If you've ever gotten in a new request for a logo and have thought to yourself, "there is no way to make THIS original" then you're not alone. Depending on the subject matter of the logo in question (i.e. abstract vs concrete thoughts and ideas) logo designing can be a breeze or more like spending 8 hours in the dentist's office.

That's where logo communities can prove so valuable. With most logo communities you can find instant inspiration at your fingertips. Whether you are looking for ideas for a specific logo or just need to refuel your creative juices, seeing some of the cream of the crop in logo circles can really give you the boost you need.

Today, I want to share some of my favorite logo communities:

Logo Lounge

Though this is the only community in my list that requires a paid membership, it's also one of the most valuable. In addition to the website which houses thousands of top designer's logos, Logo Lounge also offers articles on the most recent trends and compiles a "Best of Logo Lounge" book each year -- selecting logos from the site to make the cut on the printed page. In that regard you can think of it not only as a community for logo designers but also as a logo competition (This might make you feel better about the registration fee!)

Logo Moose:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite of the free communities, Logo Moose allows designers to upload their work and share it with other creatives. You can request feedback or simply ask for 'likes' on your work, but ultimately you have the ability to showcase your work and collaborate with your peers on the site.

Logo Pond:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think Logo Pond can best be described as inspiration at first glance. The logos are displayed prominently on the home page and are cross categorized throughout the site allowing you to easily find a logo to fit the bill! As with Logo Moose you can upload and submit your own logos to add to the mix.

Logo Designer's Blog / Logo of the Day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Logo Designer's Blog is your destination for articles and trends in the logosphere. Recently, unfortunately the site has been neglected, but hopefully new articles will be posted soon! At their sister site, Logo of the Day, selected logos are featured and showcased on the site. This site is kept up to date with new logos being selected daily!

Logo Sauce:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logo Sauce is part community, part competition for logo enthusiasts. After adding your logos to the site you are encouraged to promote your profile in hopes of receiving the recognition of one of their top profiles! They also allow the community to vote on entries and compare notes amongst themselves.

 

Logos By Paige1Media

To finish up the post, I want to share a few of my most recent logo designs. I mean, what good is having a blog if I can't showcase my own work, right?

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Brochure Giveaway sponsored by UPrinting.com! We have two winners that were selected using www.Random.org.

Our first winner, with comment number 8: Rose Wenning!

Our second winner, with comment number 2: Amanda King!

Winners, will be contacted by a representative of Uprinting.com withing 30 days. We'd love to see the brochures you create! Take a photo of the printed brochures and send them to me so we can share them with the other readers!

I look forward to bringing everyone more opportunities to win great products from our sponsors in the future!

This week UPrinting.com is giving away 2 SETS of free brochure printing/shipping this week (more about how to enter at the end!).

But—before, they do, let's talk a little bit about brochures, their uses, and functions.

The brochure is many things—part recruiter, part salesman, part information hub—but it’s all promotional tool.  What you probably don’t realize is that brochures can be vastly versatile. For starters, let’s examine the parts of the traditional brochure:

The Cover:

Like the traditional book every brochure has a very distinct cover. The one or two panels that are immediately seen by the viewer function in this capacity. Much like a book, the brochure cover should entice the viewer to want to learn more about what’s inside. Your brochure cover should clearly show here it’s from and give an inkling of what the reader should expect inside. In most cases the company logo and name will also be found on this outer panel.

If you’ve been asked to create a newsletter for your club, group or business and aren’t sure where to start, look no farther. Today, rather than just "telling" you about the principles I've decided to do an in-depth tutorial to help you create a cohesive and concise newsletter design. In this tutorial we’ll layout a basic newsletter using InDesign, but keep in mind that the same principles of good newsletter design could be used in any program.

We've talked about how great a well designed bookmark can be for author promotion in the past, but tonight I wanted to share a recent bookmark I have designed for a client. Enjoy! You can visit his site here.

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Continuing our series of "What Is It's Purpose?" this post will deal with the Purpose of Letterhead and Letterhead Design. As we've mentioned before let me recap by saying, every design we create serves a purpose. Is it up to us to determine that purpose? Or does each piece innately have a purpose? I think there is truth in both. Our job is to amplify the innate purpose for each piece. Confused? Don’t stay that way, let’s examine one of the pieces we create on an everyday basis and the function they should serve.

Letterhead.

In today's digital society does letterhead even still have a place in the industry? I believe so. A traditional formal letter still has it's importance and uses. Businesses use letterhead for Thank Yous and other otherwise "form" letters that they must send out. It's also useful for subtly reminding your customers or constituents that you still exist and what services you offer. Wait? Can it really do this? Yes. Let's jump ahead and look at some of the things you might want to include on your letterhead: Remember, you can’t possible include EVERYTHING. So you’ll have to pick and choose:

Today's bookmark as seen to the left cannot be downloaded easily as it's actually a double-sided promotional piece that I created for a client. Regardless of whether or not your client is an author, they may still be able to reach an interesting crowd with a bookmark that doubles as a promotional item. In terms of size it offers roughly double that of a traditional business card, giving you  more room to explain your services and options. If you go double-sided, you have actually created 4 times the space! But how do you design a promotional bookmark effectively for your client? The answer is easier than you think! Much like traditional business card design, don't limit yourself to the boundaries! Think outside the box and create something that will be remembered but don't forget to include all the necessary contact information!

The Poster.

Part advertisement. Part display piece. All information. The poster when created correctly can accomplish all these tasks in a single stroke. Sometimes the most overlooked piece in a marketer's arsenal, posters are often assumed to be present but denied the forefront of attention. Why? Maybe because they ARE common. But if you’re a designer working with a client you want to push the limits of your poster design while STILL providing the basics that are required. As the designer it’s not always up to you to decide which information should be included but it IS up to you to determine HOW it can be included to best represent your client and provide as the Heath brother’s (Author’s of "Made To Stick") would phrase it, "Stick-Ability" in the mind. (You want the customer to remember it!). Let's examine some of the basics that will need to be included SOMEWHERE on your poster for it to be informationally effective.

Guest post  by Author Barbara Howell. Howell is the author of Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point published by Paige1Publishing in Tulsa, OK. Howell is a member of the Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Inc., Tulsa Night Writers, and RHEMA Writer's Bloc. Recently, Howell's book, was chosen to appear in an upcoming release from Harper Collins Publishing, "The NEW Big Book of Layouts" honoring the best of the best in book design.

Before I began marketing my book, "Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point" I was under the impression as most writers are, that the WRITING was the most important part of my book. And while, I'm not saying that the writing isn't important, a lesson that I learned early on as an author was the importance of the book cover and design itself.