Round 2

Logo competition: Second Round

After a lot of consultations, talks and advices, we could narrow the choice down to the designs below. Some variations are given. All designers of second round logos were given the opportunity to adopt their designs according to the comments they received.

Logos dropped when:

• no one had explicit positive feelings about it
• just one expert had strong feelings, but two or more experts were strongly opposed
 

Criteria mentioned a logo should comply with:

• very simple, also clear when printed in black and white and very small, on a pencil for instance: a lot of logos did not comply with this rule.
• the image should not just explain the text. That would be double. Also a lot of logos did not comply with this.
 

Some comments on the logos below

1. Praised for making use of the familiarity of crosswords. Will easily attract the attention of word minded puzzlers. Intriguing and intelligent form. This logo was criticized as being stigmatizing: the WPF is about more than puzzles that look like this. Some thought it too complex and visually not attractive, specially when printed very small.

2. A variation made by the designer of #1, trying to meet the criticisms

3. This is an adoptation of the former #8, which looked like a sausage with a crossword pattern.

4. The Sphinx-logos were praised for including the elements puzzle and world, criticized as being too complex for a logo, referring too much to Egypt--not the world, and lots of people will not associate a sphinx with puzzles. This was considered by some the best of these sphinx-logos.

5-6. Praised for being very clear and playing well on the familiarity of the  crossword image without hitting us over the head with it (as could be the case for #1). Criticized for containing squares only. Some would like to see it with other puzzle elements (but then it would lose the crossword familiarity).

7-9. If all experts were asked to give points, the points for this logo would add up to the highest number. (Not 100% sure though, because some logos, including this one,  were revised after the first comments.) Although it was #1 of only one or two, everybody except one or two liked it (a lot) and mentioned it as a good alternative for his or her #1. Praised for attractive visuals, puzzling (image is puzzle, text points to solution; letters in boxes point to puzzling too), distinctive (will be remembered), intelligent and versatile (it is very flexible and can be used in many ways and arrangements).

10-11. Nobody's #1, but also liked by a lot as good alternative. Only one expert explicitely did not like it and thought it looked like a hand grenade.

12. Same with 7 and 10, but less supporters.

13. Received support and no strong opposition

14. Praised for nice visual, and intriguing. Criticized for being too abstract.

15-16. This was praised as being very clear, strong and simple, but criticized for  looking like a traffic sign.

17. Posted after the first consultation round, so some missed it. Praised for clarity and communicating the abbreviation, critized for being ugly and having only letters, no nice image. 

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17