Would you like to redesign CrowdVine?
We’re starting a redesign of CrowdVine, including our logo, company pages, and network home pages. Would you like to help? Sure you would.
We started by soliciting ideas for a new logo. I’ve included some of the best candidates below. They’re just concepts that can still get revised. Please, tell us what you think.
#1. 
#2. 
#3. 
#4. 
#5. 
As an aside, we got these logos from 99designs.com, a design competition. You put up a description of what you want and offer a prize, then designers compete by submitting designs and revising based on your feedback. Our competition just ended with 303 entries for a prize of $300. And right now I’m trying to decide on a winner (with your help).
July 7th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
You may be wondering what criteria to use when you evaluate these. Here are the two things that are important to us in our branding:
1. Every compliment we get includes the word “simple” so it’s important for our brand to reflect that.
2. Although we started as a general purpose social network, we’ve focused on helping people meet (as opposed to hang out).
July 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I like the second one but with the third one’s font. The logo part appeals to me more and makes me want to know what CrowdVine is. The one with the leaf seems…cute but not commercial enough perhaps? I also seriously hate the last one. Good luck!
July 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think the top logo (the green vine with the leaves coming out) and the third one (with the three poeple dancing on top of the C). Either one looks very professional and has some kind of drawing or image that can be used to identify the brand without needing the brand name.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Also, remember these can change. So while I like #4 because of the name tag shape, I can’t have a logo with a leaf on it. That wouldn’t make sense. But yet, I like the concept, so it’s included.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Oh, one more thing. Even though we do serve some major companies our business is primarily driven through word-of-mouth. So it’s better for us to have a logo that appeals to the general consumer and is merely acceptable to Fortune 500 than the other way around.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Referred by @iheartquotes …
I like the 3rd one the best. The 3 little people look happy. Also their arms and legs do look like a vine. I also think this one has the most potential for animation, which is important for a logo.
If you were going to change it, you might consider wrapping it around the “c” like the logo above it. The fonts are okay, but I’d consider making the word “smarter” the same green as “crowd”.
Last comment (unrelated to the logo) is about the name “CrowdVine”. Maybe I’m just too close to the new wave of cloud computing, but the name certainly doesn’t roll off the touge very easily. Oh well.
Good luck!
July 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Tony, I like #2 or #3
They are the cleanest in my mind.
Good luck!
– dave
July 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
i don’t think #4 would work for the kind of audience who would use a social networking tool. #1 seems the best, but the little looping thing just gives me the creeps for some reason. #2 is too vague, the design doesn’t say much of anything, the grey semicurve seems like an afterthought. #3 has something going for it, it’s just the shapes of the little creatures are a bit weird. so that leaves the last one, #5, but just because it’s the one left standing, which usually isn’t the best way to decide on a logo to represent yourself.
my opinion is not omnipotent, i tried to give an opinion of a singular user (knowing that there are a wide variety of users with all sorts of opinions), rather than as a designer.
looking at the submissions to the 99designs contest, on the first page these are the ones that struck me the most:
298
289
244, with a different font
242 is way, way web 2.0, best seems to align itself with other social networking logo styles
240 is nice, but the 3 leave logo reminds me of another web logo, can’t quite place it right now
236
121, with a different font
by the way, in asking for feedback from people, are you matching who is giving their opinion (such as me, early 30s, female, west coast) with who your actual intended audience will be?
July 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
i like number’s 2 and 3
July 7th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
#3. my wife and i both like it..she said #4 looks like something from a builder in suburban america….#5 would be our second choice.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I like the third one.
The first looks more like a dragon tail than a vine.
The second doesn’t make sense–the dots are people’s heads? Where are their bodies? The shading is some sort of barrier? I’m concerned!
The fourth is too “Olive Garden.”
The fifth looks like umlauts for a heavy metal band.
The third conveys happy people working together.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
#5 reflects simplicity best
July 7th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I like #1. Though I’d make “vine” be the brighter green. Awesome competition there!
