleus. I like the bank gothic type, but the circle thing doesn't say nucleus to me. Although the nucleus is the center of things, I think of them as something small, where the green ball is pretty large.

I understand the hesitation to doing an "atomic" thing like you say - "Homer Simpson." The core image thing is great - and that's the direction I'd try to go in.

You need something inside something else.

andi*pandi · Apr 7, 2006, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

You need something inside something else.

that's where I was going, or at least thinking.
the second one is less generic, but more pool ball/eye ball looking. needs some ribosomes going on.

I don't mind giving someone ideas, certainly nothing sketched here is good enough to run with.

back to redesigning letterhead. ::yawn::

ort888 · Apr 7, 2006, 04:53 PM

The kerning looks off on the word "net" The E looks closer to the T then it should be.

I like them both. They are clean, nice & professional... but they are also very safe and forgettable. It depends on what they are going for.

davesimondotcom · Apr 7, 2006, 05:03 PM

I was thinking something along these lines:

Quick mock...

andi*pandi · Apr 7, 2006, 05:17 PM

winner. pay the man $50.

Landos Mustache · Apr 7, 2006, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

I was thinking something along these lines:

Quick mock...

it is definitely nice but they want more 3D and glassy.

Kevin · Apr 7, 2006, 05:23 PM

All of the ideas and logos in here have been decent.

This one though

Reminds me of a gross eyeball.

BlueSky · Apr 7, 2006, 05:51 PM

Me too. It looks like a bent fish eye.

rickey939 · Apr 7, 2006, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

You're right, that would be perfect. I not quite sure hot to make that in Photoshop though and I need to come up with some sort of variation.

Landos Mustache · Apr 7, 2006, 06:09 PM

davesimondotcom · Apr 7, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

it is definitely nice but they want more 3D and glassy.

They would want it shinier. LOL

Kevin · Apr 7, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

Coming from a company that makes layout and design applications, that icon is just horrible.

rozwado1 · Apr 7, 2006, 06:32 PM

Use the first one with the green (generic) sphere. Add to the sphere - add different sizes dots with motion blurs to represent quarks floating around.

The font needs help on the right. I'd say either change the font inside the nucleus (simple sans-serif), or try adding more "gloss" to the Nucleus text.

Railroader · Apr 7, 2006, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

All of the ideas and logos in here have been decent.

This one though

Reminds me of a gross eyeball.

I thought of this when I saw it:

rickey939 · Apr 7, 2006, 09:56 PM

Where art thou effgee?

itistoday · Apr 7, 2006, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

Where art thou effgee?

Indeed. Paging effgee, come in effgee! We need you!

MaxPower2k3 · Apr 7, 2006, 10:38 PM

what the hell, i'm no graphic designer but i figured i'd give it a go anyway. probably not what you're looking for, but it kept me occupied for a few minutes

Landos Mustache · Apr 7, 2006, 10:44 PM

Thanks MaxPower2k3, pretty neat but it looks to much like an Amoeba.