SFWDA - Southern Four Wheel Drive Assoc. New Logo Design ( Voting now )

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majic2001

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Feb 3, 2014
Hello fellow SFWDA members, club Presidents and friends of off roading. As the newly assigned webmaster of our organization I am writing this letter in effort to notify and update as many Southern clubs and members as possible. All past, present, and potential members who want to get involved are invited to participate. Please read below and distribute this immediately among your members. We're looking for a prompt reply from all interested in voting.
Looking towards the bright future we hope for within SFWDA I want everyone to know we are running a poll to choose a new logo design which will represent the future brand of SFWDA. You can expect to see this likely used on everything from our website to event banners, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Please follow the link below and select YOUR favorite club logo within the next 4 days. This is your chance to make your voice heard and get involved with the future of SFWDA as we work to strengthen the core values of what our club represents, knowing that it is in unity that we will be strongest.

http://99designs.com/logo-design/vote-67grx8
 
Done
 
done

I guess the stars and bars is gone?
 
majic2001 said:
Hello fellow SFWDA members, club Presidents and friends of off roading. As the newly assigned webmaster of our organization I am writing this letter in effort to notify and update as many Southern clubs and members as possible. All past, present, and potential members who want to get involved are invited to participate. Please read below and distribute this immediately among your members. We're looking for a prompt reply from all interested in voting.
Looking towards the bright future we hope for within SFWDA I want everyone to know we are running a poll to choose a new logo design which will represent the future brand of SFWDA. You can expect to see this likely used on everything from our website to event banners, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Please follow the link below and select YOUR favorite club logo within the next 4 days. This is your chance to make your voice heard and get involved with the future of SFWDA as we work to strengthen the core values of what our club represents, knowing that it is in unity that we will be strongest.

http://99designs.com/logo-design/vote-67grx8
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A couple of criticisms of the designs:
  • The top six options are all basically the same. Don't really see why you need a public poll to make a choice between different colorway options.
  • Most of them include ".org" on them, which is both unnecessary and visually confusing. Get rid of it.
  • Pointy mountains and pointy pine trees looks like the Rockies or Sierras. They should be Blue Ridge Mountains and Loblollies. It is SOUTHERN FWDA.
  • The "Kazuma" and "Guinandra" options are both weaker for having a clearly-recognizable make in them. One's a JK, one's an FJ. It's good that you want to bring people together behind a new logo, but this is actually divisive. If you're going to have a vehicle in the image, make sure that it's a generic "four wheel drive".
  • Make sure that whatever option you pick is legible in a monochrome format. Only the "Kazuma" options demonstrate that their design is successful in a single color print.
  • Branding decisions are not well-suited to popularity contests.
Hope that helps.
 
Didn't see anything that I think represents Southern FWDA as good as this

SFWDA logo.png


I agree with Shawn's suggestions + I've listened to both sides of the logo argument for 20 years, IMO no need to mess up a perfectly good logo :driver:
 
They're all too busy. Even the old one. Take a look at logos of companies that have the bottomless pockets to spend on marketing and design. Their logos are simple. A swoosh, and Apple with a bite out of it. Or the name with a small icon. SFWDA should have a logo that is slightly more descriptive than those since it's not as well known a brand, but don't go crazy. Simple, clean and not overly elaborate.

What defines SFWDA as an icon or subject? The southern state outlines is one idea, but with the flags and all the text in the blue circle, and a white border, and a yellow border and SFWDA spelled out, it's too much. Just because you can fit it, doesn't mean you should :beer:

Damn I wish I still had my design software. :D
 
Less is more.
- Antoine de St Exupery and/or Mies
 
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shawn said:
A couple of criticisms of the designs:
  • The top six options are all basically the same. Don't really see why you need a public poll to make a choice between different colorway options.
  • Most of them include ".org" on them, which is both unnecessary and visually confusing. Get rid of it.
  • Pointy mountains and pointy pine trees looks like the Rockies or Sierras. They should be Blue Ridge Mountains and Loblollies. It is SOUTHERN FWDA.
  • The "Kazuma" and "Guinandra" options are both weaker for having a clearly-recognizable make in them. One's a JK, one's an FJ. It's good that you want to bring people together behind a new logo, but this is actually divisive. If you're going to have a vehicle in the image, make sure that it's a generic "four wheel drive".
  • Make sure that whatever option you pick is legible in a monochrome format. Only the "Kazuma" options demonstrate that their design is successful in a single color print.
  • Branding decisions are not well-suited to popularity contests.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...


