Go Green Fishing Lights Logo Design Critique

Shane submitted this logo for Go Green Fishing Lights and left the following commentary.

“The logo is for a new company developing underwater lighting for docks, river ways, and deep sea fishing. The lights attract big game fish. The client wanted a simplistic logo with clean lines and somewhat contemporary feel to it. They wanted a marlin or swordfish to represent the brand because it is a big game fish with a fair amount of symbolism behind it. The lights employ a specially designed gas that attracts fish and burns brightly using electronic ballasts (opposed to the common magnetic ballasts). This is a market I have never worked for, so it’s very different for me. There are two major competitors with a color scheme of black and neon green (both of which the client wanted). The competition’s logos are also relatively abstract. So far they like the marlin/swordfish coming from the right moving to the left. I prefer it on the left moving over the type towards the right... the flow feels better, but, hey, it’s their choice!”

The following critique is based on one designer’s opinion and experience. I always appreciate the readers thoughts as well. So, I’ll ask a question of two in the critique, please share your perspective in the comments at the end of this logo design critique.

Design Principles

I wanted to start off this critique by showing the logo of the competition that Shane was kind enough to provide. As you can see, the combination green and black is popular in this industry.

I also wanted to show a couple of the variations on the Go Green Fishing LIghts logo that Shane has shared with me.

I prefer the version at the top of this critique with the swordfish starting on the left and pointing to the right. Visually the eye flows over it better. When the fish is on the right, it goes against the grain (right to left) while the viewer reads left to right. In terms of typography, I prefer the contrasting fonts, color and size of the version at the beginning of the critique.

Functionality / Versatility

Shane’s logo is clean and bold. It will work well as one or two color and in many applications. The same cannot be said for most of the competition logos shown above. I noticed the original version at the top of this critique actually has a mouth and slightly thicker line before the transition into the sword. While the mouth is a small detail that may cause some problems in certain applications, it seems to add more character and life to the swordfish. Maybe there’s a way to slightly rework the fish and maintain the general feel of the original.

Does the Logo Work for the Audience?

The logo communicates the concepts of big game fish and fishing well. However, nothing communicates the concept of light from a visual perspective which makes me wonder about the size relationship between ‘Go Green’ and ‘Fishing Lights’. If ‘fishing lights’ had more prominence than ‘Go Green’ it might be more immediately apparent to the viewer that this company makes fishing lights as opposed to offering some kind of eco friendly service or product. I’m guessing there is nothing eco friendly about the product since Shane hadn’t mentioned it.

Uniqueness

To be truly unique among the competition I think the Go Green Fishing Lights logo would have to abandon the green color that appears to be the industry norm. Unfortunately, it sounds like the client has made this a requirement in your design. Perhaps, experimenting with other shades of green that are further away from the competition’s color palettes could be an option.

Typography

I’m not sure if it is intentional or not, but the ‘s’ in ‘lights’ extends beyond the right edge of the text above. I would suggest pulling the text back into alignment with the right edge of the text above.

Possible Improvements

Designing a logo for yourself or own business is one of the hardest logo designs you’ll ever work on. So what is the best way to improve the logo? Well I think have made some comments above that can certainly offer some direction. Here’s a list of actionable items.

Overall, I think you have a good start on the logo design. And with some refinement you can definitely improve it. Please know that my intention in critiquing your work is not to hurt feelings, but to offer constructive feedback. I hope it was helpful. Best of luck, to you!

I appreciate and welcome your comments, and look forward to hearing from you soon. I purposely don’t cover every possible improvement that can be made to this logo, so go for it if you think I missed anything. All I ask is that you keep your comments clean and appropriate.

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