Like every starting business, chom chom advertising needed a logo. The logo is the second most important visual element of branding after the business name.

From the start, I knew the design process would be painful. I wanted a great logo… I don’t have much money for it… I am not a graphic designer… I criticized Vietnamese  logos… I was noticed by David Airey after posting a comment on his post:

Good luck with the chom chom logo design. I notice you’re in the process of designing one. I hope it goes well.

The utopian scenario: design the logo by renown graphic designers

In the best of worlds, I would contract with David Airey or Jacob Cass. David and Jacob are two graphic designers I truly admire. I would fill up a questionnaire, relax, and wait for the magic to happen. Very likely, I would be happy if not amazed by the result. Surely, the cost of their services is proportional to their talent. And the utopia ends.

The cheap scenario: design the logo under $200… if not for $50

If I wanted to be disappointed, that would be the way to go. Unfortunately, most small business entrepreneurs would adopt this solution because an OK logo at $200 is better than no logo at all.

Here are two posts about “penny” logo design services before you decide:

• The 50 Dollar Logo Experiment by Jim Walls, creative director at 160over90
• Let the (Logo) Games Begin by Doug Bartow, founding principal and the design director of id29

The smart scenario: design the logo by unconventional means

I love smart scenarios. Actually, I don’t have many alternatives, do I? Here are the phases I went through:

1. Bargain. I made a deal with Havana Nguyen, a young graphic designer I researched online. She would design the logo and I would help to market her graphic design services. I was presented with several concepts:

I was pleased with the version above with the word “ad” in grey. However, I felt something was missing and questioned my choice with “ad” as a short for “advertising.”

2. Discovery. I forwarded the final draft to two seasoned graphic designers for their opinions.

Kriszha:

From a design perspective there is a lack of visual appeal in your logo concept.I believe that the design of your logo should be a reflection of your business concern and make the right impact among your clientele.

Kien Nguyen:

I don’t think this is identity is working out for me. From a design perspective, there isn’t much visually that speaks about the mission of your company and what you guys do. Here are a few issues I would fix that might help make it more appealing:

1. Name – As it is now, the name reads as “chom chom ad” and that can be confusing. Ad can be misinterpreted as advertisement, advertising, advertise, etc… I would stick with the full name of “Chom Chom Advertising” to make the name straightforward and more apparent. Yes the name might be a bit long, but again, that is a challenge a designer should work around, not avoid with cheap short cuts and abbreviations.
2. Colors – is there a a reason why you chose orange? I think it should be more of a deep reddish color to reflect the fruit. This can be a lot more interesting and impactful I think.
3. Kerning (spacing of letters) – it is somewhat awkward in certain areas, especially between the c and h. some might read it as a d.

I am more of a conceptual person when it comes to logo design. I believe it should be as abstract as possible but at the same time, it should reflect your company’s core values within it. There should be a rationale for everything you choose down to the color and the graphic elements. This is your brand, and right now, your logo doesn’t really tell me much about it.

From their valuable insights, I understood I was far from finalizing the logo.

3. Deception. While chatting with a web developer from India, I inquired about their logo design services. I knew they were good at making websites. He quoted $50 for seven concepts. Since we’ve worked on various projects, he offered I would only pay if I liked the designs. Their portfolio shows elegant and sophisticated  logo designs so… why not a try? I forwarded my logo requirements, the previous designs, Kriszha & Kien insights, and wish for the best. I might be lucky this time!

Needless to say, I was very disappointed. The logos are nothing like the ones from their portfolio. The cheap scenario did not pay off. Oh! really?

4. Self-fulfillment. Over 20 days in the design process and I was going nowhere. I felt an urge to take the matter on my own. For a whole Sunday, I sat down and worked on finalizing the logo:

- the concept. The pictogram symbolizes the purpose of chom chom advertising– to match service/product offerings with the needs of the target audience. The disks relate to the shape of the chom chom fruit and the “o” in “chom chom.”
- the typeface. I chose the very popular ‘Gotham rounded light.’ It’s a safe choice given my little expertise in typography and graphic design.
- the colors. Black, Grey, Pastel Red. Again, a safe play.

I ran the finalized version through my wife (that’s how it works!). She was happy… It’s a winner!

Business card design

I ordered 500 business cards on 16pt dull cover paper with matte finish.

Epilogue

A logo design is an incredibly complex process. Like everything complex, you need expert people to achieve remarkable results. I know the chom chom logo can be way better in the hands of experts. It’s JUST good enough. And for now, “good enough” is acceptable as Seth Godin said:

All a logo needs is to be GOOD ENOUGH (I know, I’m the guy who says good enough is a curse). Why is it okay to have a non-wonderful logo? Because the logo is just a placeholder. It gains value AFTER it hits the world, because people associate things with it.

I would like to thank everyone who participated directly or indirectly to the design of chom chom logo. I can’t wait to see it up on the website and business cards.

What are your thoughts? Comments, insights, and feedbacks are welcome!

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Billion of dollars have been invested to build brands inside those little squares, rectangles, ovals, or circles. Truly unique, truly remarkable, truly powerful.

Click to enlarge

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• 100,000+ patrons
• 300+ vendors and sponsors
• 200+ volunteers

Great and not so great logos from sponsors

I am not a graphic designer but here’s what my gut tells me:

• Well known brands such as Wells Fargo, Time Warner, JCPenney, McDonald’s, etc have strong logo identities. Nothing more to say or to do.
• All Vietnamese newspapers such as Nguoi Viet, Viet Bao, and Vien Dong have well designed logos. No need to change at this point.
• All Vietnamese TV network logos are poorly designed. Your viewers deserve better!

What’s wrong with Vietnamese TV logos?

It would be helpful if the designer of the VHN-TV logo could explain the different elements composing the logo. Some of the things I can identify are the “S’ shape of the country Vietnam, the three red banners and the color yellow as seen in our flag.

The tag line “The Past – The Present – The Future” is general, weak and reminds me of a popular jewelry (The journey).

The Vietnamese American Network Television or VAN-TV logo has too much going on. VAN-TV looks very much like VHN-TV. Even the blue, yellow, and red color scheme is identical.

Here is the third logo with the same color scheme: blue, yellow, red. The yellow element is a mystery.

Saigon Entertainment Television or SET. A fourth logo with the same blue, yellow and red. The dish shape, the “Robocop” type fonts give an “industrial” feeling far from the new age in media.

This logo is my favorite among Vietnamese TV logos. “Little Saigon” shows proximity and locality. We are not in Vietnam anymore. The font is easy to read and the word “TV” says it all.

This is a bonus logo since Saigon TV was not in the list of sponsor. Unfortunately, this design is not a great example to follow neither.

Critic is cheap, especially when chom chom advertising does not even have a logo yet. But I would not put myself under the line of fire if there wasn’t any room for improvements. In the arena of fierce competition, every little detail counts. Like in a horse race, the winner usually wins only by a nose.

What are your thoughts about Vietnamese logos? Which one should be re-designed, if any?

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