I’ve been working with Molo for several months now to define their marketing strategy – and now we’re starting to implement it. The first step is to update their logo and corporate identity. And they’d like to do a little market research on the options we’ve come up with for them.
So… please take a look at the logos below and let me know:
- What type of company you think each logo represents? (industry/type of work)
- What brand values you think each logo portrays? (adjectives to describe the business – e.g. honest, forward-thinking, conservative, etc.)
Any other feedback is welcomed too! Thanks very much.
LOGO 1:
LOGO 2:
LOGO 3:
LOGO 4:
LOGO 5:
LOGO 6:
Some of you thought Logo 5 would look good out of white – your wish is my command 🙂
Jo Duxbury 
Hi Jo.
My favourite logo, visually, is the last one. I think it’s fresh, contemporary and memorable. Also, there’s a logical connection between ‘tomorrow’ and ‘innovation’… However, if their brand personality is conservative and focused on honesty and integrity, I like #1 a lot. I also think it has the most legs for usability across different media… Just my little take…
Tiffany
By: Tiffany on 23 December 2009
at 10:59 am
Hi Jo
First one kind of reminds me of those old school legal firm logos/old school consulting engineer type firms. First three dont work for me – although in their defense the “m”s in the first ones could be standalone icons for the brand.
I like both Logo 4 & 5 as they have a more modern/edgier/fresher feel to them
Logo 4 – could be for a communications type company thats not tech focused necessarily, the orange stylised backward “c” looks like its an ear for listening, as also its a backward “c” (in my mind) = communications.
Logo 5 – could be more for an IT/ telecommunications type company, somehow theres more of a technological association with that logo, especially the “spiderweb diagram” looking symbol on the left. To me it says, Molo is the centre and innovates through connecting people. I also like the blue, orange and gray colours used in this logo, as it will lend itself to having the logo translated onto a number of backgrounds/mediums especially on a white background, as also it stands out as a colour combination. I would perhaps lighten the gray, especially on a black background so that it stands out more – or that could just be the resolution on my screen. 🙂 thats my 10 cents worth.
Happy Holidays!
By: Melody on 23 December 2009
at 11:15 am
Thanks @Tiffany and @Melody for your input 🙂
Some further comments received via Twitter:
>> Logo 5 with the orange dot looks the most innovative, then Logo 3. Like the MOLO font
>> I’d go for Logo 5 on a white background.
By: Jo Duxbury on 23 December 2009
at 11:23 am
Logo 5 with the orange dot looks the most innovative, will probably also work on white. Then Logo 3. Like the MOLO font
By: colleen on 23 December 2009
at 11:24 am
I purposely haven’t read the comments above, so excuse if I restate what’s already been said.
Logo1 looks more formal than the rest. I think it’s the dark grey, font, and lack of italics.
For some reason Logo2 reminds me of a freight/transport/courier company. I think it’s the logo’s round edges and layering choice; perhaps also the choice of font.
Logo3 feels a little squashed – like there’s not enough space for the M. I like the font though – it gives a fresh/new feel to the logo.
Logo4 reminds me somehow of communications. I think the doo-dad to the right looks to me like an RSS feed icon.
Logo5 looks the most like technology and “innovation” to me. As mentioned above, I like the font. I also like the blue M and orange center-dot. I’d however like to see it on a white background.
By: Paul on 23 December 2009
at 11:40 am
Thanks for all your comments. There’ve been several suggestions for Logo 5 to be out of white so I’ve posted that version above.
By: Jo Duxbury on 23 December 2009
at 12:14 pm
Hi Cuz – I love what you are doing!
Logo 5 is by far the better creative, however I feel that I have seen the graphic before so it doesn’t appear as innovative as it could. Love the orange dot highlight and the font (maybe turn the ‘l’ back to the curve at the top as it directs the eye upward and gives more movement).
Could I suggest that your designers play with the concept of bringing the graphic into the logotype by manipulating it to form the ‘M’? Not sure if this would be too busy (or too funky) but it could look quite iconic with the ‘olo’ following it.
I like the colour combo, the conservative blue/grey is given a real boost with the orange – great complimentary colours.
Good luck! Let us know what the final verdict is.
By: Debbie on 23 December 2009
at 12:47 pm
Hey Jo,
Hope you’re well and ready for Xmas!
The first three look dull and a bit static.
4, 5, 6 are better but will date very, very quickly.
The colours look a bit washed out here, they need to be a bit more powerful and confident.
The logo does look better out of white, but then it should look good out of black or white – or have an alternative palette to deal with that. Not forgetting mono or just black.
not sure the greys or the dots will be visible at distance. or smaller/online?
what do molo do? who are they? I get the sense of telecoms (as one of your other posters said) or news service?
By: Jonathan Harris on 23 December 2009
at 2:25 pm
Hi Joe
`Like 5 the most, though traditionally logo’s with black backgrounds work well on a site, though are hell when printing a proposal for example.
So the reversed one works for me….though that flipped “l” Makes it look like “Mojo” and not “Molo”
Cheers
Jon.
