Creating a logo for an eCommerce website is a very specific challenge for a number of reasons. To begin with, you’ll often be working with a client with little (or no) experience with designers, or even with the concept of design. That can lead to some pretty literal design work, but it can also free you from the constraints of traditional logo design in the sense that you don’t necessarily have to consider how the logo will look in one color, a half-inch across, printed on the barrel of a pen. It isn’t better or worse than “traditional” logo design… just different. When you know that the primary (and often singular) use of your logo design will be in the header of an eCommerce site, your priorities shift. It’s a different world.
That’s not to say that some good old traditional logo design skills aren’t called for. Take the logo at the top of the post, for instance. It would be right at home on the barrel of a pen (or on a t-shirt or billboard) but it also has all of the elements you expect in an eCommerce logo. First, it’s horizontal. That’s not a requirement, of course, but since vertical space is much more valuable than horizontal in web design, you’ll find that the lion’s share of eCommerce logos are wider than they are tall. (There are always exceptions…) Second, it’s a quick read, both literally and figuratively. Not only can you read the copy, but the color palette and the stylized blades of grass give you a pretty good idea of what you’ll find on the site. Finally, it’s not challenging. In a lot of “best of” logo lists, you’ll find that the ability to hide the intent of the logo so that the viewer has to figure it out is a highly prized characteristic. If one has to look at a logo for a minute to “get it” designers go crazy patting each other on the back for their mutual cleverness. We love that stuff, too, but much of it simply isn’t practical for eCommerce. (There are always exceptions…)
Continue reading and see the rest of the logos after the jump…
As we’ve previously mentioned, we’ve recently begun to donate a laptop a week to the One Laptop Per Child program. In addition to the warm feeling that we get inside from the thought of a new laptop finding its way into the hands of a needy child every single week, we also received a more tangible benefit as a result of our philanthropy – a brand, spanking new OLPC XO 1.5 laptop!
When the box arrived on Friday, we held our enthusiasm in check just long enough to break out the camera and document the unboxing for the benefit of those who will never have the opportunity to get their hands on this remarkable little machine. Please excuse the occasional blurriness. Our hands were shaking with the delight that we feel whenever there’s a new gadget in the immediate area.
Every once in a while, an idea comes along that’s so maddeningly brilliant in its simplicity that all you can do is kick yourself for not having thought of it first. We recently came across two of those ideas.
First, there’s Rollasole. You know how after a long night of tearing up the dance floor in your six-inch stilettos, your feet are in so much pain that you can barely imagine trying to walk to the car so you can go home? Well, that’s where Rollasole comes in. They’ve placed vending machines in dance clubs all over the UK. For about $8, you can get a pair of ballet slippers (in your choice of color) and a bag with which to carry your more fashionable (and less ergonomically correct) shoes. A simple idea to save the aching feet of hard-partying fashionistas everywhere. Worry not, non-English folks… Rollasole will soon be available around the globe
Second, there’s Corrupted-Files.com. For a mere $5.95, they’ll provide you with a corrupted file in your choice of format, which you can then use to stall for time. Email it to your professor (or boss) on those occasions when you simply didn’t have enough time to complete your assignment. Hopefully, by the time they open it, you will have completed the work and no one will be the wiser. Sneaky? Yes. Unethical? Maybe. Clever? Absolutely.
Creating a logo for an eCommerce website is a very specific challenge for a number of reasons. To begin with, you’ll often be working with a client with little (or no) experience with designers, or even with the concept of design. That can lead to some pretty literal design work, but it can also free you from the constraints of traditional logo design in the sense that you don’t necessarily have to consider how the logo will look in one color, a half-inch across, printed on the barrel of a pen. It isn’t better or worse than “traditional” logo design… just different. When you know that the primary (and often singular) use of your logo design will be in the header of an eCommerce site, your priorities shift. It’s a different world.
