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I like this one!
(Sushubh at 2005/09/07 19:22:49.675 GMT-5)

Very cool once I realized it was a fist. (At first I thought it was a cow-hide.)
(Matt at 2005/09/07 19:52:20.978 GMT-5)

This one did get my attention right away! Gives the underlying theme of "Blogads make an impression!" Nice work.
(Scott-O-Rama at 2005/09/12 22:21:41.172 GMT-5)

Well, considering I've made the shortlist, I think I should probably be pimping my entry a bit more: 1. Very easily reproduced in just about any format, and would look really great on a t-shirt or a coffee mug, not to mention on your website. What you want, if I understand your entry form correctly, is something memorable, and slightly out of the ordinary in terms of a "traditional logo." Just as you're not going to want the ads to be ignored, it's really hard to ignore this logo. People won't shy away from displaying this image because it's cool "and" it gets the job done. I don't see that in any of the other entries on the shortlist. (I know _I_ wouldn't want those on a mug in my office.) 2. The color choices are virtually unlimited. (And I'd be happy to provide multiple color versions if chosen.) I think with something this simple, you'll be able to do pretty much whatever you want in the future in terms of your site design. A lot of the other "complex" logos will require a site that is designed around the logo, and in truth... it should be the other way around. Very versatile and should carry you a long way. I can't see the imagery degrading with time. 3. I've not including any unnecessary detail. On the flip side, the shapes are interesting in and off themselves, apart from the "whole" being a fist. Too many of the other logos didn't consider the appeal of negative space as it's own object. Too many had an idea that doesn't really take into account the aesthetic appeal of the "shape." My questions: Do you want to stand out? Do you want to do so while looking professional?
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/16 09:58:21.493 GMT-5)

Brian, in all fairness, I'm pretty sure the folks at BlogAds are more than capable of deciding which logo is best for them. Also, this is not the first time I've seen a logo on a "in your face" fist like this. Your logo is defenitely good, however I would have more respect for the 29 other logos on this page. I doubt they would have gotten this far, if they were lousy.
(Trogg at 2005/09/16 16:57:59.084 GMT-5)

It probably isn't the first time a fist has been used for a logo, you're right. But, I will be very surprised if you can cite a logo that uses it similarly to the way I've used it. There isn't a logo listed here that hasn't been "done" before, in some way or other. The history of branding is far too diverse to not run into that. The real question is: does a logo bring something new to the table? I happen to think mine does. (For all the reasons I've listed.) As for your other comment, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I've mentioned in other comments that I think some of the other logos aren't bad. I'm not going to back down from the fact that some of them are lousy, either. (Doubt it, if you must.) I happen to think mine is the best, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed at this point that the judges agree.
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/17 11:30:06.655 GMT-5)

I think this one has that "umph" graphic factor they were looking for. I think the fist graphic overpowers the name of the site though. Maybe a little distortion could increase the prominence of the wording. This design does say power but design wise is it to much power? When you see it on the site it really draws your entire attention away from the webpage. A great design Brian.
(Curtis D. Tucker at 2005/09/17 11:36:03.244 GMT-5)

Curtis - I agree with your statements, actually. (About seeing it on the website.) I think a really big part of the issue is that they've got it added into the site design at the size I submitted, and it really ought to be about 1/2 that size when added. The color issue is probably true, and I think it could be fairly easily addressed with some slight adjustments, which I've indicated I'd be happy to do if chosen. The nice thing about this logo is that it's only 2 colors, which means making changes won't take much, and has the potential to make the logo extremely versatile. (Especially if they ever decide to update their website.)
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/18 17:50:41.202 GMT-5)

Because I feel my logo could be better portrayed in the context of the blogads site at a smaller size, I went ahead and put up a mock version myself, which also happens to show how a very simple color change can really make the logo even stronger: http://brian.isdlab.com/blogads.jpg
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/20 09:42:00.650 GMT-5)

Hi Brian. OK, I'll bite! ;> Here are some of my thoughts with regards to your entry. You've done some cool stuff, and I like your fist graphic a lot. However, while it's well-executed, it is far too aggressive for its intended use. I'm not the first to bring this up; it's been mentioned many times here already. It's a fist coming at the viewers face -- and this punch combined with the xeroxed out choppy style feels more XBOX or hip-hop than blog. If this were more of an "extreme games" type of site it would be perfect -- and maybe that's the direction Henry wants to take BlogAds. I dunno. All in all, it's good work, as are all of your entries -- it just doesn't seem to fit. That having been said, it has as much chance as any of these logos to win because, ultimately, it'll come down to what the bloggers, advertisers, Henry and the gang want. Ok, that's enough out of me for now. Good luck in the contest Brian.
(Richard Wentworth at 2005/09/20 13:29:40.708 GMT-5)

