The Roundtable Banner Artwork — Your ideas? (1 Viewer)

[Laron]

So it's getting to the time where I am got a lot of configuration done already, and I can think more about a few other things such as getting back to designing the new transients site, and also the logo of the forum.

At the moment I am using the logo at the top I quickly put together as a placeholder, but it also helps people remember the name of course and what the forum is connected into.

I was talking with @Stargazer half a week ago about some ideas for the logo. We came up with a design around three window arches, inside a castle type of room, with each one displaying a time period looking out. The past, the present and the future. In the room sits a round table. The text to the Forum ' Roundtable' could be on a stone wall, or it could be on a banner hanging down, or a tapestry.

I have a few people who have volunteered to help out with graphic design, but I haven't got into a discussion with any of them yet on specifics. As I will also need a logo for the new site replacing www.transients.info at some stage.

If you have any ideas for the Logo of this forum, lets talk about it here. Note that there are currently two styles you can pick, the default and the Xenforo style. The logo will need to fit in with them of them. It could take up the entire width of the forum on the desktop version, fitting above the menu, and I could remove the social icons, or it could reach near the end leaving some space. The height could be up to 100px I'm thinking. Right now the logo is 67px in height.

 

[Samara]

I like the castle-like idea...

just had a little fun idea to it lol... how about sitting various people around the table representing the various topics of this forum?
like... someone laying out cards... a remote viewer with special glasses or something... an alien... somebody sleeping with a dream in a cloud above him/her... somebody using a crystal ball.... a druid... a gardening elf... a mayan priest... some spirit animals and a little ufo in the background, and on the walls symbols of sacred geometry and runes and stuff like that

I guess its a lot of work to make this detailed kind of stuff... just popped up in my mind and maybe somebody enjoyes creating that

 

[Linda]

It is a cool idea. People could imagine themselves seated around the table.
I wonder how it will look on smaller screens like tablets and phones.

 

[Laron]

I love that idea Samara. One constraint is how the image has to be wide, so it can be hard to fit certain things in when it is narrow like that. It all depends on the ability of the person doing it I guess!

It is a cool idea. People could imagine themselves seated around the table.
I wonder how it will look on smaller screens like tablets and phones.

The logo will shrink to smaller devices, so it will look very small on a mobile. I am not sure if there can be two separate versions in that case as the forum is setup on responsive design, meaning things shift, and are removed when the resolution gets smaller, so it's not based on mobile vs desktop, as in two different designs.

 

[Vickie]

From experience in the business of website design I can tell you that a good logo should be a simple design that looks the same either large, (for websites) small (for mobile and iPad) and print. Although, your ideas sound nice they will be very difficult to size and still be able to read. The very best logos are very simple. That's just my opinion.

 

[Krena]

I agree. Simple is good. Aim for elegant. Perhaps an abstraction of the idea. Simple tends to be the most difficult to accomplish but doable.

 

[Vickie]

I was in the shower just now and that's where I do my best thinking so I wanted to just go ahead and tell you what I always suggested to clients that had both a website and forum. You will always see that with a professional website the logo would be exactly the same on both the website and the forum. Both the website and forum are within the same site so both should have the same logo. Then under the website logo you would have your tag line. On the forum (which should be a part of the website so it should have the same colors and logo) you would create an image using the same transients logo with The Roundtable under or beside the Tranients logo.

If you have two different logos the visitor will think they just left the Transients website. It should all work seamlessly together.

I don't like making logos because as Krena said, the simple ones are the hardest but absolutely the best.

Think about say, Microsoft - they have a simple logo that conveys across all their website, forums and help pages. As always, it's your choice but this is what I always suggested to my clients.

 

[Laron]

I agree. Simple is good. Aim for elegant. Perhaps an abstraction of the idea. Simple tends to be the most difficult to accomplish but doable.

This is what I am thinking for the main site but thought we could do something a bit larger for the Forum.

 

[Krena]

Laron, it seems clear that you have a vision. It is actually a bit of challenge to adequately give you feedback without looking at the idea. Is it possible to create one or two logos so we can help you more?

 

[Laron]

Are you asking if you can create the logos or me?

 

[Krena]

Oh well, I am not a graphic artist, though I fake it when I have to do something for myself.
Never been trained. Sorry.
You need someone more skilled than me.
You will find someone.
He or she will appear like magic.
You will make it so.

 

[Laron]

(As I mentioned, I know of three or four people that can do this, so that is not the problem at the moment finding someone.)

 

[Laron]

So we may have a issue here around terminology. When I say logo I am not meaning a little small thing with some letters and a clever image go go with it, but a piece of artwork that fits the dimensions I specified. The actual words of the forum don't have to sit on it. I am looking at a high quality designed piece that has a lot of detail.

 

[Vickie]

So we may have a issue here around terminology. When I say logo I am not meaning a little small thing with some letters and a clever image go go with it, but a piece of artwork that fits the dimensions I specified. The actual words of the forum don't have to sit on it. I am looking at a high quality designed piece that has a lot of detail.

I see now. When I hear the word logo I do think of a small design as a kind of symbol. You're thinking about something much different. You're thinking more of a banner.

Now the ideas mentioned make perfect sense.

