There’s no secret that my logo and brand has evolved. Look at any of my previous designs an you can see that. I’m probably breaking every rule in the book ever thought of in regards to identity and logo design, but I loves to break me some rules. Especially if it can help me to grow as a designer and logo designer.
Before unveiling the new identity for Komodo Media incarnation five, let’s take a trip down memory lane by looking at the previous evolutions of the almighty Komodo Media logo:
Version 1: The Reptilian Head
Komodo Media version 1 reptilian head logo
There’s a reason this isn’t my logo anymore. Most people thought that this was some form of funky microphone, even though I insisted that it was a digital reptile head. Yeah…no. This didn’t really work out, however if I were to remove the digital tongue, I think that it would have been a whole lot stronger.
The text however, was really where it was at. I built the text my self and at the time, I really loved it. I loved all the circular shapes, however I was no font designer. That was for sure.
Version 2,3: The Stegosaurus Spine
Komodo Media versions 2 & 3 stegosaurus spine logo
Continuing in a reptilian direction, versions 2 & 3 was a much better attempt. With a few “stegosaurus” platelets and something that looked somewhat like an eye, I was fairly happy with this version. At least happy enough to keep it around for two versions of my site. I think I’ll still look back with fondness at this logo because it was during versions 2 and 3 of Komodo Media, that people started taking notice of my designs.
Version 4: The Cute, Consolidated One
Komodo Media version 4 “Cute” logo sans mark
As much as I loved having a logo mark, I always hated having to try to pair the logo text with the mark. It became a pain most of the time and I found myself really wanting an all text logo with the mark built into it. Also, the previous version looked so much like a stegosaurus’ back instead of a Komodo dragon, so it just became confusing.
This version saw a reworking of most of the characters in the text logo as well, fixing the ‘K’, which I always felt was ugly.
Version 5: Drafts
Komodo Media version 5 drafts
At this point, I really want to get away from the rounded text. It felt too cute, too ‘web 2.0′ if that even makes sense. I wanted to move away from the bubbly feeling and get to something more natural and more mature. With these drafts, I felt like many designers feel when working on a personal site design — I didn’t really know which direction I wanted to head — just somewhere new.
With the above drafts for the version 5 logo, I was trying to keep an all text logo, while incorporating some sort of reptilian feel. My goal was to remove the “cute” style and design it to be a grown up, more mature logo. Eventually, I decided against these. They ain’t bad though.
Version 5: Enso Brush Stroked
Komodo Media version 5 brush stroked logo
This is the logo that I have fell in love with. I’ve seen it in my head for months now, and it’s finally come to fruition. I think what I finally realized is that I’ve always wanted an all text logo that is totally original. I didn’t want to use any known fonts and I didn’t want it to seem like any font out there. This is why the logo was brush stroked by hand. I’ve also realized that I really wanted a logo that felt human…imperfect. Something that denied that we design using pixel perfect design tools with perfect vectors and grids. I wanted something that felt perhaps a bit unbalanced…a bit raw…a bit savage…like a Komodo Dragon.
Feedback?
I’d love some feedback on this logo. What do you think? Do you agree with me and do you love it? Not sold? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
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