NeonKids Logo Concepts Critique

I received 4 logo concepts, at various stages of completeness, from Phil. He is working on a logo for a children’s ministry called “NeonKids”. The children in this group are from 3-14 years old. Phil had this to say about his project,

“The ministry is going to be called “NeonKids”, with the tag-line “Let your light shine brightly”. Some of the concepts I’ve played around with electricity, lightning bolts, light bulbs since those are some of the elements that are in the general theme the program is looking for.”

Once again, I won’t be following the normal format for critique that I’ve been using up until now. Instead, I’m going to pick two concepts from the group that I think have the most potential. I will critique them and offer thoughts on some other conceptual directions for Phil to explore.

Concept 1

This concept appears to be the most complete out of the group. The blue and yellow colors of the logo are bright, vibrant and child friendly. I see the lightning bolt on the leg of the ‘k’, but I’m not sure I would make the connection if I didn’t know what it was supposed to be.

I find that the logo is lacking any strong kid-like tone. Maybe it’s just too structured. It could also be the typeface selection for “NeonKids”. It’s so static and straight, something a little more rounded or freeform could possibly work better. The blue rectangle behind the monogram seems a little awkward with all the extra space on either side. What if you tried something along the lines of a superhero emblem as a variation on this concept? Think, Flash Gordon, Superman, Marvel and stuff like that.

You could incorporate a lightning bolt, flashlight or lightbulb into some kind of icon and then work the text around it.

Concept 3

I like the 3D letters of this concept, but this one lacks a kid-like feel also. Although, this concept comes across with more life/energy (less static) than the previous concept. The bright blue and pink referencing the boys and girls that make up the group is a nice touch. Take a look at these logos that feel very kid oriented. What do you notice here?

I notice the bright colors and playfulness of the logos. You’re on the right track with this concept, I just don’t think your quite there yet. If you could impart more of that playfulness and energy, as shown above, you’d have more of a kid friendly feel to the mark. As you can see in the examples above, the playfulness can come from typography, iconography or both.

Possible Improvements

It seems like you have explored mostly type driven concepts for this logo. Nothing wrong with that, but you may want to consider some alternative directions too. How about incorporating some sort of child representation or icon into the type? Nothing seems to be glowing or emitting light in the concepts, could you explore that further as well?

Overall, I think you have a good start on the logo concepts. Now you may just want to dig a little deeper and try out some of the suggestions mentioned. 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.

Like what you read here? Subscribe to the Logo Critiques News Feed.