July 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Hey Tony,
These logos look great. Vast improvement. I actually have issue with the tagline of “Meet smarter” (which could equally also be said of any webinar platform). I think the great benefit that Crowdvine offers is “Connect sooner” or possibly “Make the event connection” because without the benefit of CrowdVine, you might not even realize that someone you had wanted to meet was also attending an event you are going to, especially the bigger ones.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I like #’s 1 & 3 the best
July 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I second “The Ex’s” choice: #2 logo doohickey with #3’s font. #2 font is dated by at least a couple of decades. The logo emblem still needs some work–it’s not placed right, need to integrate better with company name.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
If simple is what you are aiming for, I think the last one is best. It’s still unique, stands out with the bright green and the accents, but is simple and easily identifiable.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
One thing on #5 is that it could be easily embellished (for example check out the original version of it).
@Morriss, thanks for the compliments!
July 7th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I love #3 because the design represents people. Very cute, simple, professional looking, and it makes me curious to find out more about the company.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I’d have to say #1 or #2. Like the colors better on 2, but the graphic from 1. You’ll want a graphic that’s recognizable at smaller sizes (favicon, etc.) too.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
#3, then #2. Definitely not #4…the whole rounded-corners-reflection thing is so 2007. And #5 is just WTF?
July 7th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I like the second one best – to me it’s the simplest and yet most eye-catching. The last one is my least favourite as the dots make it look like a foreign language (to me anyway!)
July 7th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
referred by iheartquotes:
I like #’s 5 and 3.
At first I didn’t like 5, but it was because I didn’t ‘get it’ right away. But it made me look longer, and I got the connection of people mingling. It’s professional looking but still fun. However, I do get that image of German language ‘umlauts’ (sp?).
3 is pleasing and pretty, the people look energetic. This is my second pick.
BTW, I am a female, 27, midwest.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I think #1 is the best. It’s unique and full of character and has a very appealing nature, yet it’s still simple. It also feels like a vine and a crowd in a cool way.
#3 is my second favorite… it’s a little farther out, and I’m not sure it totally matches your brand, but it’s fun and funky and kinda neat.
#2 is doable, but very conservative and generic. Not bad, but not fabulous. Doesn’t say much to me about brand other than “I’m web 2.0″. Still could work fine, but won’t stand out.
I would vote against #4 or #5. (#4 I like, but I don’t think it’s a great match for CrowdVine).
July 7th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I love #3! It’s professional, yet stylish. #2 would have to be my second choice. Very nice!
July 7th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Number one is my favorite because it has a spunky simplicity to it. Although, I might use different colors for the wording. The dark gray doesn’t seem to fit much. Perhaps you could use the dark green color for Crowd, and the lime green color for Vine.
Number Two is okay, but it seems somewhat bland.
Number Three, looks creepy, and loses the simplicity.
Number Four makes you look like you’re an Italian Restaurant, like Olive Garden. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s where that person got their inspiration.
Number Five is decent in concept, but it makes the last dot over the o look like he’s ruining a date between the dots on c and r. Makes the three’s a crowd thing, not look positively.
Good Luck finding one!
July 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
i like #1 but #3 is my favorite. Good luck, let us know which one wins!
July 7th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I love the last one, the third one and the first one.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I vote for #2…..Good Luck
Connie
July 7th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
#3 for the win! I love it.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:02 am
definitely #3 and #4: both recall to one’s mind some of the ‘vine’ subjects…
July 8th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Number 3 all the way, it has a simple intricacy (??!!) and an inherent joy that is not present in the others.
IMHO of course :)
July 8th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Dude. you got the name vine. Find someone who can make a background graphic that looks like vines on latticework (well, ivy on latticework) and put white text on it that says CrowdVine.
Or find someone who can use a standard font and make a cool vine going through the C – de – ve over the n, etc. – the vine should be subtle and run around the text / through the text.
go organic yo.
dan
July 9th, 2008 at 2:37 am
number 2, hands down.
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
#1 is my definite favourite, but maybe its a little too like newsvine?
#4 would be my second choice failing that.
Really like what you’ve done with this site. good luck!
August 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
@newsblab: Thanks for the feedback. We went with #1. I don’t see that it has any similarity with newsvine, other than both having a vine icon. Our old logo was a couple of people, which is a design idea shared by hundreds of social networking sites. So this one definitely feels more original.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:22 am
#3 is my first choice because it is a more welcoming logo
#5 is my second choice. It’s clean and simple, though so is 3.
They both also seem to have the best reaction from these comments.
Both show the whole theme of people and networking.
But, only three also integrates the vines out of these two.
#4 & #1 seem…old…somehow.
#2 doesn’t communicate anything. It seems VERY versatile, though. But, that;s just a nice way of saying it doesn’t mean anything to anyone.