Nov 18, 200829 appreciated comments
Wonderful Union and Cog logos
Two logos that are new-ish to me, and I thought you might like a gander.
Wonderful Union
Wonderful Union is an award-winning interactive design firm located in Seattle. We build creative solutions for our clients, including Dreamworks, Getty Images, Microsoft, Nintendo, Xbox and Zune.
Visit the Wonderful Union website.
Cog Design
Founded in 1991, Cog Design is one of the UK’s most successful arts-based design companies.
Visit the Cog website.
There’s something about the Cog logo that just doesn’t sit quite right. Perhaps it’s the spacing between the O and G, so I tried this:
I do like it though.
Does the Cog logo turn your wheels?
Is the Wonderful Union design wonderfully unified?
Via bildirgec.org.
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29 appreciated comments, click here to add one
Rob Barrett
Both nice logos — the first is very understated and classy, although it brings to mind a clothing company rather than one that works with movies and computer games.
I think your tweak to the COG logo is a big improvement — the way the cut-out stroke of the O affects the C in the original just suggest that the same treatment should be given to the G, and it just gives extra prominence to the actual cog in the logo.
Nov 18th, 2008
Richard
Nice logos – agree with Rob about your improvements to it.
Nov 18th, 2008
Ben
Was just thinking the same about the COG logo then scrolled down to see your re-do. As ever with logo design its the tiny things that make the difference. Your version has the letters meshing in a pleasing appropriate way. Having said that, even before that it’s a nice cog treatment given the amounts of bad cog work that has gone before!
Ben’s last blog post…Replicating Apple’s secret sauce
Nov 18th, 2008
George Ryan
I like the Cog logo very much, your re-do is a big improvement, IMHO. Not so crazy about the Wonderful Union logo, not that it’s a bad logo, it’s just not doing much for me.
Nov 18th, 2008
Luke
I love the wonderful union logo – subtle and beautiful.
The cog mark is nice, but it feels strange the that the cog doesn’t connect or turn anything like a working cog would. It would just spin in place. But maybe that was intended.
Luke’s last blog post…LED motherboard menorah
Nov 18th, 2008
amyz5
your tweak to COG was brilliant. made an obvious logo exceptional. isn’t it fun to redesign the world?
amyz5′s last blog post…Time to Cry Tuesday – the reasons why Gary had kids
Nov 18th, 2008
Sam Van Eman
The re-do also brings the cog to the front – fittingly.
Sam Van Eman’s last blog post…Chicken or the Egg?
Nov 18th, 2008
Ørjan
I can’t really stand the wonderful union logo. I start reading wonderful, but when i come to the n, I stop reading that word and the connected line leads me down to the union. For me it’s very uncomfortable to look at, and it doesn’t work. I end up reading “won”, (pause) “union, and then “derful”. And as Rob already pointed out it reminds me of a clothing company rather than an interactive design firm. Yes it is simple and classy, but I don’t like it.
Nov 18th, 2008
Brian Purkiss
I absolutely LOVE Cog’s logo. Extremely well done on so many levels. The web site isn’t that great though……
Wonderful Union is prety good too – but it’s just overshadowed by Cog in this post…. lol
Nov 18th, 2008
cat
It’s always interesting reading down through the opinions on Logo Design Love. Proves that design styles really do come down to personal taste.
When I saw Wonderful Union, I thought ‘WOW’.
True, it’s a generic name, but what a feeling of the warm and fuzzies!
The pity is that I don’t get the same feeling from their website design.
When I got to Cog, it was all ‘hmmm… yet another cog logo…’
(I even have one in my portfolio)
But you really have improved the cog logo.
To me, theirs doesn’t say cog as it doesn’t fit snug like a cog.
They are also missing the opportunity to single out a cog…
cog 1 (kg, kôg)
n.
1. One of a series of teeth, as on the rim of a wheel or gear, whose engagement transmits successive motive force to a corresponding wheel or gear.
