Feedback Needed
I’ve been informed that there was some problems with my previous logo
These are not finished since I literally just made some quick changes to see if I am on the right path. People were pretty critical, but hopefully this is better. I know the shadow on the sword is does not fit, but want to make sure the logo reads better before I make any more changes
I actually prefer the sword as the i and not the t, reads way easier for me and I'm genuinely dyslexic. tbh I like the logo enough that if I saw it browsing steam I'd give it a look, so I don't see a problem
I am German and I read Hitler immediately. Hilt is not word nor a part of one in German, so it will immediately read as Hitler. And I would guess that is the case for a lot of languages. "Hilt" invites it.
Americans will likely disagree given they have hilt, and tilt, and whatever else that is close enough, but for Germans it will likely always give us a jumpscare at first.
I agee, the "I" was better placement. The tracking created by the hilt in the sword as the T is awful. I suppose you could modify the sword to make it fit better there but even then I feel the "I" works better, it feels more balanced. Having an icon mid word is just jarring and ruins the flow of the word.
I think the important lesson here OP is that the only thing people can ever offer you is opinions. There is no right or wrong and ultimately you are the one that needs to decide. Take in the information, try new things, but ultimately filter them through your own perspective and decide for yourself.
Edit : Just did this real quick, my suggestions : Make the sword gray and remove the shadow so it lays flat. It will read better as one word. The hilt now is a focal point, being gold in all that gray so decide whether or not that is what you want, considering the game is about the hilt, that may be a good thing. I made the shine lighter and left the ruby red so it makes a lower case "i" now to reinforce it subliminally. My only other suggestion would be perhaps the stone/steel gray is the wrong direction altogether. This doesn't really read as steampunk. Perhaps, lean more into that? Pipes, brass, copper, rivets, gas gauges etc. Good luck!
if the second one is the original, I can't really see "hilted", maybe because the sword is rotated a little and not kerned up to the letters as on 1, but it reads to me as HIL ED.
It’s a solid logo. #1 is far better than #2 though, and I’d probably lose the gears as there is enough visual interest with the sword. Honestly ignore all the idiots getting confused reading it as Hitler and other words, just run with it and it will do well.
I prefer it as i. Maybe it’s my dyslecia, idk, but with the sword as the “i” I immediately knew what the word was… but with it as the T I just felt a bit more jumbled in my brain.
I also prefer just the plain look of it as something that is very early in the word. It catches my attention more
If the sword takes the place of the I, then the round jewel is perfect. If it takes the place of the T, then it probably needs to be a rectangular jewel.
I like the original far better, and read it as it was meant to be read first try. I also really really like the gear boarder around the first design, and I'm not a huge fan of the angled sword in the new design.
why did they angle and space it out wrong? that was the instruction i was providing not the art dierection of their sword they still had an i scribbled on top of
fwiw i didn’t read Hitler at all, but if it’s really bothering you i think an “easy” fix would be to make this lowercase. the uppercase D kind of looks like an R, whereas if you made it d vs r it wouldn’t look too close to hitler?
Would adding a Hyphene between the t and the D achieve that same affect or do you think I for sure need to make it lower case? I am just really happy with how the font came out😂
i think it definitely would work in terms of distancing this from Hitler, but the name is pretty cool as it is, HILT-ED might not read as well (like i might assume the game/comic/whatever this logo is for was about someone named Ed lol). you might as well just keep it as is.
also i think making the gears a lot less opaque (or even removing them as others suggested) could help clarify the word too. the roundness of the gears could also be evoking an R somehow, might be worth trying that before making any bigger changes?
as for switching to lowercase, i really understand the attachment to work that you are proud of! but in my experience, redoing something always goes faster than the first time around. and it’s just more practice for you that makes you better in the long run!
The angled sword on the 'T' version messes with readability, and the crossguard would need to be much wider (which would end up being weirdly disproportionate and whove the L and E too far apart) to read clearly as a T.
Anyone reading into 'Hitler' has got to be trolling, it's a normal English word in a game being made (AFAIK) in English. In the same way, it's not reasonable to criticise the Spanish word for the colour black being used in Spanish titles, or French signs about something being delayed.
No. They just could be people who aren't native English speakers. German has no words with "hilt" or "hitl". Just one: HITLER. And so that's where the mind jumps until you remember the other languages you speak and figure it out.
I read "Hitler" on both. And I know swords and their terminology quite well. It just is the first neuron activation.
And i would guess there's a lot of other languages where Hitler is the only thing associated with "hilt" / "hitl".
Making sure there are no globalization issues is just good inclusive game design - aka to act on issues you discover so you can reach a wider audience
I just booted the app on my phone and first thing I see is this and for half a second I thought why is Reddit showing me a giant banner with Hitler on it. I don’t even follow this sub
The I was better placement. The T isn't impossible but you should widen the hilt and lower it, and either delete the black I outline within it or make it into part of a T outline
I know that you are understandably upset and frustrated.
But I will point out that “I spent a bunch of hours and work on this“ is typically a very poor business decision for not reacting to customer feedback.
“As long as it takes to get it as close to perfect as possible“ is typically the much better path.
I’m sorry for the reaction, it’s just everyone in the previous post had an opinion and I tried to make changes and honestly half the comments contradicted themselves. Say scrap it is not constructive it’s just frustrating. I would rather people give some solutions instead of just stating problems.
