We all need a good logo. Dont we?

Hey,

I've recently joined the forums although i have been browsing them for the past while reading different threads and viewing the videos on YouTube, so i'll take the beginning section of this thread to introduce myself. My name is Rami Kevin Kaldas, i am a 15 year old DJ/Producer from Richmond Hill, Ontario and i have been DJing since I was maybe 11 years old, granted at that age it was mostly fooling around on virtual DJ making noises .:lol: Now i'm looking more towards establishing myself and i have slowly been doing that and i see myself hopefully hitting some clubs soon in my local city (all ages events are very popular in Toronto).

I apologize now if this is not the right section to be posting in but i am looking for someone to make me a logo, i will be willing to pay. My DJ name is Solsk3n, From the Swedish word "solsken" meaning sunshine lmfao. If anyone here has any sort of expertise in media arts i would be greatly appreciative if they could email me at solsk3n@gmail.com or inbox me here on this website.

Cheers,
Solsk3n

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

I guess or points of view differ, i understand obviously there's more important aspects of a DJ career but considering i am already creating music and hosting/appearing at events i feel that a good logo can help my name become more of a bolder statement in the music scene here and show an element of professionalism.

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Originally Posted by 3heads

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

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I would agree about 100%. Logos are amazing for companies, but as some type of performer, I would say no. Take a look at recording artists, none of them have logos, and the one's that might, didn't get become rich and famous as a result of said logos.

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Originally Posted by Solsk3n

I guess or points of view differ, i understand obviously there's more important aspects of a DJ career but considering i am already creating music and hosting/appearing at events i feel that a good logo can help my name become more of a bolder statement in the music scene here and show an element of professionalism.

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First, let me say Hi, as a fellow Torontonian (downtown).

Secondly, It's not just a point of view. Wanting something to "look professional" is probably one of the worst reasons to create a marketing piece and probably one of the biggest mistakes companies and/or individual entities make. All over the world hundreds of companies are creating mobile apps, because they think they need to have one, or because it "looks professional", but nobody ever thinks about why they need it or whether or not it's worth spending the time and/or money to get it. It's all about the "desire result". What is the "desired result"? Is it informational? Is it to get sales? And most importantly, is this initiative going to achieve the "desired result"?

I'm 34, and my background is in corporate marketing. I'm just saying that to illustrate some "credentials" because you never know who your advice is coming from on these forums.

If you're creating the logo yourself, you're a design guru, and it'll take you no time at all, then maybe it's not a big deal...But it looks as though you're looking to contract someone, so I'll give my advice.

Logos work EXTREMELY well with consumer based products. Why? Because it illustrates brand identity, and brand recognition. Take Starbucks and Apple for instance. Both logos don't contain words, and why not? Because they're globally recognized logos and the lack of words means that they transcend beyond any language barriers. I've been halfway across the world, and when I see that Starbucks logo down the street, it's like an omen. It'll tell me that no matter where I am, I can order a grande green tea latte. What this means to a company, is that both the Apple and Starbucks logos are resulting in customer sales. So in a consumer business where "sales" are always the desired result, their logos are going to achieve the "desired result" for them. Perhaps that's a bad example because you're not a consumer product, but what is your "desired result"? To get gigs? Is your logo going to achieve that for you? Probably not. DJ Tiesto has that "bird-logo", but is that why he's famous? Is it getting him more gigs? Also, it's not globally recognized. So if you looked at a poster and saw Tiesto's bird logo with a date and venue, how many people worldwide would know what it is? That brings me to another marketing fundamental...KISS. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. I always refer to the "lowest common denominator". If the dumbest person alive knows what it is, you're good. Back to Tiesto...If you just had the words "DJ Tiesto" in a crappy font, along with the venue and date/time, it would deliver more results than just his logo. People would probably look at it and think "that's a crappy poster" but I'm sure it wouldn't have any trouble putting the asses in the seats, because Tiesto isn't famous because of a logo, and he's certainly not famous for his fonts/design.

