New ASR logo proposal

[KSTR]

1+ to "Keep The Sheep", or if you are into acronyms, KTS.

The current logo, to me,

• is very one-of-a-kind (the whole point of a logo, isn't it?), the symmetry and the proportions feel just right
• is easily recognized immediately after the first time you see it, without the need to truly understand what it actually depicts
• is a truly graphical icon with carefully selected color scheme rather than just a generic pile of random letters in some random font
• is very organic and natural, generally easy to the eye (no brutalism), and has details to explore when zooming in
• still sticks out clearly even at smallest sizes where letters would just blur and melt, and it works on almost any background without the need of an integrated background
• has that nice trivia aspect to it, the sheep thing. The ambiguity makes it interesting and creates a perfect mnemonic bridge

Hard to beat, IMHO it's a true master piece as it checks so many boxes. Small updates non-withstanding, of course.

 

[Sokel]

For sure...

Cecil.


JSmith

Dog's name must be Judas

 

[bothu]

1+ to "Keep The Sheep", or if you are into acronyms, KTS.

The current logo, to me,

• is very one-of-a-kind (the whole point of a logo, isn't it?), the symmetry and the proportions feel just right
• is easily recognized immediately after the first time you see it, without the need to truly understand what it actually depicts
• is a truly graphical icon with carefully selected color scheme rather than just a generic pile of random letters in some random font
• is very organic and natural, generally easy to the eye (no brutalism), and has details to explore when zooming in
• still sticks out clearly even at smallest sizes where letters would just blur and melt, and it works on almost any background without the need of an integrated background
• has that nice trivia aspect to it, the sheep thing. The ambiguity makes it interesting and creates a perfect mnemonic bridge

Hard to beat, IMHO it's a true master piece as it checks so many boxes. Small updates non-withstanding, of course.

Excellent analysis of the work behind the logo.
I fully agree with you.

 

[Multicore]

omg. and then, as the road clears, the car with the dash cam moves off. cold.

I withdraw these previous comments. I found the video on Youtube and it has a bit more context. Looks like the victim was a woman.

 

[Blumlein 88]

This is what Copilot came up with:

View attachment 348251
The two rightmost ones are actually quite cool

I actually kind of like the upper right hand one. No one will know why the sheep reference. Maybe even misinterpret it. But it is cool, would be identifiable, and has a little history. Kind of like the old Proctor and Gamble logo.

 

[Chagall]

This is what Copilot came up with:

View attachment 348251
The two rightmost ones are actually quite cool

 

[Timmeon]

1+ to "Keep The Sheep", or if you are into acronyms, KTS.

The current logo, to me,

• is very one-of-a-kind (the whole point of a logo, isn't it?), the symmetry and the proportions feel just right
• is easily recognized immediately after the first time you see it, without the need to truly understand what it actually depicts
• is a truly graphical icon with carefully selected color scheme rather than just a generic pile of random letters in some random font
• is very organic and natural, generally easy to the eye (no brutalism), and has details to explore when zooming in
• still sticks out clearly even at smallest sizes where letters would just blur and melt, and it works on almost any background without the need of an integrated background
• has that nice trivia aspect to it, the sheep thing. The ambiguity makes it interesting and creates a perfect mnemonic bridge

Hard to beat, IMHO it's a true master piece as it checks so many boxes. Small updates non-withstanding, of course.

I don't think I agree with any of your observations but I do believe your point of view is valid, just a bit too conservative for me.

The current logo is very similar to what you might find in higher education. A crest or symbol paired with a classic, if not overused, serif typeface (Trajan or similar) that might inspire a sense of heritage and prestige, knowledge, and wisdom. Well established, tried, and true. This all makes sense from certain angles. This forum includes likely the most informed experts of maybe any audio forum anywhere.

What does it leave behind? New users. Youth. What does it signal? Elitism? There is a downside to the current economic environment especially when it comes to access to education (in the US anyway). It's exclusive.

