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Hey everyone! Below is a collection of logos. What are these logos for you ask? Well, a few of you know that slowly but surely my FI is getting into the jewelry world by using an art twist to his work. The chosen name for his business is "The Vulcan Forge", so there ya go.

We basically want to get an idea of what other people think is attractive, we have our favorites but are curious of what other people think.

So, I'm asking that you just COMMENT on your favorite(s) and (if you can) why you liked it (them).

Please keep in mind that this will be for an ARTISTICALLY-GEARED Jewelry venture. :)

Oh, and please refrain from the "OMG! YOU'RE LISTENING TO INTERNET PEOPLE! OMG! YOU'RE GONNA GO TO HELL!! OMG!" posts.

Oh, and these are ROUGH sketches....more than likely will go on a stamp than a huge ole' sign.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ff/VFlogo3.jpg

I would say the ones that caught my eye first are 1, 2, 9, and 10. I really like 9 and 10. I think they've got a nice fancy/artistic look/feel to them while still being clear that it's supposed to be a "v" and an "f".

10. i dont know why

3, 9

I think they are all good, however I would advise that the final logo include the name. I personally find only logos to be less professional. I think the best is when there is a logo, and also the written name. For example, look at Sprint or Southern Company. You might recognize the name or the symbol alone, but they have combined to create the company symbol. I mean, these are major corporations, but I think that is the best strategy for a legitimate, professional look.

3,4 (is there an appreciable difference?) or 9.

i like 2 and 8--- they are simple and nice. by stamp, do you mean the jewelers stamp that would mark the piece? if so, i would think something nice, clean with nice lines so it wears well.

the first one

I would see that it is VF for Vulcan Forge a lot easier if the F flowed into the V from below, instead of the F flowing upwards from the V.

I think either 8 or 9 would look good if the F went up and the top cross of the F was at the bottom of the V.

My choice would depend on what type of customer you're trying to attract. With a name like "The Vulcan Forge," my guess would be that you want to appeal to a Ren Faire/sci fi/D&D kind of person, and so I'd say 10 or 11 would be a good choice. Personally, and I don't think I'm your target consumer, I think 5 is cool as hell. It's kind of retro/stylish/simple/classic/beat/whatever. 7, 8, and 9 look too much like Van Halen.

I also disagree with shinerbock, because apparently that's my new hobby. Seriously, though, a logo can be more than enough in the fashion world -- see Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Kate Spade, etc.

I like 9 and 10. Both are clear on being a V and a F, but also have some artistic value to them. I agree though that what type of costomer you are wanting to attract makes a huge difference.

Number 2 is a simple and clean mark where you can clearly designate the V from the F. It will be easy to reproduce at various sizes.

Good luck with your new venture!

This will be mostly for a jeweler's stamp, the kind that leave an imprint on the inside of a ring. So, if we add the name they'd be no way we could fit it on the stamp or be legible on the ring :)

Now, for the larger logos we'll have the name there also so don't worry, heh

Oh, and thanks everyone for the replies!! Keep 'em coming!

Haha! Actually the D&D-er's aren't our target audience (but you did give me something to think about...). :) Our target will be male 25-35 (heck, older too!) who are scared to death of the typical jewelry store atmosphere. Right now we're only focusing on engagement rings that are heavy in the customization and light on cost. Why it's the Vulcan is do to the myth and also due to he does all his work in a homemade outdoor kiln, I don't know how else to describe it except for badass, heh.

9 & 12 have that artsy-kind of feel to me.

The word "Vulcan" is well-known to most as something from Star Trek, so it could really be misleading and also could turn off a lot of potential customers. Might also want to check with a lawyer (as anyone starting a business should) about any potential trademark issues in using this term.

I like 9 the best.

Yeah but it's also the Roman god of well, smiths, blacksmith, silversmith, etc

I think that the name is clear enough and fits his target audience. Almost any Star Trek nerd (myself included) will know where the name Vulcan comes from...

Non-nerds will be less inclined to jump at the Star Trek connection.

I had no idea Vulcan was even a Roman god (i'm not really into that stuff nor have I studied it). I'm just pointing out that the general population associates Vulcan with Star Trek. I don't watch Star Trek and am not into anything like that, but that's what I associate it with. As a business, while you have a target audience, you also want to appeal to as many people as possible. They can do with it what they want, but hey, free marketing opinions here.

Keep in mind, I've never actually watched Star Trek (or Star Wars for that matter), but my mind goes immediately to either the Roman God or car tires that have been Vulcanized.

I thought of the Roman god. No clue what tire vulcanization (is that even a word?) is.

