Quick poll on logo. Please vote!

[suitontherun]

Hi there,

Hope everybody has been keeping well on the forum. Hoping to get a show a hands for a brand have been developing. The brand is FinanceSmith and will trade as FinanceSmith.co.uk.

It is a new technology platform that will offer equipment and machinery financing to SME business in a fast, flexible and affordable manner and will operate across the UK and Ireland. 'financesmith' is a play on a metalsmith..

Values of brand are : solidity, robustness, clarity/ease, innovation, and industrial strength.

The font is Din which isn't exactly cutting edge but is clean and clear. The colours, dark navy and yellow represent sincerity and innovation respectively.

Just deciding between the various options now..

Please vote for your favourite below. You can select up to two options. Also any thoughts or feedback just add a reply. thanks v much.

 

[Don Smith]

Where's the option for "none of the above"?

To me they all have Nazi and/or communist feel about them.

 

[fisicx]

None of the above

Not even sure the brand name works. SmithFinance would be better. Your brand reads like you are financing smith

 

[suitontherun]

Ok.. taken from the air with a double barrelled shotgun. Valuable to hear this now rather than later so thanks

@Don Smith the communism I guess is because of the hammer.. annoying it's a strong symbol and the nazi element, I guess you get this from the horizontal lines. This was to give more prominence to the anvil (the table where a metal smith bangs metal). Anyway points taken on board.

@ fiscix.. not sure I agree that 'SmithFinance' would work better...that implies a financial service offered by a Mr Smith BUT yes understand that your point.. issue comes from finance being both a noun and a verb.

Hmmm.. back to drawing board but hammer and horizontal lines are gone, that's for sure.

 

[Don Smith]

Ok.. taken from the air with a double barrelled shotgun. Valuable to hear this now rather than later so thanks

@Don Smith the communism I guess is because of the hammer.. annoying it's a strong symbol and the nazi element, I guess you get this from the horizontal lines. This was to give more prominence to the anvil (the table where a metal smith bangs metal). Anyway points taken on board.

@ fiscix.. not sure I agree that 'SmithFinance' would work better...that implies a financial service offered by a Mr Smith BUT yes understand that your point.. issue comes from finance being both a noun and a verb.

Hmmm.. back to drawing board but hammer and horizontal lines are gone, that's for sure.

I kinda get where your trying to go with the Blacksmith and Forge thing, I just see negatives. It might just be me so wait for a few more opinions, unless you now see what I see!!!!

 

[Xtm_Mike]

The quality of the logos is too low to give real critique, however the 2nd stands out the most.

I wonder how it would look without the background?

The font of the text is a little too generic also, and would it not look better with Finance in bold rather than Smith?

 

[columbo]

All too low quality.

As Don has already said they do have a very communist feel to them.

For example logo # 4 could easily pass for a commie-managed mining company in Katowice circa 1989.

This site has some logos which have a more quality feel to them:

http://www.penngraphics.info/logos

 

[fisicx]

Reduce any of the logos on penngraphics to 30px x 30px and see if they still work (size of a favicon). The get an embroidered sample made up and see if it still works (branded clothes). Then blow it up to A0 poster size and see if it still works.

@suitontherun separate the icon from the words. Do they still make sense in isolation? Do you even need the Icon? Maybe you just need the words? Maybe you need qualifier words: FinanceSmith Factoring and Loans.

For me the brand name just doesn't work. But that's just me.

Look at the big brands, very few have an icon, most just use their name in a fancy font and maybe a bit of colour and a touch of graphics.

 

[paulears]

I guess it's blackSMITH, or wordSMITH, I can live with this. The communist thing made me laugh. I did not make any connection with communism, and where on earth did you dream the Nazi connotation from? I certainly made no link there at all - seeing the anvil, the hammer and the Smith link. The only thing is it doesn't actually give people any clue at all what you do? Imagery usually points a direction, or sets the scene?

 

[Don Smith]

where on earth did you dream the Nazi connotation from?

