Personal blog - and temporary home page until new website is finished - of writer, editor and graphic artist Christopher Mills


Saturday, January 19, 2008

Let Your Voice be Heard!

Okay guys, I need some help. I'm trying to decide which cover layout/logo to use on the upcoming Femme Noir comic book miniseries.

For the past year or so, I've been pretty well set on the layout/logo above left. I felt that it was less intrusive to the great art I was getting and looked kind of, well, classy.

But recently, various people – including my publisher – have been pointing out that the original Femme Noir logo by Nate Piekos (above right) has a certain amount of brand value, as we've been using it in association with the property since it began as a webcomic back in March of 2001. That's nearly seven years! Their argument is that we have spent a lot of time building brand equity into that logo and that it would be foolish to not use it on the comic book. It's a good point.

Now, I still personally prefer the "deco" look I came up with, but I'm open-minded, and the original logo certainly "works." I guess I'd just like to get a few more opinions before I make up my mind....

So what do you think? Post your choice in the comments and help me out, okay?

Thanks.

13 comments:

DigitalManiac said...

I say go with the original logo. Why change what works?

Anonymous said...

Go with the original. You can use the other down the road somewhere.

Todd Fox

Craig Zablo said...

The original -- remember NEW COKE??

Unknown said...

Boss,

I like the slick subtlety of the art deco one you came up with too, but here's the thing: with a logo, you don't want subtle. You want something that will grab the eye from across the comic shop. I think Nate's is going to do that.

Remember, in comic shops using waterfall racks (which is a lot of them), only the top 1/3 is going to show anyway. A strong, eye-catching logo becomes just as important, if not more so, than how great the art is.

That's my two cents.

PDS

Paul Bishop said...

Go with the original! Those lips are eye catching and make the whole cover stand add. They don't detract, they add -- they also give a great pulpy feel, letting you know what to expect inside.

Bish

Paul Bishop said...

The title lettering of the original also gives much more of an 'action' feeling -- there's a sweeping movement because of then type style.

The type on the left is clean and decco, but static.

Bish

Anonymous said...

As many others have said,the original logo is quite dynamic and eye-catching.

The other one is not bad at all --probably it only needs a bigger font and maybe a shadow or another effect.But design-wise,the problem I see is that all the remaining texts on the cover use exactly the same font and color,and don't let the logo stand out enough.

Charles Gramlich said...

For what it's worth, I like the lettering considerably more on the left side. It's a bit more classy to me. However, there is something to be said for the lips on the right. That's a nice touch.

Sorry to not be of more help.

Michael May said...

The original. I'm co-signing Paul Storries comment above.

Bill Spangler said...

Go with the original. I agree with the comments above that say that it'll be more eye-catching in the shops.

Anonymous said...

The original (at right), but I'd lose the lip prints. They just seem to clutter the cover, conflicting with the artwork.

The art deco type on the left is classy, but as others have pointed out, it lacks the oomph! needed on the comics stand.

Anthony Schiavino said...

While I like both designs and both offer their own styles I like the original pops off the shelf more. It grabs the eye and yes while it does intrude on the artwork some I do think it compliments it. The original logo on the right also just says Femme Noir. It speaks her character and who she is and she's saying if you don't like it I don't give a damn. My two cents man. Great work on both though. There's nothing wrong with either. I just think you might sell more with the original brand.

Glen Davis said...

I'd go with the original. It seems more unique than the other one.