Thank you.
I wanted to say this pretty much word for word but less eloquently but abstained given my public dissension with SFWDA for too long now.

But I am glad they are attacking the tough issues. :rolleyes:
 
@majic2001 Are you reading these or did you seagull your threads and fly away?
 
I am glad we have your attention now and I am glad you are all willing to contribute your opinion. I listen carefully to all of these comments. I wish you guys would have joined the conversation a few days ago but fortunately enough please review the prior details on the SFWDA facebook group where this conversation started.

This was my response to Shawn there on FB -SFWDA.

"Yes Shawn, are you referring to the post you made on there? Well, the truth is I have been trying to reach out to anyone any everyone who has interest in SFWDA for almost two weeks on this new logo project. We want everyone's voice to be heard. It looks like you caught on only after I posted to NC4x4. I am glad we did connect. Please take a moment now to check out the prior posts here on FB as they point to over 100 of the original logos we polled. Fortunately we did just extend this contest fora very limited time so take a moment now and look them all over and tell me if which are your favorites and why. Please also spread the word as we have less than 24hrs to pick 6 finalists. From there we can work out the details with those selected designers. "

For those of you who are not familiar with the process we have elected, here's a summary from my original post on FB.
" SFWDA is running a poll to choose a new logo design which will represent the future brand of SFWDA. You can expect to see this likely used on everything from our website to event banners, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Please choose carefully and be sure to get your favorite entry submitted simply by replying to this post with the # of your favorite club logo within the next 4 days. I will then take a poll of the top eight final logos and allow all SFWDA followers to pick the winner. This is your chance to make your voice heard and get involved with the future of SFWDA as we work to strengthen the core values of what our club represents, knowing that it is in unity that we will be strongest. "

Walter
SFWDA Web Administrator
 
I want to reiterate how valuable your opinion is. I know that Shawn has very valuable comments. I also have similar concerns to with hope this logo that will last for decades on a variety of different printing medium. With that consideration I have already requested mock ups from a few of our leaders in the contests current standings. here are some graphics for you to consider. The finalists will be selected very soon, and so please do contribute in every way possible.
 

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@majic2001

3 comments.
1- Dont rely on Facebook many many members are not on Facebook and will never see anything posted there. For that matter you can not rely on any one medium to spread your message.
2- The 2 "finalists" you show above are the 2 specific ones Shawn mentioned that are poor choices because they specifically identify a unique vehicle. This creates division AND brings out the fanboi vote. Making the entire voting process suspect. Which brings us to #3.
3- "Branding decisions are not well-suited to popularity contests" This is a semi critical "business decision" allowing anyone to vote, especially considering those voting may not be members or may not have SFWDA's best interest at heart, is a very bad decision that makes me (and I assume others) question the very leadership of the group.

I'll again reitterate that I think addressing the current logo is somewhere around item 1,387 on the list of things that need attention immediately from SFWDA...but new logos sure allow someone to "put their stamp" on an organization.

Finally a basic marketing concept. When you have 4 decades of history you dont totally re-invent a logo..if anything you morph it. Look at the current Pepsi logo beside a 1940s Pepsi logo...they look nothing alike but no single revision was a complete over haul. There are ideas there to slowly morph the current logo and update it. If you are going to abandon the logo that has symbolized the entire organization for 25+ years you may as well rename, reform and start over...which given some of the baggage many associate with S4WDA..may not be a bad idea in and of itself.
 
Ron, Thank you your comments. iTrust me when I say I'm trying every method possible to broadcast to all members and off road enthusiasts who are interested in supporting the concept of the organization. I appreciate your effort in spreading the word as well in that regard. We're still considering votes and accepting new designs through tomorrow. The two presented recently here are for example not definition, and the designers are open to critiques and tweaks as necessary. That's why we welcome your input. This is by my design a democratic process just as the structure of the association itself. Thank you again got your support.
 
JC said:
Then we should have a vote of ALL members on whether the logo needs to be changed or not! Facebook does not give a good representation of the majority of SFWDA members!
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Agreed, I am a member of SFWDA and I did not know the logo was changing until this thread.

In my opinion, if it aint broke don't fix it. How much money and time is being spent on this rebranding? In my opinion SFWDA should be spending this money and time helping keep our trails open, not on a new logo.
 
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