2. A cogwheel.
3. A subordinate member of an organization who performs necessary but usually minor or routine functions.
But again, who knows what their design brief was… hopefully it wasn’t behind door number three!
And as said previous, I’d also like to see movement.
cat’s last blog post…Seattle 2008: Welcome to the US of A
Nov 19th, 2008
Preston Lee
Interesting logos. It seems like a lot of times we, as designers, try to complicate a logo. These two are perfect examples of how a logo can be most successful when made simply. The “wonderful union” logo is “united” in the center and the “COG” logo is..well… just that…a cog. Thanks for the great post as usual david.
Nov 19th, 2008
Ozh
I really don’t like the COG logo. Call me stupid, but all I see when I look at it is a variation on OGC’s failure logo (story if you don’t know/can’t remember)
Ozh’s last blog post…Automating TortoiseSVN on Windows to Update Multiple Repositories
Nov 19th, 2008
Kevin Burr
After seeing your update to the COG logo, I was sold. But in it’s natural state, there are issues. Maybe you can pitch the subtle change. ;-)
Love the wonderful union logotype. Logotypes are one of the hardest things to design when it comes to logo design. The wonderful union logo is nicely balanced and the ligature between the u/n suggests ‘union’. I like it. :-)
Nov 19th, 2008
Andrew Kelsall
@ Kevin Burr
Yeah, there is a sense of ‘union’ about the log in one respect, but there is a massive flaw in this logo as I see it.
To me, it reads Won-Union-derful, in a way, as the connection between the U and the N leads the eye downwards to the base word (Union), and then up again to read the rest of ‘Wonderful’.
Nov 19th, 2008
Kevin Burr
I can see your point Andrew, but it’s also more natural to read from the first line to the second. While some may read it the same way you did, I think the general public won’t have that issue. ;-)
Nov 19th, 2008
yael
As for COG’s logo, they probably explored many iterations before settling on this version.
Maybe what seems a little off is the top stroke of the G. It doesn’t come all the way over, so the little ‘elbow’ in the middle of the G sticks out visually, even though it’s in line with the top part of the G. You kind of want to see three circles, so that’s why it seems out of sync.
To rectify that I would say the top arm of the G should not end on an angle, but should come down further, maybe even parallel (180 degree). I could see that not really looking right either, though. Like I said above, it’s very likely that they had probably explored this (or similar) option, yet felt the final one (as it stands now) looked best overall.
Nov 19th, 2008
Andrew Kelsall
@Kevin, yeah, I suppose every logo has friends and enemies :)
Nov 19th, 2008
Kevin Burr
Cheers to that!
Nov 19th, 2008
Amanda Vlahakis
Though nice enough, neither of them excite me that much, but I really do like the Wonderful Union web intro/homepage a lot.
Interesting to see you improve upon the Cog logo though, that could be a running theme.
Where you show us logos you have seen and then make improvements, that would be quite interesting.
Nov 19th, 2008
David Airey
Rob,
That’s odd how you see a clothing company from the Wonderful Union design. For me, it conjures a look of class that can be applied to many different industries. I’m nit-picking when I say I’m not keen on the application of the ‘registered’ symbol.
Richard,
Earl Grey and Battenburg? I like the sound of that. Just had my first visit to your personal website, and it was nice to put a face to the name.
Ben,
It’s funny, I think the cog image in that ‘bad cog work’ article you link to could have features implemented in this logo, such as the intersecting of the teeth (I’m sure there’s a technical name for them). Thanks, by the way, for the blogroll addition on your site. Much appreciated.
George,
Thanks. Glad you like the subtle change.
Luke,
I’m in agreement there (about the cog just spinning rather than turning other elements). I can’t imagine the design process was completed without such an option being considered, and it’d be interesting to see what variations were actually presented.
Amyz5,
That’s quite the succinct web address you have there. ;)
Sam, Brian, Preston,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ørjan, Andrew,
Interesting that you both read “won-union-derful”. For me it reads absolutely fine, and I agree with Kevin when he says the general public won’t have an issue.
