affinity designer Renewable Energy logo (please critique)

[Mr Lucky]

I am trying to design a logo for a site based around renewable energy, so I thought maybe a sun and (UK) electric plug combined could work, ie to symbolise electricity generated by the sun.

 

I am quite please with its simplicity but I have a feeling that although the sun seems obvious, the plug could be mistaken for something else, e.g. a grand piano! Doesn't seem to help even when rotated.

Bear in mind this is for a UK site, so the three pin plug is appropriate. I'm currently working on an alternative with a lightbulb, but I'd still like to make the plug work if possible

Any help appreciated, thanks

 

[Alfred]

10 minutes ago, Mr Lucky said:

I have a feeling that although the sun seems obvious, the plug could be mistaken for something else

I wouldn’t have known it was a plug!

11 minutes ago, Mr Lucky said:

Bear in mind this is for a UK site, so the three pin plug is appropriate.

Three pins is indeed appropriate, but pins on a modern 13A plug don’t have rounded ends. The pins are also too near the edges of the base.

Perhaps you could try combining the two halves of the base to create a single thicker shape, or you could even dispense with the white outline altogether.

[Mr Lucky]

Thanks and yes I agree about the pins (although at the size it will be displayed that might be moot.

 

Definitely agree about the white strokes and closeness to the base (my wife also said that). But I'm still not sure it would look like a plug. 

Actually you still get rounded pin plugs for lighting circuits, but most people don't know that!

I am thinking this bulb is going to work better because even with more realism, I'm not sure people will get that it's a plug.

 

[GarryP]

In addition to Alfred’s suggestions, have you thought about using the ‘silhouette’ of the plug ‘face’ as the sun?
That would simplify the design by using one thing to depict two things.

I’ve attached a quick-and-crude example to show what I mean.
It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it’s simpler and is easy to read when very small.

Note: One of the problems with my example is that it’s probably not an original idea and could easily have been used elsewhere.

[Mr Lucky]

1 minute ago, GarryP said:

In addition to Alfred’s suggestions, have you thought about using the ‘silhouette’ of the plug ‘face’ as the sun?
That would simplify the design by using one thing to depict two things.

I like that, maybe not too obvious it's the sun which probably must be round but I'll experiment with that. The view of the plug definitely works better than mine

[GarryP]

I agree, maybe manually making the rays to properly fit the shape would be a better option than my quick knock-up.
However, you would need to make sure that the plug shape didn’t change, otherwise you’d need to redo the rays to fit.

One extra bit of advice would be to keep looking at your design at different sizes.
For example, is it still readable at 128×128 pixels, and what about 32×32?
If it’s going to be on a web site, can you be sure how it will be used and at which sizes?

[William Overington]

Does it need to be a plug? Could it be a socket with the plug holes?

It is a very recognizable pattern.

Then the shape of the edge of the plug would not be needed.

Then that could fit inside a circle with the sun rays around it.

Also, renewables is about more that solar power, so could there be wind turbines in the upper corners, and perhaps waves along the lower edge?

William

 

 

[Alfred]

28 minutes ago, William Overington said:

Also, renewables is about more that solar power, so could there be wind turbines in the upper corners, and perhaps waves along the lower edge?

A laudably inclusive idea, William, but it would probably make the logo too ‘busy’ (especially at smaller sizes).

[dannyg9]

I like your original version but perhaps a different angle for the UK plug. Further, maybe stylize the plug (simplify) and have it with the receptacle (just use the holes so you're sort of plugging in to the sun). Hope this makes sense. See attached.

[BarKeegan]

On 8/24/2022 at 1:26 PM, Mr Lucky said:

I am trying to design a logo for a site based around renewable energy, so I thought maybe a sun and (UK) electric plug combined could work, ie to symbolise electricity generated by the sun.

 

I am quite please with its simplicity but I have a feeling that although the sun seems obvious, the plug could be mistaken for something else, e.g. a grand piano! Doesn't seem to help even when rotated.

Bear in mind this is for a UK site, so the three pin plug is appropriate. I'm currently working on an alternative with a lightbulb, but I'd still like to make the plug work if possible

Any help appreciated, thanks

 

I think the best logos strip away any superfluous detail.

Ask yourself if the plug was completely absent from the centre of the sun, could you use the other shapes to simultaneously convey a sun AND a plug… because those sun rays could easily become the prongs of a plug…

[BarKeegan]

On 8/24/2022 at 2:16 PM, GarryP said:

In addition to Alfred’s suggestions, have you thought about using the ‘silhouette’ of the plug ‘face’ as the sun?
That would simplify the design by using one thing to depict two things.

I’ve attached a quick-and-crude example to show what I mean.
It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it’s simpler and is easy to read when very small.

Note: One of the problems with my example is that it’s probably not an original idea and could easily have been used elsewhere.

Oh, just noticed this now, a very good solution 👌

[BarKeegan]

2 minutes ago, BarKeegan said:

I think the best logos strip away any superfluous detail.

Ask yourself if the plug was completely absent from the centre of the sun, could you use the other shapes to simultaneously convey a sun AND a plug… because those sun rays could easily become the prongs of a plug…

Oh, and just to add, some of the most bulletproof logo designs work in black&white to start with

[Mr Lucky]

Big thank you to everyone. 

 

For now I am going with the lightbulb (see above) instead of a plug

[DinapixStudio]

Keep in mind that it can be used in websites too, not only in print formats, and therefore it must be responsive, so that it is recognizable in very small sizes, and some details can lost it.

[VectorWhiz]

The problem with logos that target a specific subject, that is diverse in nature, it is difficult to select one that is covers them all. There are all sorts of angles from which peers imagine it and review it. The same goes for visitors on which the logo is used. Simple assignments can appear to be more difficult to draw than things may seem at first glance.