From our friends at dictionary.com:

vul·ca·nize ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vlk-nz)
tr.v. vul·ca·nized, vul·ca·niz·ing, vul·ca·niz·es
To improve the strength, resiliency, and freedom from stickiness and odor of (rubber, for example) by combining with sulfur or other additives in the presence of heat and pressure.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
vulca·niza·ble adj.
vulca·ni·zation (-n-zshn) n.
vulca·nizer n.

Actually, I prefer 11.

Ehhh... just saying. Out of that target group, there's a lot of guys that don't like Star Trek and no nothing of mythology. The biz can do with it what they will. Businesses pay 1000's of dollars for this sort of info.

As for the logos, have they tested any out by actually stamping? They're going to have to be very small to fit inside a ring band and would need to be clear. Hence, 10, 11 and 12 would probably just look like smudges and wouldn't be a discernible imprint. I personally like 5, but to me it looks like a purse logo so that may not be appropriate. I think 6 is odd and the V isn't really a clear V as it is closed.

I would really have to say see which actually works when stamped inside a ring. He's also going to need room for a .925 or 14K or whatever. Also, people do like to inscribe things inside rings sometimes, so you may want room for that.

I used to work for a company that comes up with the names of companies and designs logos (the Sprint logo mentioned before was my boss' creation). That being said, I agree 100% with kddani.

When I heard Vulcan Forge I didn't think of engagement rings. I thought of D&D, Renaissance Fair kind of stuff - lots of silver, dragons, etc. Then I thought Star Trek. That doesn't say "engagement ring" to me. In fact, when I heard the name I thought, "Hmm, I thought she said before they were getting into engagement rings. I guess they changed their focus."

You can push the Roman God of silversmithing angle all you want, but most people won't think of that. It's great that you and your friends know what it means, but considering 3 well-educated women from urban areas (valkyrie, kddani, and myself) had no clue, you may want to think more about the name.

Note: I'm not saying your friends aren't well-educated! :) I'm just pointing out it's not like the 3 of us who didn't know the Roman God stuff are high school dropouts from the Ozarks or something.

Also, the name Vulcan Forge is also in use by other businesses- a google will turn that up. There's a "Vulcan's Forge" that seems to also design jewelry http://www.vulcans-forge.com/ In this case, I would STRONGLY suggest a name change, as you're running into a ton of trademark issues and likelihood of confusion right here.

Some of you may think i'm being nit-picky. But I personally look at these things in different ways than others do because I know that these sorts of things can be potential problems. It's a lot better to take care of all of this up front, as the business is getting going, than down the road. Lawsuits and having to totally change the name of an established business will cost a lot of money and headache.

There's a "Burger King" restaurant in Charelston, IL that proved it chartered before the fast food place, and now the fast food place pays him millions each year, and cannot build within 50 miles of Charleston, IL.

Exactly. And nowadays, there's even less of an excuse to have the same name as an already established business when google turns it up in less than a second.

And THAT is the kind of jewelry I thought of from the name! :cool:

And here's a list of wear that biz will be visiting http://www.vulcans-forge.com/schedule.htm - a psychic fair, several Renaissance fairs, a Pagan festival and highland games.

I like 5 & 8. I'd like 5 better if there weren't the "foot" line on the top of the left half of the V. Then it would look more modern (like 6, but 6 is hard to read as a V & F), which would work for the kind of audience you're going for. 8 is also simple and easy to read, but I prefer 5.

And personally, I like the name Vulcan Forge...considering that it's jewelry, I thought immediately of the Roman god. I'm sure that, thanks to the Internet, creating an original, unclaimed name for your business would be a challenge...so if you do need/decide to change your name, good luck! :)

*note* I'll post a longer reply when I'm not so hungover...heh.

But anyhoo, we've ran into that, we dicussed a name change and all and we've known about the other VF. However, their stuff is ghey. :p Our market is focused on guys...hardly any focus on women. Oh, and my little actually was the first to note the Trekkie connection...yeah...that wasn't what we were going for. He originally wanted to do the Greek name for Vulcan which starts with an "H" but it sounds like a VD...so we're not sure yet. Now, on the subject of the stamp, his jewelry isn't "tiny". With a typical e-ring it's only about 2-3 pennyweights, his run around 7-8. It's hard to explain but he'll have plenty of room :) Today he's actuallly doing a casting (for anyone who knows, it's a lost-wax) on the smallest e-ring he's done. There's a pic of my ring he made me back in the Engagement Ring thread in the D&R forum, it was his 1st.
Arg..I need tylenol..

Hephaestus?

Yeah anything that sounds like fester... or something you wouldn't want your mother to know how you caught it... is a bad idea.