Need Advice Brand LOGO. To change or Not to change? That is the question.

[The Jungle Explorer]

So when I first started out on this journey many, many years ago. I used a free online site that created this logo for me, which I have been using ever since.

I like it, but over the years, people have never expressed that they liked my logo and many have said it looks, old, outdated, and unprofessional. It also has too many colors to print on merch which I would like to expand into at some point. I have tried in the past to work with professional logo designers, but things never went far because they all wanted me to tell them what I wanted them to design, and I was like, "If I knew what I wanted, I would make it myself. I want to hire you for your artistic creativity, not your graphic design skill. I can do graphics design all on my own." Well, you can guess how that went. LOL!

Anyway, I just thought I would post this and get some feedback. Do you like my logo? Do you agree with those that say it is outdated and unprofessional?

What do you think of these logo styles (using another free logo maker). I am trying to keep it down to a maximum of three colors that will look good on khak1 or green merch

 

[jawadsoomro]

If I had to choose for 3 color logo, then I would like the first logo, green brown shade. If 2 color logo, then Red logo (with white mountain). I hope that helps.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

I like the first option myself, with the red or brown alternates being my second choice. And I don't see anything 'outdated' or 'unprofessional' about it at all... you are an outdoors channel and the intention is to look 'rustic.' I think you nailed that and in the case of the first logo especially you were able to keep it rustic and it looks up to date and modern as well.

 

[Xavier De Buck]

If I had to choose for 3 color logo, then I would like the first logo, green brown shade. If 2 color logo, then Red logo (with white mountain). I hope that helps.

Exactly my thinking. I'll second that on both choices!

 

[Tito Tim]

Of the new ones, I like the 1st option, but I see nothing wrong with the original either.

 

[The Swiss Hiker]

I prefere the first option, but I probably would take it without the subtitle. Or the last one is also great. The red one with mountains feels more like a mountain hiking channel then a jungel channel in my opinion. The third logo I like the least, I don't think that would fit the channel.

 

[The Boozebuddy]

I like the top one for sure!

I will say as someone who has worked as a graphic designer, a pro will make sure the logo will scale properly and pop on any background with very little work. As my skills have fallen behind in recent years, I work with designers to polish the final logo. I'll send the source files so they can be cleaned up, have pantone colors matched with the web colors I pick, have them split the logo into monochrome, black and white, two color, and three color options so I can print, screen print, embroider, etc. with no worries about quality loss.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I like the top one for sure!

I will say as someone who has worked as a graphic designer, a pro will make sure the logo will scale properly and pop on any background with very little work. As my skills have fallen behind in recent years, I work with designers to polish the final logo. I'll send the source files so they can be cleaned up, have pantone colors matched with the web colors I pick, have them split the logo into monochrome, black and white, two color, and three color options so I can print, screen print, embroider, etc. with no worries about quality loss.

My problem is, I have the artistic skill of a rock. When I have tried to hire professional logo people, they always want me to tell them what to design, and then they offer all the services you just mentioned, and I am like, "So, you are not a designer, you are a compatibility technician. What I am looking for is someone to DESIGN a logo for me." Of course, they always respond, "Well, we don't know what you want." And then I reply, "That makes two of us!" LOL!

It makes no sense to me to pay someone a thousand dollars to "Adjust" a logo I designed. I had one logo designer send me some black-on-white samples that were just my company name written in different stylized fonts and want me to pay $600 for that. I was like, "Do you NOT understand what a LOGO is? These are Signatures, not logos. How am I supposed to use a Signature as a website logo, or a channel brand?" He quit. LOL!

My difficulty is finding a logo designer that is actually a designer. One that can look at my company and what it is about, and one who also understands market trends and colors, and then use this information and their artistic talent to create a custom logo for my company that can be used across the board as a brand, a website logo, and printed on merchandise, business cards, letterhead, etc. I don't have a vision of what my Logoi should look like. My vision is that it should be something that is designed by a person who understands what it takes for a logo to look professional, modern, and become memorable. When I say this to logo designers and they stare at me like a deer in headlights, I know I am talking to a person who is not worthy of my money.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

A while back, I created this as the Favicon for my website. My goal was something that could be tiny but legible and recognizable.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

According to research I have been doing, 50% of all the most popular logos have three things in common. They employ two colors and clipart and text. The two most popular colors used in logo are Blue and Red. I kind of like the MeatEater logo style. Very customizable!

Something like this might be similarly customizable.

 

[The Boozebuddy]

My problem is, I have the artistic skill of a rock. When I have tried to hire professional logo people, they always want me to tell them what to design, and then they offer all the services you just mentioned, and I am like, "So, you are not a designer, you are a compatibility technician. What I am looking for is someone to DESIGN a logo for me." Of course, they always respond, "Well, we don't know what you want." And then I reply, "That makes two of us!" LOL!

It makes no sense to me to pay someone a thousand dollars to "Adjust" a logo I designed. I had one logo designer send me some black-on-white samples that were just my company name written in different stylized fonts and want me to pay $600 for that. I was like, "Do you NOT understand what a LOGO is? These are Signatures, not logos. How am I supposed to use a Signature as a website logo, or a channel brand?" He quit. LOL!