Logos are good for toothpaste, laundry detergent, canned foods, etc. When you go to the grocery store and you want some soup, it's easy to recognize the "Campbell's" logo and their signature red/white cans. Will your logo do that for you? If you're looking to DJ at clubs, people will probably hire you based on word-of-mouth, recognition, etc. however I do think a website is essential for any business.

If you insist on designing a logo, it's important to understand the proper process. Because a logo has to align with your "brand". It's like visual diarrhea if you see a logo that contains colours or a look that clash with your site, so it's important that all your marketing efforts are designed with your brand in mind.

What is a brand? For a company it's their entire identity. It's what the company signifies, and the public persona they want to illustrate. For Apple I would guess that a portion of their brand identity is "simplicity of design". They've won various awards on their design, and ease of use, and their logo illustrates that. Clean, white (which to me implies: fresh), and most of all, simple. For some sort of performing artist, a "brand" is basically their persona. What are you doing? What do you want the public perception to be? For an act like LMFAO, I would guess that their brand is about good times, banging chicks, and partying...And their public persona fits into that. They have un-combed hair, they wear ridiculous clothes, and they conceal their identify to some degree...Plus all their songs are about partying.

At some of the companies I've worked at, they have a colour/design guide for marketing employees to make sure everything you create aligns with their brand. Obviously that's on the scale of a huge company, but the idea is that you don't want one of your efforts (eg website) to look completely disconnected from another one of your efforts (eg: logo). If you don't have a brand, it's easy to identify. You just need to start with a bunch of bullet points that summarizes your company and/or service. Who are you? What kind of music do you play? How are you going to illustrate that to the public?

For eg, you brand could be:

1. Fist-pumping electro music
2. Rocking the hard jam
3. distinguished taste
4. Banging chicks

Now it's difficult to put some of those descriptors into a logo, but you should always keep them in mind. Points like "rocking the hard jam" could be interpreted as "fun" or "party-lovin'" and there are ways to communicate that in your website/logo. Your designer should know how. If you look at the LMFAO website, they have the same pattern for the background, as the pants they wear, and to me it illustrates "fun" because only a total goofball would wear some crap like that http://www.lmfaomusic.com/#!featured. You also have to do competitive analysis and take a look at other DJ sites, because you can't design something that's totally opposite of the industry trend.

I think it's easiest to design a website first, then put together a logo...Because you can do some competitive analysis on other DJ sites, and design yours with a similar look, then once you have that "look" down, you can ask your designer to design something that communicates your brand. Chances are if you contract someone, they'll ask you about your brand when designing a website or logo, and if they don't, I'd be weary.

Hope this helps. I was in my 30's when I learned all this stuff...If I was 15, I could have been really ahead of the curve.

Hey,

Wow, tokenasianguy id like to thank you first and foremost for shedding the amount of time to display an opinion and teach me something that ill be able to use throughout my career as a DJ. I do agree with the way you put it and in a way it does make sense to me, but in logo i guess i may have been mistaken in the fact that i do not want a logo such as what starbucks or apple have. If im right a typical "Dj Logo" is basically a play on the font or photoshop of the DJ's name, such as what afrojack avicii and alesso have used. I have already put in work and effort to designing and getting a domain for my own website and currently run on several social media networks. I guess the basic necessity for me creating a logo to go along with the rest of marketing and producing schemes i have been planning was an initiative to go forward and show progress and may not have been something that was really needed if you know what i mean. I basically believed it was one of the parts to further publicizing myself. previous to this ive basically ran on word of mouth and i was looking to gather the essentials to creating a more in depth internet expansion then the previous facebook and twitter i had. If you dont mind me asking if a logo does not help much what would be a good way to really imprint my name besides obviously making music people enjoy?

Cheers,
I appreciate the great imput
Solsk3n

Do some industrial spying and check out what kind of logos most famous DJs have. Most likely you have a hard time finding any such logos...

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Originally Posted by Solsk3n

Hey,

Wow, tokenasianguy id like to thank you first and foremost for shedding the amount of time to display an opinion and teach me something that ill be able to use throughout my career as a DJ. I do agree with the way you put it and in a way it does make sense to me, but in logo i guess i may have been mistaken in the fact that i do not want a logo such as what starbucks or apple have. If im right a typical "Dj Logo" is basically a play on the font or photoshop of the DJ's name, such as what afrojack avicii and alesso have used.