That said, there is certainly value to capitalizing on the home-brewed presentation of the forum as it exists today. It's unpolished. It's not skewed by ad dollars. There is something there, and I can't argue there isn't some risk in making a drastic change. Though I'm sure most would stick around no matter what the site looked like

 

[AnalogSteph]

Personally, I don't have particularly strong feelings about the existing logo one way or the other. It gets the job done, but is not particularly specific (it could also be for a farming equipment manufacturer or something) and arguably has a color too many. (BTW, up there in the header, the orange of the letters and the logo probably is meant to be the same but is not being perceived as such.) Maybe one could swap the "leaves" for cable ends (1/4" TRS and RCA seem distinctive enough), but that alone wouldn't do.

Out of the two proposals, I like V1B better, for much the same reasons others have cited (S getting lost in the shuffle). It does kind of give a "sharp car company" vibe, that's true. Hmm.

Looks like AI is not going to displace logo designers any time soon, even if the results still look neat.

Maybe one could have the old logo shape reflected in kind of a round oscilloscope screen? With some stylized cables to recreate the "sheep vibe"? And a vertical A-S-R inside? (Or bolded letters if towards the side.) I'm just not sure how to make the current color scheme work with greenish phosphor, might take another color...


Just throwing this out there, I can appreciate good design when I see it but have never had much of any art skills (nor do I generally make looks a particularly high priority).

 

[Chromatischism]

When the only people who can decipher what the logo means are insiders who are already in the know, you have a problem.

Logos are meant to say a lot with very little and be immediately recognizable. I don't think we've met that goal. To be clear I'm not criticizing the current logo designer--clearly thought went into it and it has meaning--I just don't see it meeting the goals of what a logo is supposed to be.

With that said, I think we need to drop the sheep association and be the Doctors and Scientists of audio instead.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Lol, agree could do better than the original logo so kudos to @Chagall for the effort. Never thought the old one was related to any animal but if a sheep/goat is the association, then please retire it with extreme prejudice!

As for the new effort, feel the R is off, but cannot quite articulate. Has more of a (contemporary) car audio vibe to me. From one of my mentors with regard to a comparable effort, "everybody is an art critic". ...

As you might surmise from my avatar, prefer logos that convey some meaning. Imo, the current proposal is a step backward from the original in that respect, but certainly agree there is room for improvement.

 

[Chagall]

• Ear, musical note = audio, hearing, listening, music

 

[Chagall]

Ear2

 

[Salt]

View attachment 348324

Looks like a shematic of a boiler to me ... but it's cool

 

[Golf]

View attachment 348324

I’d try heavier strokes and a bigger belly for the lower half of the ear, so that the S would have better shape and standing

 

[Chagall]

I’d try heavier strokes and a bigger belly for the lower half of the ear, so that the S would have better shape and standing

View attachment 348336

Better, although "R" lost it's legs So now it's ASU or ASO

 

[Chagall]

The current logo is very similar to what you might find in higher education. A crest or symbol paired with a classic, if not overused, serif typeface (Trajan or similar) that might inspire a sense of heritage and prestige, knowledge, and wisdom. Well established, tried, and true. This all makes sense from certain angles. This forum includes likely the most informed experts of maybe any audio forum anywhere.

Well, Trajan is no Papyrus

 

[kemmler3D]

The ear concepts are really interesting! And it would help underscore that yes, we really do listen to things here, not just graphs...

 

[Golf]

Better, although "R" lost it's legs So now it's ASU or ASO

Haha – legs are child’s play, I was focusing on the ear constellation

 

[Chagall]

Haha – legs are child’s play, I was focusing on the ear constellation

Yep, I'll do it tomorrow, it's late here. Can't see straight

 

[Chagall]

The ear concepts are really interesting! And it would help underscore that yes, we really do listen to things here, not just graphs...

That was the first thing that popped into my mind when @tomchris wrote ear

I like Ear2 more, but both versions need work.