My difficulty is finding a logo designer that is actually a designer. One that can look at my company and what it is about, and one who also understands market trends and colors, and then use this information and their artistic talent to create a custom logo for my company that can be used across the board as a brand, a website logo, and printed on merchandise, business cards, letterhead, etc. I don't have a vision of what my Logoi should look like. My vision is that it should be something that is designed by a person who understands what it takes for a logo to look professional, modern, and become memorable. When I say this to logo designers and they stare at me like a deer in headlights, I know I am talking to a person who is not worthy of my money.

WOW - The most I've paid has been somewhere in between $150 - $200, but then the times I have hired someone for actual design work I did have a fairly coherent view of what I was looking for. a rate of $600 is definitely ridiculous for that range. Do you have any colleges or even a tech school with an art program nearby? Many of them have to do a portfolio as part of their classwork and, as they're still learning, could make mistakes along the way - but also aren't yet doing the work for money and I've hired people (and hired myself out back when it was me) for as little as $20-$50 for the work. You're right about the 2 colors. Mine is a two color, though if you include the white on a dark background it's three.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

WOW - The most I've paid has been somewhere in between $150 - $200, but then the times I have hired someone for actual design work I did have a fairly coherent view of what I was looking for. a rate of $600 is definitely ridiculous for that range. Do you have any colleges or even a tech school with an art program nearby? Many of them have to do a portfolio as part of their classwork and, as they're still learning, could make mistakes along the way - but also aren't yet doing the work for money and I've hired people (and hired myself out back when it was me) for as little as $20-$50 for the work. You're right about the 2 colors. Mine is a two color, though if you include the white on a dark background it's three.

Everyone I have approached made it seem like they were cutting me a deal at $1,000. But I think I am getting closer to what I want. My struggle is capturing the essence of what my channel is about in a Logo Graphic. The Meat Eater logo does that amazingly, by putting a fork on the tines of the deer antlers. The logo graphic says the show is about hunting and eating wild animal meat. My struggle is that my Brand Name, does not actually match what I do. The Jungle Explorer name causes people to think that my content is about exploring the Jungle and rightfully so. But my content is not about exploring an actual jungle. I am the Jungle Explorer. It is a name that comes from my 20 years of exploring the Amazon Jungle when I was a young man. It is not what my content is about. My content is about outdoorsy stuff, and a lot of it is about wildlife and nature, but it is not about the jungle. Take my latest video for example: https://fb.watch/jsx5xg5UKY/ (it's not on YouTube yet)

So, I am thinking that my main graphic needs to be about me, and not the jungle to forest, since my brand name is about me. Now, I dress very uniquely. I kind of always look like an Australian Outback man (think Crocodile Dundee) going on safari. My signature is my big leather Aussie Outback hat. In a crowd of ten thousand people, you could pick me out with no problem. Believe me, I get stares and compliments wherever I go. So, I am thinking that my logo needs to capture this essence of who the Jungle Explorer is and what my content is about. It is about what I capture with my camera. So, I am thinking something like this, only a little more customized and detailed.

 

[The Swiss Hiker]

I think I have an idea how to combine camera and the nature, so I tried something out in Illustrator using cc0 vector graphics from pixabay and changeing them a little bit and comping them. But of course it wouldn't show you. But you could combine this with a YT Banner showing you and some text what it is about and when they can expect a new video. What aout something like that (it only has the color red and black/white/grey):

 

[GamersSauce]

So when I first started out on this journey many, many years ago. I used a free online site that created this logo for me, which I have been using ever since.

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I like it, but over the years, people have never expressed that they liked my logo and many have said it looks, old, outdated, and unprofessional. It also has too many colors to print on merch which I would like to expand into at some point. I have tried in the past to work with professional logo designers, but things never went far because they all wanted me to tell them what I wanted them to design, and I was like, "If I knew what I wanted, I would make it myself. I want to hire you for your artistic creativity, not your graphic design skill. I can do graphics design all on my own." Well, you can guess how that went. LOL!

Anyway, I just thought I would post this and get some feedback. Do you like my logo? Do you agree with those that say it is outdated and unprofessional?

What do you think of these logo styles (using another free logo maker). I am trying to keep it down to a maximum of three colors that will look good on khak1 or green merch

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thank you for sharing

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I think I have an idea how to combine camera and the nature, so I tried something out in Illustrator using cc0 vector graphics from pixabay and changeing them a little bit and comping them. But of course it wouldn't show you. But you could combine this with a YT Banner showing you and some text what it is about and when they can expect a new video. What aout something like that (it only has the color red and black/white/grey):

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Wow! That is really cool! I love the Camera Lens concept. Great Job! You incorporated the mountains trees and river from my original logo, but so much more modern and professional looking. A lot better than the rough prototype I have been working on.

 

[The Swiss Hiker]

Wow! That is really cool! I love the Camera Lens concept. Great Job!

Glad you like it. I had another idea to put you in the landscape. So you have everything you wanted in your logo. One time small and one time in the focus.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Glad you like it. I had another idea to put you in the landscape. So you have everything you wanted in your logo. One time small and one time in the focus.

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Awe man, those are so nice. I really appreciate all the work you put into this. Thank you.

 

[The Swiss Hiker]

Awe man, those are so nice. I really appreciate all the work you put into this. Thank you.

I sent you the vectorized files as PM. Feel free to use them.