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It's the same thing. Whether it's just a font, or a graphic, or both, it's still a logo. The only problem with just using a font is that it's more difficult to remember. But a lot of companies have made logos was uniquely designed fonts.

[quote]I have already put in work and effort to designing and getting a domain for my own website and currently run on several social media networks. I guess the basic necessity for me creating a logo to go along with the rest of marketing and producing schemes i have been planning was an initiative to go forward and show progress and may not have been something that was really needed if you know what i mean. I basically believed it was one of the parts to further publicizing myself. previous to this ive basically ran on word of mouth and i was looking to gather the essentials to creating a more in depth internet expansion then the previous facebook and twitter i had.

A logo is "necessary" for some companies more than others, but you have to ask yourself if it'll achieve the results you need. At the most, I would see your logo being easily visible to those that know you and are familiar with it, in which case it's almost useless because they know about you, which is the strongest asset you can have as a club DJ...Or I can see it as being more visible when printed on a poster among a bunch of DJ's that don't have logos, in which case, you have to ask whether that's going to create the desired result, which I assume in your case, would be to create a following...And I would say, no. People will want to hear you, but your logo will only go as far as someone saying "hey, that's a nice logo". Although maybe that's just me. I'm just a skeptic and I tend to think pragmatically.

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If you dont mind me asking if a logo does not help much what would be a good way to really imprint my name besides obviously making music people enjoy?

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There are a number of things I could recommend. I think the first challenge would be your age. 15 is pretty young, and you might have a hard time convincing people that you're professional and reliable. Being an effective speaker can definitely bridge that gap. Effective communicating can bridge a lot of gaps in not having enough experience for a job. It can also illustrate that you're a great leader, and has the ability to impress people when someone can speak eloquently and has a better than average vocabulary. There are a lot of great books on selling. I currently have "selling for dummies" and I'm a big fan of any of the "dummies" books. I'm currently reading "web marketing for dummies" and plan to buy "SEO for dummies" soon. Much of the info I've posted in here were taken from the book "web marketing for dummies".

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Cheers,
I appreciate the great imput
Solsk3n

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No problem. I've had a lot of help getting to where I am in my life, and some of it was from complete strangers, so I'm more than happy to help out whenever I can. I also love talking about any and all things marketing related, so feel free to PM me whenever you want.

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Originally Posted by 3heads

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

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this

I agree that a logo is not nearly as important as reputation...for a DJing career THIS is your logo...what others think of your work, not what "picture" comes to mind. A catchy name, yes...a "catchy" logo or font not so much. If you meant "branding" then that would be your DJ name and reputation not a picture or font.

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Originally Posted by tokenasianguy

I would agree about 100%. Logos are amazing for companies, but as some type of performer, I would say no. Take a look at recording artists, none of them have logos, and the one's that might, didn't get become rich and famous as a result of said logos.



First, let me say Hi, as a fellow Torontonian (downtown).

Secondly, It's not just a point of view. Wanting something to "look professional" is probably one of the worst reasons to create a marketing piece and probably one of the biggest mistakes companies and/or individual entities make. All over the world hundreds of companies are creating mobile apps, because they think they need to have one, or because it "looks professional", but nobody ever thinks about why they need it or whether or not it's worth spending the time and/or money to get it. It's all about the "desire result". What is the "desired result"? Is it informational? Is it to get sales? And most importantly, is this initiative going to achieve the "desired result"?

I'm 34, and my background is in corporate marketing. I'm just saying that to illustrate some "credentials" because you never know who your advice is coming from on these forums.

If you're creating the logo yourself, you're a design guru, and it'll take you no time at all, then maybe it's not a big deal...But it looks as though you're looking to contract someone, so I'll give my advice.