By: Jon Maliepaard on 23 December 2009
at 2:35 pm
Another comment via Twitter:
>> it’s a toss up between logo 5 and 6 – either works but it depends where else they’re going to use it .. cars/building etc. If print/web then I LOVE logo 6 – it’s fresh and clean 😉
By: Jo Duxbury on 23 December 2009
at 2:43 pm
Hey Jo
I prefer Logo 6… Neat, crisp, clean and the colours are well coordinated…
All the best
Sybz
By: Sybz on 23 December 2009
at 5:05 pm
If you have to go with 1 then go with 6 but it would be improved by strengthening the orange, blue and the grey, otherwise its going to just wash out. Start with something strong, it’s easier to use tints from a strong base but going the other way is virtually impossible.
Agree it looks like mojo, flip the ‘j’ horizontally maybe to make definite ‘l’.
At the moment it’s still washed out, unremarkable and going to date quickly.
By: Jonathan Harris on 23 December 2009
at 5:17 pm
Hi everyone and thanks for the great feedback.
Interesting to see who some of the commenters are (Jonathan – how ARE you?!) and that the designers have some strong feelings 🙂
Just to update you on what this company does, here is their positioning statement:
“For companies and organisations seeking innovative technology solutions with a high return on investment, Molo Afrika’s creative, analytical thinking and technical craftsmanship deliver systems and products that are forward-thinking, finely engineered – and work beautifully. We are just as invested in and passionate about making projects a success as our clients are. Through sharing both risks and rewards, we forge strong, trusted partnerships with our clients.”
They specialise in speech recognition technology but also work on a wide range of other bespoke software developments.
So now knowing this, which logo do you think reflects their positioning statement best?
By: Jo Duxbury on 24 December 2009
at 12:15 pm
i would say logo 6 has a generic telecoms feel. i think it is the most successful of all the options. the inverted ‘l’ can be read as a j though… and Mojo is a more natural word which may cause confusion. i think it is a good option but if i were the designer i would try to produce 3 more options with logo 6 as a starting point. hope that is helpful
By: Daran on 24 December 2009
at 12:27 pm
Sorry Jo – just re-read what I had said earlier and my vote should have said logo 6! Clearly too much Christmas cheer!
By: Debbie on 24 December 2009
at 12:42 pm
Hey Jo,
Good thanks, just about ready for Xmas!
If that’s just the positioning statement then they need a branding statement. It’s all features and no benefits. Where’s the aspiration, the promise beyond the product and the service? They need a ‘we enable companies and their clients to…. through creative, analytical thinking and technical craftsmanship… etc’ sort of statement?
Now that I’ve read the statements, I’d reject all the logos. They’re bland and unimaginative, they don’t inspire or engage. There’s nothing that captures the core personality and energy of the company, you could easily replace the name with any company and it just says ‘generic telecoms’. Though they could just as easily be ‘mobile comms’, ‘satelite tv’, ‘GPS systems’ or a ‘tv production house’. There’s nothing in the logos that would separate them from many other logos out there in the marketplace. And if anything a logo should be distinctive and connect to that core brand dna.
Where’s the sense of ‘saying hello!’, or the African component, where’s the ‘speech’, the ‘connections’, where’s the ‘new’, the ‘creativity’, the ‘novel’, the ‘unexpected’? Have a look at this selection – see how many make you think ‘that’s cute’ or ‘that’s clever’ http://bit.ly/8RGlYC they mainly have a US style but worth a look none the less. (no there aren’t any of mine in this collection!)
If you’re stuck with one of these then go with 6. But I’d sort out that ‘L’ and strengthen the colours. Do different versions and colours for black and white backgrounds. Also get a one colour mono done, as well as a straight black. You might want to think about how it’s going to work when shrunken down small for business cards… Like Daran says above, maybe 6 can be a starting point for further development or at least some direction of progress.
(stop throwing things at the screen Jo! I’m way to far away!)
By: Jonathan Harris on 24 December 2009
at 1:06 pm
Yeah, 6 looks fresher than 5 to me. I don’t think I’d get confused and think the L is a J… but you never know.
By: Paul on 24 December 2009
at 1:37 pm
I think 6 is the most attractive/interesting. 1,2&3 don’t well, sing “innovation”. Tho the font in 5 is better – 6 could be moJo.
By: Sarah on 24 December 2009
at 9:12 pm
Thank you everyone for your comments – this has been really interesting.
The verdict is that the client wants to go back to the drawing board – he feels that none of the logos are hitting the mark perfectly, so we’re going to try again.
But reading your comments, they’re much more open now to doing something completely different from their current logo (which is the very first one in the post above) – so watch this space!
By: Jo Duxbury on 4 January 2010
at 11:34 am
After reading the comments, I’m going to go off the mark here. None of the logos are telling me anything.
The graphic in the last 2 logos, although are cool, will be lost depending on the scale of the logo. And they don’t add to the ‘molo’.
I’m sure that representing ‘molo’ is going to be difficult, but again I would say that trying to get what the brand is selling or what service it is providing. My couple of cents 🙂
By: Farrel Hardenberg on 19 January 2010
at 4:31 pm