 

[Laron]

So take for example this artwork I quickly found. It's was created by 'Schunki' on Deviant Art here: http://schunki.deviantart.com/art/The-castle-287968065



I just cropped out this section of that picture to demonstrate what I am getting at. I am looking at quality like this, in a similar time period / setting, but designed around the idea we/I come up with. So for example, like I said it could be inside a room in a castle, with 3 windows, and out of each window is the past, present and future and a table is also in the room. But it doesn't have to be like that.

 

[Laron]

I know you have someone to do it. I was just giving a link to browse for ideas not a designer.

I was responding to Krena. Your post came up as I posted mine.

 

[Laron]

I see now. When I hear the word logo I do think of a small design as a kind of symbol. You're thinking about something much different. You're thinking more of a banner.

Now the ideas mentioned make perfect sense.

I think a logo would be more suitable for the front page/transients.info site on the new design as there is less room and this one we come up with won't really... fit into the theme.

 

[Vickie]

I think your idea sounds perfect, Laron. That looks like a vector image that you uploaded above. Vectors are very clear. I bet a few vectors could be purchased and blended to create your idea. Here's an example of a Knights of the Roundtable image. The table image hanging on the wall could be erased and a round table placed in that area. It has the three Windows for past, present and future images to be placed into.

 

[Samara]

This is what I am thinking for the main site but thought we could do something a bit larger for the Forum.

you could create something larger for the forum and include the simple logo into it

 

[Laron]

Note that the image I used in the end, which is a modified piece of artwork of Kristy's, was just temporary as I had to have something to go live with. So I am still on the looking, possibly for two separate images / banners up the two, one on the forum and one on the main page/site.

 

[Stargazer]

So take for example this artwork I quickly found. It's was created by 'Schunki' on Deviant Art here: http://schunki.deviantart.com/art/The-castle-287968065

View attachment 307

I just cropped out this section of that picture to demonstrate what I am getting at. I am looking at quality like this, in a similar time period / setting, but designed around the idea we/I come up with. So for example, like I said it could be inside a room in a castle, with 3 windows, and out of each window is the past, present and future and a table is also in the room. But it doesn't have to be like that.

I don't know how I missed this thread, but I LOVE the feel of this banner!

 

[Snowmelt]

Well, if you want to get the instantaneous idea of "castle" how about a tapestry? This could then cover a narrow, wide area. For example (but doesn't have to be that one) the Bayeux tapestry.

I just viewed a couple of nature tapestries (some of the medieval ones were too heraldic, warlike or dated). There might be an issue of copyright. But a designer could come up with something beautiful from nature within the concept.

 

[Laron]

I love the top left one!

I actually spent about... 8 hours today searching for options con editing the two I found which are now on the main site and forum. I paid for these ones but they weren't expensive.

 

[June]

That top left one hit me straight away, Laron, I really like it.

 

[Stargazer]

I love the top left one!

I actually spent about... 8 hours today searching for options con editing the two I found which are now on the main site and forum. I paid for these ones but they weren't expensive.

I love, love, LOVE the one on the forum!! It strikes me as being almost "Disney-esque" in quality, it's vibrantly colorful, and it evokes a wonderful sense of exploration, discovery, and joy. It almost encourages one to cross the bridge, wander along the trail, and join everyone at the castle. I think it's PERFECT!

 

[Vickie]

I can't see the new banner because I'm usually always on my iPhone and when I login I'm taken directly to the mobile site. Laron on most all Wordpress sites there is a link at the bottom to view desktop site. I think this is just an option to check on the administration panel. When you get a minute can you take a look and see if you can find the option for viewing desktop? iPhone can display the desktop pretty well and the mobile version doesn't have all the features. Thanks!!

Edit: I just looked at Wordpress setup and there doesn't seem to be an option for desktop. It's built into the code so don't bother with it. If you remove the code it's permanent with no options.

 

[Stargazer]

I can't see the new banner because I'm usually always on my iPhone and when I login I'm taken directly to the mobile site. Laron on most all Wordpress sites there is a link at the bottom to view desktop site. I think this is just an option to check on the administration panel. When you get a minute can you take a look and see if you can find the option for viewing desktop? iPhone can display the desktop pretty well and the mobile version doesn't have all the features. Thanks!!

Hmmm. It works perfectly on my iPhone. By chance, might you be accessing it through the older link that went directly to the forum server?

Here's how it looks on my phone...

 

[Jenny]

Really like the new banner Laron - big thumbs up!

 

[Ben]

Really like the new banner Laron - big thumbs up!

It's great isn't it? Love it!

 

[Lila]

I love the castle with 3 windows of time idea and can't imagine it without a round table someplace in/around it. In my mind's eye, the table is always populated, like Samara suggested. I also love the idea of symbols representing the forums and ideas tossed around the table. I picture this as being a place where we are building a new world together, from the template of our inspirations.

Perhaps, also, the 'round' theme can be echoed in some of the details in the surrounding area? e.g. bubbles of Laron 's 'healing spheres' from the remote sessions?

Something magical? Henda requested a magical feedback emoticon early on. I love that little wand, lol!
- Water that flows up, down and around?
- Castle supports that are in the background or foreground, depending on your viewpoint?
I picture something Escher-esque + subtle, drawing one in to another level of meaning, echoing the theme of entering another level of awareness.

And if we could get a crystal tree of @Lai 's in there, that, too, would echo a central theme.