Logos work EXTREMELY well with consumer based products. Why? Because it illustrates brand identity, and brand recognition. Take Starbucks and Apple for instance. Both logos don't contain words, and why not? Because they're globally recognized logos and the lack of words means that they transcend beyond any language barriers. I've been halfway across the world, and when I see that Starbucks logo down the street, it's like an omen. It'll tell me that no matter where I am, I can order a grande green tea latte. What this means to a company, is that both the Apple and Starbucks logos are resulting in customer sales. So in a consumer business where "sales" are always the desired result, their logos are going to achieve the "desired result" for them. Perhaps that's a bad example because you're not a consumer product, but what is your "desired result"? To get gigs? Is your logo going to achieve that for you? Probably not. DJ Tiesto has that "bird-logo", but is that why he's famous? Is it getting him more gigs? Also, it's not globally recognized. So if you looked at a poster and saw Tiesto's bird logo with a date and venue, how many people worldwide would know what it is? That brings me to another marketing fundamental...KISS. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. I always refer to the "lowest common denominator". If the dumbest person alive knows what it is, you're good. Back to Tiesto...If you just had the words "DJ Tiesto" in a crappy font, along with the venue and date/time, it would deliver more results than just his logo. People would probably look at it and think "that's a crappy poster" but I'm sure it wouldn't have any trouble putting the asses in the seats, because Tiesto isn't famous because of a logo, and he's certainly not famous for his fonts/design.

Logos are good for toothpaste, laundry detergent, canned foods, etc. When you go to the grocery store and you want some soup, it's easy to recognize the "Campbell's" logo and their signature red/white cans. Will your logo do that for you? If you're looking to DJ at clubs, people will probably hire you based on word-of-mouth, recognition, etc. however I do think a website is essential for any business.

If you insist on designing a logo, it's important to understand the proper process. Because a logo has to align with your "brand". It's like visual diarrhea if you see a logo that contains colours or a look that clash with your site, so it's important that all your marketing efforts are designed with your brand in mind.

What is a brand? For a company it's their entire identity. It's what the company signifies, and the public persona they want to illustrate. For Apple I would guess that a portion of their brand identity is "simplicity of design". They've won various awards on their design, and ease of use, and their logo illustrates that. Clean, white (which to me implies: fresh), and most of all, simple. For some sort of performing artist, a "brand" is basically their persona. What are you doing? What do you want the public perception to be? For an act like LMFAO, I would guess that their brand is about good times, banging chicks, and partying...And their public persona fits into that. They have un-combed hair, they wear ridiculous clothes, and they conceal their identify to some degree...Plus all their songs are about partying.

At some of the companies I've worked at, they have a colour/design guide for marketing employees to make sure everything you create aligns with their brand. Obviously that's on the scale of a huge company, but the idea is that you don't want one of your efforts (eg website) to look completely disconnected from another one of your efforts (eg: logo). If you don't have a brand, it's easy to identify. You just need to start with a bunch of bullet points that summarizes your company and/or service. Who are you? What kind of music do you play? How are you going to illustrate that to the public?

For eg, you brand could be:

1. Fist-pumping electro music
2. Rocking the hard jam
3. distinguished taste
4. Banging chicks

Now it's difficult to put some of those descriptors into a logo, but you should always keep them in mind. Points like "rocking the hard jam" could be interpreted as "fun" or "party-lovin'" and there are ways to communicate that in your website/logo. Your designer should know how. If you look at the LMFAO website, they have the same pattern for the background, as the pants they wear, and to me it illustrates "fun" because only a total goofball would wear some crap like that http://www.lmfaomusic.com/#!featured. You also have to do competitive analysis and take a look at other DJ sites, because you can't design something that's totally opposite of the industry trend.

I think it's easiest to design a website first, then put together a logo...Because you can do some competitive analysis on other DJ sites, and design yours with a similar look, then once you have that "look" down, you can ask your designer to design something that communicates your brand. Chances are if you contract someone, they'll ask you about your brand when designing a website or logo, and if they don't, I'd be weary.

Hope this helps. I was in my 30's when I learned all this stuff...If I was 15, I could have been really ahead of the curve.

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Gotta disagree with you about the need of a logo, I believe artists nowadays need to brand themself more. Writing from my phone so I'm not gonna write too long. Anyway, get a simple logo, remember "less is more". Use your logo at posters, merch if u ever make some, social media, EP's if ur a producer etc.

