05 Aug 2009, Posted by Matthew Reinbold , 1 Comments
Logo Progression: ElectroRegeneration Society
The ElectroReGeneration Society (hereafter referred to as ‘ERGS’) is a new non profit being founded, in part, by Pete Ashdown. You may know Pete – he runs Utah’s oldest ISP, Xmission, is a frequent contributor to local groups and worthy causes, and ran for Senate against Orrin Hatch in 2006. I’ve mentioned him before.
In the description from the wiki the ERGS’s mission is to:
…operate as a charitable organization in repurposing and reuse of electronics and information technology in the support of children, low-income families and individuals, people with disabilities, nonprofits, the Utah computer enthusiast community and other deserving people and organizations.
The name is an homage to the Victorian age – a time when there was a society for about any cause. And, because people didn’t have Idol to run home and watch, they could be liberally lengthy with their titles. A logo, a foundation for larger brand identity to be built upon, not only has to clear the normal hurdles for acceptance: clarity, remixability, consistent across various colors etc. It also has to clue the viewer into just what an ElectroReGeneration Society may do, as the name itself more confabulates than collaborates. If it could do that and look vaguely regal/old-timey/crest-like (as the suggested visual aid shown) then so much the better.
As usual I started by watching TV. Then I think I had a bowl of ice cream. Eventually, I got around to sketching ideas. I started with trying to identify archetypes and appropriate symbols – any existing iconology that could convey the appropriate meaning.
They recycle symbol quickly seemed like a must have. But rather than have a plain-jane circular item the ‘recycle triangle’ held some promise for possibly having an ‘Eye of Horus’ (aka ‘Eye of Providence‘) treatment.
The next problem was how to represent technology. While upcoming volunteer events would have us lugging around unwanted desktops from the corporate sector, big beige boxes would only date the logo. Laptops also seemed like they would guarantee any logo would have a limited shelf life as increasingly powerful tablets, notepads, and smart phones transition to the fore. Microchips were nice but, made too small, just looked like little bugs.
The three pronged plug appeared to be an acceptable alternative. Anything electric had to have a plug of some sort. It was standardized and recognizable anywhere in North America. So with sketching done and main thematic elements chosen a quick mashup was attempted. For the conceptual work I chose to remain with a gray scale palette; the design needed to stand alone without any gradient color or embossed shenanigans:
Comments ranged from “why is it flipping me off” to “is that a shop vac with hoses sticking out?”. A revised version that attempted to clarify thing, after which a lot of ringlet cruft was then added, then was put up for review:
Commentators on this one rightly pointed out that the ‘EST 2009′ was hard to read. And while some thought the center ‘unity circle’ now appeared to be rising like a phoenix from the ashes, there was still one too many “a middle finger?” comments for my comfort. The recycle symbol, also much to my chagrin, seemed to be getting lost by having additional elements laid partially on top. It was time to move the plug somewhere else.
A heptagram is a 7-sided star. A traditional symbol for warding off evil it was often used in early law-enforcement badges. Arranging the plug points into a heptagram and cleaning up the text I arrived at the third version:
Comments on this item included:
Reminds me of the Brotherhood of Nod.
Ooooo… Better. Or:
has that victorian mad scientist, scholar adventurer feel to it
Score!
Of course, there was also:
they look kinda phallic
Gggrrr. I guess one man’s Jules Verne inspired logo work is another man’s dildo explosion.
But while I ponder that, tomorrow, Thursday, August 6th, from 9am to around 2pm, the ERGS need help setting up the warehouse. Another local non-profit is closing up shop and seeding the ERGS with our first batch of equipment. If you are available to help check out the wiki page for more information. Let’s take the largess that would normally end up in a landfill and do some good!
