Your opinion is needed. :)

Okay guys. I have been getting busier with my photography. I'm starting to get a client base and it's becoming obvious that I could (WANT, REALLY REALLY WANT) to take it another step further.

I have been working with a local graphic design studio on my branding, and there are a couple of options kicking around, so I'm getting as much feedback as possible, from as many people as possible right now.

Imagine you were looking for a photographer. You had two business cards in your hands. Which of these are you compelled to call first? Which grabs you. Don't think on it too much, please. Looking for first impressions.

Attachment 370 Attachment 371

After making your choice, why did you decide on it?

Thanks!

-Rocco

My vote goes for the first one. I just like the clean and professional look of it more than the beacon version.

G'day Rocco, I voted for Beacon because;
1. It has more of an association with light
2. Beacon also has a connection with first or leader or ahead of the game.
3. Your business card says "imagery" not image studios, there is a clarification needed there.
4. Alphabetically it is ahead of Vier (though Vier has an "edgy" feel to it)
5. I think you have room to grow with the Beacon light iluminating a model or a photog or wherever you choose to take it. Don't forget the rule of thirds with business card design.
Good luck with it.
Steve

I prefer the first too (qwRad, it looks like you didn't actually vote on the poll, since I'm the only one who voted Vier at the moment).

The Beacon one just screams clipart to me, whether it's custom art or not. And that impression make me feel as though you're not a high-end professional.

I like "Vier Image Studios" the best. I like the clean-cut nature of it.

Congrats too on taking your photography up a few notches!

Damian

I like the first one, clean and simple, keep it to the point. If I was hiring I would want to see your portfolio not a fancy card.

The second just doesn't say photographer to me, unless you are a lighthouse photographer then maybe it is ok. The other problem I have with the second is it is obviously a piece of art work that is not your own, and it doesn't really represent your work. If you have an "image studio" and you put an image on your card shouldn't it be one you created not someone else's.

Definitely the first one. I look at it this way--a logo is something that should look good on a business card or a watermark. In order for it to look good as a watermark, it needs to be relatively simple and not take up too much real estate. I like the simple, clean layout of the first one.

First one. Simple and clean and professional looking. The sun in the beacon one reminds me of the WWII Japanese rising sun!

I prefer the first due to its simplicity. The lighthouse is busy and would detract as a watermark. IMHO.

Best wishes!

Hi, I also like the clean Vier logo best.

Maybe you already thought of it but I did a quick check on google translate - the letter combination "vier" doesn't seem to mean anything bad/improper in any of the covered languages and that's a bonus. (In most languages it has no direct meaning but in some languages it has. The one I knew was the German number four, but there were also some neutral or somewhat positive words in other languages. For example, in Slovakia Vier means Beliefs.)

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Originally Posted by DavidEccleston

I prefer the first too (qwRad, it looks like you didn't actually vote on the poll, since I'm the only one who voted Vier at the moment).
...

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Thanks. I noticed this too now and actually voted.

First one for me also.

The only way the second one makes sense is if you are planning on concentrating on coastal landscapes, but David is correct in that it looks a bit like clip art.

Hi Rocco,

I voted for Vier, because I didn't get the photography hint right away in the beacon logo. Also it does look like a standard clip art image with your own text.

I am curious though why you chose these names? Also since they are quite different.
I know "Vier" is how you'd write the letter four in Dutch and German and as CLS mentioned a few other things in different languages. Anyway "vier" is therefor very easy to pronounce and understand by Dutch people. I am wondering how you(American?) would pronounce it and how people would understand it. If you would have to spell it every time, that could cost you potential customers.
For instance I have a website with the Dutch word actie in it(English: action). I always write it with a letter c, but due to changes in spelling(later in 2006) a lot of people write it with a k(as it should now, but as I've never learned it so it looks funny to me). I always have to explain how my website is written and if I would make my money from it, that would be something that would irritate me a lot.(unless I'd get both websites of course :o)

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Originally Posted by Sheiky

Hi Rocco,

I am curious though why you chose these names? Also since they are quite different.

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Yeah, Beacon because of the lighthouse. An iconic source of light. The confusion is even greater with people who aren't photographers. I had my own version of the vector art I had made but I really don't do very well with vector.. That's when I called Boss Graphic. He threw me the "vier" curve ball, and I'm really glad he did.

Vier is my last name. It is pronounced just like the German numeral, but here in America everyone pronounces it like "Veer", and even then there is a common mispronunciation of "Vire".

I really wanted to stay away from a "so and so photography" type of name because everyone does it. Really difficult to find a name that has the .com, .net, and .org domains available. I like Vier Image Studios, though. Never occurred to me to just use my last name.. and I really like what he came up with.

I have asked just about everyone I know and somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 strangers at a coffee shop. The Beacon got quite a few weird reactions, i.e. BACON, frozen fish seller, restaurant, etc. Not to mention some of the points made here about how it should also be a clean watermark that doesn't distract from an image, which the beacon logo will.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Vier Image Studios. Thanks a bunch guys!

+ 1 for Vier (first one). Much simpler and less distracting than the beacon logo.

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Originally Posted by Rocco

Vier is my last name.

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Then it seems like an even easier choice ;) Vier makes a lot of sense then and even with the occasional mispronounciation it's (IMO)much better than Beacon.
I share your thought on the Image Studio part vs Photography. While it can make you stand out, it can also rule you out. Make sure the tags of your website do include photography, because that and your name are the first two things people will be searching for.