You should start mixing as much as you possibly can until you're 18, then start worrying about logos when you are old enough to work in clubs. You don't need anything but skill right now.

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Originally Posted by Drew

Gotta disagree with you about the need of a logo, I believe artists nowadays need to brand themself more. Writing from my phone so I'm not gonna write too long. Anyway, get a simple logo, remember "less is more". Use your logo at posters, merch if u ever make some, social media, EP's if ur a producer etc.

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You can disagree, but unless you have a more compelling reason than "artists need to brand themselves more" (which isn't really justifying it), you're just succumbing to the same trap as everyone else that you "need" to have it for no other reason than to "look professional".

Consider how much "looks", or "image" matter in the DJ scene. It's almost irrelevant, and the DJ's that have tried to create some "image" or "unique brand" by wearing a strange suit on stage, having a ridiculous outfit, or even DJ'ing topless like DJ Diva, haven't lasted. There's always the exception like Daft Punk, who always appear in interviews and videos wearing helmet's, but then it's the whole Chicken vs. Egg argument. What were they known for first, their music or their outfits? Since music is released on the radio before music video television, my guess is that it was the music.

I'm not saying it's totally pointless for all performing artists, because if you're someone like Madonna, paying even $5,000 for a logo is a drop in the bucket of her overall wealth. Heck, even for a DJ pulling in $10K+ annually spending $300 for a logo isn't a big deal...But I tend to be a bit pragmatic, and look at it as a business. For me even spending $50 or a minute of time on something that isn't going to net me some quantifiable return, is a minute or a dollar too much...Especially when you can spend that money or time on more important things that'll actually help you gain more traction and visibility, and possibly for free.

No business has ever thrived by just putting money into things "because it looked professional". Every successful business out there is operated by collecting the data, and quantifying it in some tangible means, whether every action is going to create the "desired effect". And there's a lot of data out there that shows why some businesses can benefit from a logo and why some can't. The fact that logos are extremely few and far between among all DJ's and and performing artists serves as a good base for comparison, especially when you compare it to consumer packaged goods, where no product exists without a logo. Sometimes it pays to stand out, but you have to ask yourself why, and come up with some reasoning other than to just standing out itself. You should be able to justify whether creating a logo is going to eventually lead someone to the desired effect, which is to get gigs.

The amount of pretentious producers on sound cloud with their own cliche over-shopped logo..

Just go into power point and make one thats what i did:lol:

You're a producer, fancy posting up some of your stuff?

Anyone else realise how every DJ is also a producer these days, it might sound like I'm being cynical but half of the local DJs in my area are producer with no original tracks and no remixes. hmm, seems legit.

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Originally Posted by elliot1106

You're a producer, fancy posting up some of your stuff?

Anyone else realise how every DJ is also a producer these days, it might sound like I'm being cynical but half of the local DJs in my area are producer with no original tracks and no remixes. hmm, seems legit.

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exactly the same thing happens in my area man

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Originally Posted by tokenasianguy

Consider how much "looks", or "image" matter in the DJ scene.

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They don't. They matter in ALL aspects of entertainment and in business. While it's not the most important thing, branding does play a role. People always mention skill when talking about DJing, but no one ever mentions one of the most important parts, which is presentation. Basically, the fundamentals of why logos, branding, and how you sell yourself are the same reasons why billing on a flyer matters. It's part of the illusion. When you sell yourself as something larger than life, future fans buy it, and perpetuate that myth to their friends. Being successful as a performer is X parts talent, X parts presentation, X parts personality, and X parts of that special "it" which no one can fully explain... that "X-factor" if you will. Either way, it's a waste of peoples time if you've got no talent, and that is the biggest part that should be there, but marketing is a huge help too.

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Originally Posted by sobi

They don't. They matter in ALL aspects of entertainment and in business. While it's not the most important thing, branding does play a role. People always mention skill when talking about DJing, but no one ever mentions one of the most important parts, which is presentation. Basically, the fundamentals of why logos, branding, and how you sell yourself are the same reasons why billing on a flyer matters. It's part of the illusion. When you sell yourself as something larger than life, future fans buy it, and perpetuate that myth to their friends. Being successful as a performer is X parts talent, X parts presentation, X parts personality, and X parts of that special "it" which no one can fully explain... that "X-factor" if you will. Either way, it's a waste of peoples time if you've got no talent, and that is the biggest part that should be there, but marketing is a huge help too.