Cat,
There’s usually quite varied opinions in the comments, which definitely keeps the conversation interesting. I’d love to see your portfolio at some point. Is it online?
I’m also curious about the Cog design brief… and that of wonderful union too. As you well know, the brief has such a huge influence on the final design.
Ozh,
Happy to oblidge. You’re stupid.
Yael,
I agree. There were most likely many iterations of the Cog logo, though I can see where you’re coming from with the mention of the G.
Andrew, Kevin,
Nice to have you hold a brief discussion here. It’s always pleasing when readers with a common interest subscribe to comments and converse.
Amanda,
That’s certainly something to consider — adapting current logos and featuring them. My only hesitation is that the designers take it personally (the thought crossed my mind with the Cog alteration).
Nov 19th, 2008
Amanda Vlahakis
Yes, you are right … insult is going to be a risk with any alterations.
Perhaps you could just say ‘this is their design’ and this is ‘what I would like to do with it’ ….without mentioning anything about ‘improvement’. That may get past many egos? lol…
Also something I’ve been wondering for ages … do you always ask permission from the copyright owner before displaying logos and graphics from other designers/companies?
Obviously you are ‘supposed to’ although I suspect most bloggers don’t ask permission. Intrigued as usual :)
I guess if you say you want to have permission to use an image for the purpose of showing your own version of it, you are quite likely to get a resounding no.
Amanda Vlahakis’s last blog post…Corporate Design Projects
Nov 19th, 2008
Rafie
Nice cool logos. The extension of both n and u is simply wonderful and it somehow really fit with the “union” term. COG logo is a good one as well. I see gears rather than wheel (might be because I’m an engineering student) at the first place.
* At some point, I think that what usually being used by a particular industry is best to describe it. Gears – engineering, swiss-cross – medical etc.
What say you David?
Rafie’s last blog post…FREE CSS Book!
Nov 20th, 2008
Jon
I’m not a logo designer but i think your tweaking on the cog logo would only be applicable if cog was a bicycle selling company. :)
Nov 25th, 2008
freya
What about inverting the G so it mirrors the C on the cog logo, or putting it in lower case? Just an idea!
Nov 25th, 2008
freya
Oops, forgot to mention that I love the wonderful union logo, it is my favourite out of the 2, very elegant, I read someone’s comment about it suiting a clothing company more so, I would have it down as an insurance company, thats my only criticism.
Nov 25th, 2008
David Airey
Amanda,
That’s a good way to put it, and I think I shall come up with some alterations for future posts. As for asking permission, I figure they’d be happy to have me link to their websites, and should they wish me to remove the images, I do so immediately (I’ve only be asked once, for the F1 monogram).
Rafie,
It certainly helps if the logo represents the industry. Though it’s not essential.
Nov 26th, 2008
Veera Reddy Mitta
The WonderfulUnion logo is very nice. I don’t think that the COG logo is pretty good. I can agree you have done a good improvement from previous version.
Dec 2nd, 2008
Michael Smith
Hello Logodesignlove bloggers
One of my colleagues forwarded a link to your site, this morning.
Thanks for your helpful suggestions about our logo. It’s extremely flattering that you all want to invest your time in discussing it.
Your discussion has made me chuckle.
I drew the original version of the logo in 1991, long before I bought my first Mac. There was no brief – I just thought it’d make a nice logo (for me to trade under).
It was drawn with a Rotring pen, taped to pair of compasses, onto a piece of CS10 board. I’m guessing that not many of your contributors remember such things. I’ve still got the board in my loft.
The logo seems to have served us reasonably well so I’m going to stick with it, as is, for a while longer. But I do appreciate your ideas.
Michael Smith
Founder / Director, Cog Design
Dec 12th, 2008
David Airey
Hello Michael,
Glad to bring a little chuckle to your viewing, and thanks for offering some background info on the design.
I hope the logo serves you well for many more years.
Dec 15th, 2008
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