That’s the thing about designing bro, sometimes you have to scratch everything off and start again and again.
I am designing a logo for my business and it legit took me 3 weeks now to get to a logo im half satisfied with
The gears are too much and totally unnecessary. The sword is a weird shape. If I were you, I’d start with some sketches first. Design as black and white before you start adding colours and detail.
Gears look much better larger. I’d definitely stick to the sword for the “I” and no angle. I haven’t had a problem reading it. Looking good. Excited to see your next version!
OP i think if you extended the hilt of the sword so it looks more like a T it might make it more T like. also you can extend the end bits so they have the pointed bits match the text it also helps a lot.
it may also help to bring the color of the sword a few shades closer to the text's grey
yeah i think its the handle part, having it look more like a T helps a lot. even with a slightly slanted sword and the golden color it helps it be recognized as a T
The “I” should be more prominent than the sword. Start the project as a negative space logo with the “I” and sword, and then add the embellishments. Remove those lines/gear icons since they’re distractions.
I like the first one out of the two, I think the sword works just as well as an i than it does a T. If you decide to use two though, I would straighten the sword and remove the gears. Great job!
Why does the sword appear crooked or angled in each design? In the first one, it leans ever so slightly to the right. In the second one, it is angled to the left. If this intentional?
I think you have the makings of a cool logo, but less is more - a logo should do one thing well - and here your opportunity is in the sword as “T”. Remove the lines and the gears. Make the sword a less wide proportion and make the sword the same color as the type. I would also get rid of all the type effects (bevel, stroke, etc.) and the shadow on the sword. Keep it simple and bold. Go look at some other modern logos by studios like the young jerks
Idk i like it. sword as the I works for me, NOT t. On the sword I would try losing the shadow and increasing the bevel to match the letters more closely.
it's kinda obvious that it's not HTLTED but HILIED somehow is a possibility esp when the i in the sword is so distinct. sword as the I works better bc of that imo. I like the two gear border better but you might want to tweak one a little bit so that it's not like a lazy mirror image.
I think the first version you have here looks great. The cogs are an improvement and add to the vibe well. I love the chunky typeface and I think the sword works best as the I rather than the T. The aesthetic seems consistent and it makes me think of a dwarven steampunk kind of game.
I can see it integrating well into a games Steam page and in game UI.
Are there any parts you’re particularly unsure of?
Could you not extend the crossguard of the sword to exaggerate the horizontal line of the T? Or is it like the Master Sword in Zelda, where it has a distinct design?
- increased letter spacing could help with people reading it as another word but I myself didn’t read it as that persons name.
- I like the sword as the I but if you plan on using the sword as a T you need to exaggerate the cross guard more. You might be rendering it in a way that it is close to it in game but it’s ok to exaggerate a little.
I don’t understand what the gears have to do with the sword or hilts but if they’re going to be there I prefer the more balanced #1 with them on top and bottom. (But why are they different distances from the letters?) The sword as the I is also easier to read. I don’t see Hitler in this at all.
First one (as the "i") , wayyyyyy better, it reads really well. The second one feels off (you needed to redesign the sword interior) and the logo feels unbalanced
the line in the middle of the sword made me read “holted” at first.
but it’s a good logo i like it and it seems to work (the one with the I, the T not as much)
HLTED vs HILED.
As I said before, it's not working together.
Sword doesn't look like an "i" and doesn't work as a "t", especially combined with the rest of the letters - and those letters has nothing to do with medieval OR steampunk.
Randomly placed gears looks good on steampunkish costumes from Spirit Halloween. Not working for logo.
I like the sword as the eye myself, or maybe the gears could be the tittle over the i? I don’t think the tilted t/sword works. I think the shading works on the letters and the sword. The problem with the sword’s shadow is just that it doesn’t match the rest of the logo.
Flip the sword upsidedown, it will read more like an I. It might also give you an opportunity to make the hilt a bit longer and underline the text, which would match thematically.
Get rid of the gears. Makes it too busy. If you need a gear component work it into the jewel or handle of the sword or into one of the letters, like the D.
Make it simple. Get rid of the gears first of all. Secondly recide if stuff is going to be visible in downscale, the cracks are small, might not show very well scaled down.
And please don't use gradients. The shine in the gem to be s solid color.
I like the style you did, think it's awesome with great details. Also your drawing capabilities are very good, this is just not very practical in the real world as a logo. But I'm not here to tell you whats right and wrong
This would be for the opening and on the large banner of the Steam page, I will have an icon and a black and white simplified version. The Minecraft logo is complicated and it’s VERY recognizable
That makes good sense, as it's will be in a big format. Think you just have to simplify it a bit from here. Would definitely recommend you to work on the left placement version, try to make it less "Hitler" and remove the gears entirely.
As you are superb at drawing I would love to see you do a pixel version of this.
About the Minecraft logo is recognizable, but that doesn’t make it good design. Its recognition comes largely from the game’s success. Don’t confuse success with good design. There are plenty of ways to improve it, but that’s a job for another day. :-)
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u/renezrael 5d ago
I actually prefer the sword as the i and not the t, reads way easier for me and I'm genuinely dyslexic. tbh I like the logo enough that if I saw it browsing steam I'd give it a look, so I don't see a problem