I am viewing on a phone so small images that sort of remind me of this:-

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=nazi+symbol&client=ms-android-motorola&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpmpCtlcnQAhWBHpoKHR01A5oQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=512#imgrc=Rf02Yt8gcBvdpM:

 

[paulears]

A Swastika? I don't see anything like that - in fact it looks more similar to a building society brand - def no arms, red or white or even a cross?

 

[billmccallum1957]

I didn't see communist or Nazi anywhere in the logo (same as Paulears), did see the blacksmith/industrial connotation with the anvil & hammer, but nothing relates to what you offer.

Although you do mention finance, that's a very wide field, and not many would associate it with equipment finance.

 

[The Byre]

Finance Smith is not a good name and those logos look dreadfully DIY.

 

[JMack986]

It would be worth trying freelancer, people per hour or reddit and getting a logo designer.

 

[Don Smith]

A Swastika? I don't see anything like that - in fact it looks more similar to a building society brand - def no arms, red or white or even a cross?

No, the horizontal lines of the eagle. The OP got it.

 

[webgeek]

You know how many smithies there are compared to 100 years ago. The name doesn't convey a safe pair of hands, but rather a throwback to a now-gone-era.

Ditch the name before you go too far down the road and realise you're a dinosaur before you start.

'gonna hammer their finances into shape' hence smith, is my guess how it brainstormed and stuck. Shouldn't have, but did....

Finance is something you build, wealth is something you create, iron is something you hammer. Think about it.

 

[suitontherun]

interesting view webgeek..

You are correct wealth/finance is something you build carefully and slowly and for a wealth manager or personal finance advisor FinanceSmith would indeed be the wrong name.

My business however will facilitate financing rather than create it.. We will be an intermediary connecting others to get deals done. So in a way we will hammer deals almost akin to an auctioneer. Furthermore the brand will be related to facilitating financing on heavy equipment and machinery, usually metallic, so there's a metal smith connection there too.

Either way due to aforementioned communism interpretation the hammer is dead..

Reluctant to give up the name though.. sample client feedback and general feedback from circle has been positive on name.

 

[webgeek]

If functioning as a connector, introducer, etc, then wouldn't it be a 'connect', 'nexus', 'locator', 'sourcer' type function - a bit like a prospector in the old west, rather than the guy who put shoes on his horse?

 

[suitontherun]

Its a pretty well established market so not really 'sourcing' as per your interpretation. Rather,by using recent technology and by introducing fresh financiers we will get a better deal for the SME/borrower/lessee.

Anyway, this is good/very useful before I commit. Anybody else dislike name I would appreciate you shout it now! SHOTGUNS OUT PLEASE.
cheers,

 

[suitontherun]

or alternatively , anybody who doesn't find the name sh1t /archaic / old fashioned please shout.

 

[The Byre]

Yes, it's *****, it's archaic and it's typical of someone trying to do their own corporate imaging.

Instead of fannying about with silly extensions and convolutions of your name and some vague and far-fetched connection with an anvil (as if any normal person will 'get' those connections!) do yourself a favour and call the beast what it is - a way to finance machinery.

Machineryfinance is available for both dot-com and dot-co-dot-uk. Get them now!

 

[suitontherun]

ah Byre.. yawn.. dull and very 1999. Maybe i'll shoot for another name but it will have some degree of imagination..

Also, nobody else, in terms of fintech startups/disrupters of traditional finance have literal descriptive names.

In any case its equipment + machinery so machineryfinance doesn't work but thanks for throwing up a suggestion anyway.

 

[fisicx]

Also, nobody else, in terms of fintech startups/disrupters of traditional finance have literal descriptive names.

In which drop the word Finance from the brand name. That way you don't need a logo and can just call yourself whatever you want.

 

[The Byre]

So you did not come here for genuine business advice from people who have had to deal with hundreds of start-ups and their hard-fought-for corporate identities, but to be told that what you are doing is brilliant, dead-right and visionary.