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That's a good point...But how much time/money would you be willing to spend on the aforementioned "X-factor"? I think that's the important thing to consider.

I'm not totally against logo's, even where it might not be considered "essential", I just think that the time/money should fit the "scale" of the business. It seems like the OP isn't quite a "working DJ" yet, so it sounds like his budget is minimal, to none. I was just hoping to offer some insight in having someone do it for free...Because even "free" it should align with his brand and done properly.

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Originally Posted by sobi

They don't. They matter in ALL aspects of entertainment and in business. While it's not the most important thing, branding does play a role. People always mention skill when talking about DJing, but no one ever mentions one of the most important parts, which is presentation. Basically, the fundamentals of why logos, branding, and how you sell yourself are the same reasons why billing on a flyer matters. It's part of the illusion. When you sell yourself as something larger than life, future fans buy it, and perpetuate that myth to their friends. Being successful as a performer is X parts talent, X parts presentation, X parts personality, and X parts of that special "it" which no one can fully explain... that "X-factor" if you will. Either way, it's a waste of peoples time if you've got no talent, and that is the biggest part that should be there, but marketing is a huge help too.

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I agree with you, that "looks" and "image" do matter a good bit. I'm not sure classical marketing is the way to go about this (as the important part is clearly networking with promoters not marketing yourself to your future fans) and if it is, it's probably for your booking agency to worry about not for yourself. And I'm completely certain that a logo is the wrong way - I personally can not think of a single DJ with a logo. And it makes sense: in which context would a DJ use a logo? On a flyer? The graphics design dude in charge of creating the flyer is gonna kick your ass for that (or at least he will want to). If you run a label - definitely get a logo, if you organize parties and have a promoter crew - by all means get one if you like, but as a DJ - skip the logo part. Srsly.

Actually, even disregard the DJ thing altogether: how many individuals can you think of that employ a logo of their own? I can't think of any either (apart from Batman, Superman and a bunch of other super heroes - for whom the usage of a logo makes sense for a different reason). Logos are mainly used to demonstrate affiliation of individual elements (be it persons, items, stores, events, ...) to a larger brand. Well, in the case of being a DJ: you (as an individual) and your brand (i.e. your DJ monicker) are already clearly connected by common sense alone. There's just no reason to show your affiliation to yourself by using a logo.

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Originally Posted by 3heads

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

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Bullshit - go and check the DJ Mag top 100; every single act on there has a logo which is used across every form of media.

Go and check every contract for said performers - logo and use of the logo is outlined very clearly throughout the agreement - an artists logo is important but only when you reach a certain level of pull/show.

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Originally Posted by The Mighty FV

an artists logo is important but only when you reach a certain level of pull/show.

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this!


but somehow i already have a logo. does that mean i reached that certain level ;)

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Originally Posted by The Mighty FV

Bullshit - go and check the DJ Mag top 100;

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That's where I stopped reading....

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Originally Posted by 3heads

how many individuals can you think of that employ a logo of their own?

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http://www.gavinniemi.com/Images/logos/prince.gif

It was Prince's way to try to kill a bad record deal at that time. Worked but it took a long time and nearly killed his career at the same time.

Today a web site is your logo, spend more time on that than sweating over logo designs.

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Originally Posted by Ed Paris

this!


but somehow i already have a logo. does that mean i reached that certain level ;)

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yes you have :) although i beg to ask that question for myself. ;)

The recent articles about DJ names and then today's about logos and logotypes kinda made me have a go tonight.

I've got quite a (very) varied range of nights that I play and have been trying for ages to figure out whether having one DJ page/identity might just confuse and put off certain people, and maybe having a 2nd ID which is new can reflect the newer things I'm working on (primarily an electro-filthy-house event and production name) - but that also encompasses some more extreme electronica (but not the main focus).

So I had a go at this tonight and I'll be honest I don't know how good/bad/dreadful it is so any thoughts would be very helpful.