Thanks for the comments, Richard. Again, I don't happen to think that "aggressive" = "bad." Probably one of the biggest ongoing discussions about blogs (in general) is that they are aggressively pursuing stories that you might not find in the traditional media. Blogs are fighting for their spot in news reporting, whether you consider them to be "journalism" or not. On the flip side, advertisements are getting more aggressive as well, by appearing in thousands of blogs, as opposed to the more traditional rags. Also (and I mentioned this in the weblog) to me, this logo -says- "opinion makers." Blogs and associated ads are all about making a statement. About voicing something that isn't always popular, or isn't heard in quite the same way elsewhere. They're all about getting the word out. (Whatever the word may be.) This fist symbol brings to mind war propaganda that served essentially the same purpose... sometimes getting noticed requires a bit of a fight, even if in this instance the fight is written out online. The symbol still stands. I would also mention that, yes, others have noted that it is an aggressive symbol... but some of those haven't seen this as negative: "Gives the underlying theme of "Blogads make an impression!" Nice work." "I think this one has that "umph" graphic factor they were looking for." To me, a logo that can't be ignored will always be better than a logo that just sits in the background.
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/20 14:01:07.236 GMT-5)

To me this one says power, masculinity and aggression. I think of an 80’s indy punk label, a karate club logo also comes to mind. Good incorporation of shape and negative space lettering. This is by far the best entry to use an image. While you have a unique angle on the fist that differentiates it from the fist-in-the-air working class struggle image, at the end of the day it’s still a fist in your face. There are other ways of signifying power and standing out from the fray. It remains to be seen if this is what the BlogAds crew wants, personally I say “good, but no cigar”
(Ken Lonseth at 2005/09/20 21:31:43.600 GMT-5)

Ken... I don't really have much to say about your comment, as my response would be essentially identical to my last comment but.... I really don't see anything in your critique that I wouldn't just lump into my argument that aggressive -isn't- a bad thing. Also, my reading of what they want doesn't rule out a logo styled in this manner. They pointed out an image of graffiti, so it's not too much to assume that they don't mind targeting the x-box crowd, is it? I guess what I'm taking from a lot of your critiques is that it's aggressive (which I, and others, don't see as negative) but also that it's technically above and beyond many of the others. (I won't begrudge you the fact that no one is saying any of the logos are better than -their- logo, as I won't be doing that, either... heheh.) I also see my logo as a discussion point, which is always good. If people are talking about your logo, you've pretty much won the battle. One thing I -don't- see is a lot of other people responding to critiques about their logo. Ken, Richard and I seem to be the only people who really want to win! Here's hoping that scanning my hand and digitally altering is the kind of "hands-on" imagery their looking for.
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/21 09:40:36.952 GMT-5)

I'm going to have to agree with what Ken said. Also, honestly, the first time I saw this I thought it said BLO9ADS. I like the nice use of contrast though.
(Andrew Kidd at 2005/09/21 10:10:00.432 GMT-5)

This has a lot of potential, but it took me 5 minutes of staring at it to figure out that it was a fist. Is there any way to make it more obvious? I thought it was a gorilla standing on top of a Blogads rock. Which isn't a bad idea, either!
(Michael Bassik at 2005/09/23 16:47:23.017 GMT-5)

Michael, Thanks for your feeback. I'm glad to hear that you were staring at my logo for an extended period of time. In answer to your question, I'm not sure there -is- a way that I could make it look more like a fist without sacrificing the simplistic design I've chosen to go with. While I could certainly make it look more like a "realistic" fist, I think that would also be a less interesting design choice. On the other hand, it doesn't bother me that someone might not see a fist right off the bat. (In fact, I think it's probably common that "left brained" people are going to be more likely to see the imagery right away.) I think what I said in an earlier post stands... the design really transcends the imagery. As you admitted, you stayed with it and eventually saw the fist. (It makes me think of FedEx's hidden arrow. Finding it is a bonus to an otherwise excellent design.) For what it's worth, my newest version, that I think will be posted on Tuesday, unless Henry changes plans... is "not" a stark black/white contrast, which might make the fist a bit easier to make out initially. Again, I'm pleased with your response.
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/23 19:55:27.269 GMT-5)

Well, I have to say that I believed this was a cow-hide, until a colleague pointed out the fist.
(henrycopeland at 2005/09/26 13:38:22.895 GMT-5)

http://www.alistapart.com/store/tshirt-xhtmlfist
(John Peele at 2005/09/29 09:18:46.470 GMT-5)

I saw the fist right away, but if someone has to stare at it for longer than a couple seconds to know what it is, that is not good. The FedEx logo is different. The arrow is not one of the main parts of the logo, the text is. The fist is a major part of the logo, and if some people can't see it right away, it's meaningless and will be soon forgotten because their is nothing to remember.
(Andrew Kidd at 2005/09/29 16:48:08.793 GMT-5)

John - I'm not going to deny that fists haven't been used graphically before. However, the image you cite isn't really any more similar to my logo than if you pointed at a picture of an Apple and claimed that Apple Computer ripped it off. As I mentioned before, I can point you towards text-based logos that are strongly similar to ALL of those on the shortlist, but it wouldn't mean that they were ripped off or not valid as a result. My fist logo isn't even in a similar style to the one you've listed, which.. isn't a logo anyway. The "design" you cite is a play on the cliched use of Tattooing a word across one's knuckles. My logo utilizes the word "blogads" -as- the thumb. There's a pretty major difference.
(Brian Ford at 2005/09/30 09:50:31.486 GMT-5)