First attempt at local business branding

I do most of my book shopping at Porter Square Books. Besides its proximity, it’s well-run and courteously staffed—it’s pretty much what you’d want from an independent bookstore.

The only thing I’ve been disappointed in is their visual branding. Their logo has almost a kids’ bookstore look to it:

Porter Square Books logo

So as a first (admittedly rudimentary) attempt at branding, I made this today:

Porter Square Books faux logo design

It’s an illustration based on a photo by Flickr user moroccanmary of the large mobile outside the Porter Square subway station:

Gifts of the Wind

The typeface is Myriad bold with a 3-point light-gray stroke.

What would people suggest to make this better?

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 and is filed under design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
  • http://www.geoffreylong.com/ Geoffrey Long

    Well, the biggest issue is that from a distance it’s illegible. The theory is sound, given how the mobile is definitely one of the more recognizable elements of Porter Square (and thus renders the bookstore’s logo hyperlocal, which isn’t a bad way to go at all for an indie bookstore) but print that sucker out and tape it to the wall on the other side of your office and try to read it, and you’ll see what I mean. The grey is simply too light to make the white lettering stand out against the white background when it isn’t against the red. From a distance, the only thing that remains legible is the white lettering against the red, which means the logo says “OR SQU BOO, ER RE”. :)

    You might try this: do a big red block with the white lettering below and the shape of the mobile in white above it, or to the side…

  • http://www.geoffreylong.com Geoffrey Long

    Well, the biggest issue is that from a distance it’s illegible. The theory is sound, given how the mobile is definitely one of the more recognizable elements of Porter Square (and thus renders the bookstore’s logo hyperlocal, which isn’t a bad way to go at all for an indie bookstore) but print that sucker out and tape it to the wall on the other side of your office and try to read it, and you’ll see what I mean. The grey is simply too light to make the white lettering stand out against the white background when it isn’t against the red. From a distance, the only thing that remains legible is the white lettering against the red, which means the logo says “OR SQU BOO, ER RE”. :)

    You might try this: do a big red block with the white lettering below and the shape of the mobile in white above it, or to the side…

  • http://www.vensio.com/ Christen Z. Ester

    Hi nice post, i have come across your site once before when searching for something so i was just wondering something. I love your theme, would it happen to be a free one i can download, or is it a custom one you had made? In a few weeks i will be launching my own site, i’m not great with designs but i really like the style of your site so it would be cool if i could find (or pay for) something with a similar look. :) Thanks!

  • http://www.vensio.com Christen Z. Ester

    Hi nice post, i have come across your site once before when searching for something so i was just wondering something. I love your theme, would it happen to be a free one i can download, or is it a custom one you had made? In a few weeks i will be launching my own site, i’m not great with designs but i really like the style of your site so it would be cool if i could find (or pay for) something with a similar look. :) Thanks!