Attachment 11557

too hard to read and too busy down the bottom imo... but I do like the shapes

Am i the only one under the asumption that this kid just wants his dj name put into a nice font with some pretty colors? Honestly sounds like the kids just trying to create something to put on his biz cards and demo's.... I think a lot of peeps (only read through the first page) need to take a breather...

Regardless, it started a conversation that was apparently good enough to inspire the site to do a blog post about the subject at hand.

I agree about a logo being part of brand awareness and to have brand awareness, people need to be aware of you first.

However, I believe what the OP is looking for is not brand awareness, but rather a "corporate identity" (CI), which is something different. Because a DJ sells his services, he is, in effect, a one-person company. And companies need CIs no matter how big or small they are. With a DJ start-up it starts with the name, goes even through colors, specific fonts and yes, even a certain logo, if one is wanted. That is all definitely needed to form a CI and yes, even a 15 year old who wants to be a DJ needs a CI too, if he wants to sell his services and also be successful at it. It is part of being a professional. No, a CI doesn't help one's success directly. You can be successful without a CI. But, a CI certainly helps support success, because it simply shows you have a business concept and a CI will help that very important first impression. A DJ with a good and thought through CI will definitely have more of a positive effect on customers than one without one. So go for it Solsk3n.

If I were a marketing/ designer kind of person, I'd work on that "sunshine" theme for your CI too.;)

Maybe I am too old though, but the 3 as an "E" just isn't my cup of tea. I have to think of kiddy hackers, when I see it. And because I am fairly new to the DJ scene (started last year), that was my first thought, when I read "Deadmau5". "Woot? Kiddy hackers are DJs now too?" LOL!:D But don't let me sway you. You've made a decision, so stick to it. In the end, it is just a name and it's not your name or logo that will cause you to become popular, it will be your skills, talents and discipline.

scamo

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Originally Posted by Jane

The recent articles about DJ names and then today's about logos and logotypes kinda made me have a go tonight.

I've got quite a (very) varied range of nights that I play and have been trying for ages to figure out whether having one DJ page/identity might just confuse and put off certain people, and maybe having a 2nd ID which is new can reflect the newer things I'm working on (primarily an electro-filthy-house event and production name) - but that also encompasses some more extreme electronica (but not the main focus).

So I had a go at this tonight and I'll be honest I don't know how good/bad/dreadful it is so any thoughts would be very helpful.

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Um, if I can be dead honest (and note, I am not a marketing or design specialist), I don't believe this will get you far from a CI standpoint, especially since the text is illegible. What have you spelled there? Also, does the triangle have a meaning for you?

scamo

No probs at all about the comments and thanks for them a lot. As mentioned I'm not exactly sure about it for various reasons anyway. Part of me likes it a whole lot, but am also thinking maybe it's a bit too, well, too much.

The name is a bit of odd one too but it's 'Pounding Petals'. And the triangle is kinda as part of my target audience is the gay scene where I DJ a lot and as a gaygirl thought it might work to try and use as a setting for a logo.

So you mean "petals" like of a flower? And if I might be so bold to ask, how does a triangle "triangulate" to the gay scene? Sorry for the pun :), but I really don't know how there is a correlation. If I am right about petals, are you more than one person? Because petals is plural I get the impression of a group. Sorry for the questions, but those are what come to my mind right of the bat and a CI is supposed to represent your "organization's philosophy", even if you are a one-man-band.;)

Edit: Never mind on the triangle. I googled it.

scamo

Good points also:)

Yeh - the triangle isn't something that prevelant but I kinda wanted to use it if I could, and the Pounding Petals is just a yinyangy kinda name whihch I thought suited the various extremes I tend to go with when I'm djing (can be really fun and light or rather extreme and intense) and the name itself came about as a bit of a euphamism giggle between me and my gf. So again, not exactly sure if a silly incidental injoke between just two people is a good idea for a dj name, so am not sure if I'm going to go with it, but thought it a good idea to see what people thought.

I think though even if I don't go with that, I do like the name for producing project as I'm working on some tracks am hoping to put out later in the year.