I have acquaintances who run businesses EXACTLY like yours (so much for disruption!) and the successful ones call the animal by what it does. Each one of these people specialises in one field that they understand to their fingertips. Films, rock tours, TV studios, events, publications, farming equipment, industrial plant - at one end, you have 'lumpy' needs and very 'lumpy' revenues, in the middle, a very specialised industry that requires an in-depth knowledge of how things are done, at the other end, money looking for a safe home.

 

[suitontherun]

@fiscix
ok thanks, fair enough



@byre

Not sure what upset you.... I have been very appreciative of feedback so far against, granted, some poor logo/branding work. In fact I even said 'thanks for your suggestion'.

I'm sure you have many connections within traditional finance but you don't know anything about my business model/ how it will function or operate so not sure how you can slate it with "so much for disruption!".

Anyway, I wish you a good day. Welcome to PM me if you are still disgruntled.

 

[The Byre]

Welcome to PM me if you are still disgruntled.

That made me smile. The weather is excellent, the sun is shining and I've just com back inside, after walking with my dogs. I am very far from being upset or disgruntled. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am positively gruntled!

All I am trying to do, is to stop you from shooting yourself in the foot and damaging your business, before it has even managed to get going.

The problem is, when I post here, that I began my first proper business in 1979 and I have seen hundreds of businesses thrive and/or fail and for 12 years, I my job as a business journalist and news agency owner was to report on the winners and losers. As the old baseball saying goes "I calls 'em like I sees 'em!"

And I have seen them a hundred times. There ain't nothing new out there! It's all been done before. As the old song goes, it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.

Pay-Pal wasn't new. Google wasn't new. Amazon wasn't new. YouTube wasn't new. Virgin wasn't new. Skype wasn't new. Subway wasn't new. Facebook wasn't new. They all copied someone else, but did it better. Very early in the game, they had to get their corporate image right.

By all means give your company a funky off-the-wall name like Woopee or Doh! or just Smith. Amazon had to go through the stupid names 'Cadabra' and 'Relentless' before becoming a "giant river of commerce" called Amazon.

Specialist finance companies exist in their hundreds of thousands, so unless you are one of the big boys, it really, really helps to tell people what you do.

But good luck anyway!

 

[suitontherun]

You are a generous contributor to this forum and again, I thank you for the feedback on the branding and name.

Enjoy the sunshine-

 

[ethical PR]

The problem is @suitontherun you are focusing on the wrong issues.You should be looking at your brand not designing a logo (I hope you did that rather than a designer ) or thinking up a company name.

Put together a brief for a design agency or freelance (one that understands wider marketing and branding) who is a trained in graphic design.

This should include;

1. What is your brand proposition? What do you do? What is your company ethos? Who is your target market? What do you offer that sets you apart (why should people buy from you)

2. How will you be using any corporate identity

3. What identities are your competitors using

You can then ask the company to come up with a name and corporate identity that suits your brand positioning.

 

[suitontherun]

yeah.. I hear you. On it now.

 

[webgeek]

it will have some degree of imagination..

Also, nobody else, in terms of fintech startups/disrupters of traditional finance have literal descriptive names.

In any case its equipment + machinery so machineryfinance doesn't work but thanks for throwing up a suggestion anyway.

1) Limiting yourself to doing what the other fintech startups and wannabe disrupters are doing, in terms of naming conventions, is clearly the pot calling the kettle black about lack of imagination.

2) Machquipment Finance fits as does MacQuipment Finance and a host of other literal wordplay.

Regardless, the only disrupting to be done with hammer and anvil will be Edward Abbey and the monkeywrench gang (think EarthFirst! and you'll see what I mean). Retro is cool. Paleolithic is not.

Disruptive Transformation through Innovative IoT As A Service - will be forgotten before it carries billions of revenue on it's coat-tails through the end of this decade.

Instead of trying to build a better box just like everyone else's - think about the fact people want what's in the box, not the box itself

 

[suitontherun]

morning morning

yes, logo/branding/name has gone back to a drawing board. All your thoughts and feedback incorporated.