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The most amusing thing about this website is that they obviously had an actual designer do some work on it at some point, yet it implies that designers can be e

The most amusing thing about this website is that they obviously had an actual designer do some work on it at some point, yet it implies that designers can be easily automated out of the process. All of the "logos" this thing generates are completely thoughtless: it simply searches the Noun project based on your inputs for a vector image, then sets it next to a random typeface. Anyone with a modicum of design experience can tell you that these "logos" that it generates are a complete joke. If you're honestly considering using one of these yourself, just head to the noun project and search for an icon to plop down next to your favorite typeface—you'll probably come up with a better result.

duxup 8y ago
I think most of these are sort of "logos for the masses" type things. They're not replacing a professional designer as much as they're there for folks who don't have a designer / not going to but would like a logo.
- DonaldPShimoda 8y ago
  Yeah, to me this seems great if you're working on an open-source project or are just barely getting off the ground and just need some sort of logo. I can see myself using this for silly projects where I just want to have a placeholder or temporary logo for a made-up name while I think about what I really want it to look like.
  - duxup 8y ago
    Yeah some little side project of mine, want logo, can't make fancy pics... there ya go.
  - hadlock 8y ago
    All of our internal webapps use some sort of logo on their readme.md, generated from sites like these None of our internal webapps produce revenue or are customer facing, but developers like some kind of identity for their pet projects. These sites are perfect for this sort of thing.
monokai_nl 8y ago
I don't believe that designers can be automated out of the process. I made this service because after years of co-running a design agency, I saw an increase in the need for logos, but a decrease in the willingness to pay for it. For bigger companies, it's no problem to hire a design agency to do their branding process. And yes, you can do more thoughtful and tailored design. We still do this at our design agency. On the other hand, there are lots of people who simple don't have the budget for a logo design process, don't have illustrator / photoshop skills, and just really want something nice for a good price. I tried my best to create an online, automated solution that's specifically made for these people, the freelancers, the side-hustlers, the startups.
- stfwn 8y ago
  Don't let the negativity get to you. Obviously no kind of automated logo service is going to displace high quality custom design work, but this service is great for small projects that just want a presentable logo today so they can focus on other things. Most of YouTube runs on affordable royalty-free music in the background too.
- Polarity 8y ago
  i think you hit the nail with the service. good job, i like it.
shoehead 8y ago
While completely thoughtless, a lot of the ones I got from a brief test were better than design submissions you would get on 99designs.
newsbinator 8y ago
I'd love to see a blow by blow breakdown article/video of a "good" logo from a generator vs. a good logo from a professional designer. (i.e. keep it fair by choosing among the better logos the generator creates) To my untrained eye, it's hard to spot the difference $10,000 makes.
burtonator 8y ago
Found the designer :)
themodelplumber 8y ago
I do logos sometimes for long-time graphic design clients and friends. A lot of times what they'll do is use an app like this and then send me the results, with a list of things they don't like about it, or a few tweaks they'd like made to the shapes. For example, "this oval shape but in 3D and more classy" or "this font but with these two letters customised like this." I actually really like this arrangement and have on more than one occasion sent these kinds of links to my clients, with "as a starting point" or similar phrasing. For people with ideas that are not visual yet, it really helps them speak the designer's language, in a small way. But yeah, I make the same money (rate, I don't really need extra design work) with this arrangement as I do without, and it's more pleasant for the client, and they see the value of my work... It's not bad! Sometimes it's nice to do away with the designer-as-sole-visionary role and more concretely embrace what the owner has to say about their brand. They're usually open to feedback and ideas too, if any.
- BearsAreCool 8y ago
  Completely agree with your points. I do graphic design for some friends guilds in a few video games (free labour, I do it for fun) and people are horrible at describing what they want. As such, these days I tend to send a few rough drafts or some sample images other people made to get a feel for what people actually want. This kind of rapid prototyping technology, while not that great for creating a final project, is an excellent tool for aiding in communicating what is wanted, especially if simple enough so that a client can use it.
rco8786 8y ago
I disagree. For side projects or bootstrapped companies these “cookie cutter” logos are exactly the right thing to get something into the Wild. Once you find some traction/income/investment then it makes sense to go full designer route.
richardw 8y ago
Unless you've never created anything in your life try be a bit more supportive of others who do. I tested it and it kicked off a few ideas. Some were very close to usable for a side project I'm working on, where I don't need a 300-hour logo, I just need point-of-parity logo.

duxup 8y ago

I think most of these are sort of "logos for the masses" type things. They're not replacing a professional designer as much as they're there for folks who don't have a designer / not going to but would like a logo.

DonaldPShimoda 8y ago
Yeah, to me this seems great if you're working on an open-source project or are just barely getting off the ground and just need some sort of logo. I can see myself using this for silly projects where I just want to have a placeholder or temporary logo for a made-up name while I think about what I really want it to look like.
- duxup 8y ago
  Yeah some little side project of mine, want logo, can't make fancy pics... there ya go.
- hadlock 8y ago
  All of our internal webapps use some sort of logo on their readme.md, generated from sites like these None of our internal webapps produce revenue or are customer facing, but developers like some kind of identity for their pet projects. These sites are perfect for this sort of thing.

monokai_nl 8y ago

I don't believe that designers can be automated out of the process. I made this service because after years of co-running a design agency, I saw an increase in the need for logos, but a decrease in the willingness to pay for it. For bigger companies, it's no problem to hire a design agency to do their branding process. And yes, you can do more thoughtful and tailored design. We still do this at our design agency. On the other hand, there are lots of people who simple don't have the budget for a logo design process, don't have illustrator / photoshop skills, and just really want something nice for a good price. I tried my best to create an online, automated solution that's specifically made for these people, the freelancers, the side-hustlers, the startups.

stfwn 8y ago
Don't let the negativity get to you. Obviously no kind of automated logo service is going to displace high quality custom design work, but this service is great for small projects that just want a presentable logo today so they can focus on other things. Most of YouTube runs on affordable royalty-free music in the background too.
Polarity 8y ago
i think you hit the nail with the service. good job, i like it.

shoehead 8y ago

While completely thoughtless, a lot of the ones I got from a brief test were better than design submissions you would get on 99designs.

newsbinator 8y ago

I'd love to see a blow by blow breakdown article/video of a "good" logo from a generator vs. a good logo from a professional designer. (i.e. keep it fair by choosing among the better logos the generator creates) To my untrained eye, it's hard to spot the difference $10,000 makes.

burtonator 8y ago

Found the designer :)

themodelplumber 8y ago

I do logos sometimes for long-time graphic design clients and friends. A lot of times what they'll do is use an app like this and then send me the results, with a list of things they don't like about it, or a few tweaks they'd like made to the shapes. For example, "this oval shape but in 3D and more classy" or "this font but with these two letters customised like this." I actually really like this arrangement and have on more than one occasion sent these kinds of links to my clients, with "as a starting point" or similar phrasing. For people with ideas that are not visual yet, it really helps them speak the designer's language, in a small way. But yeah, I make the same money (rate, I don't really need extra design work) with this arrangement as I do without, and it's more pleasant for the client, and they see the value of my work... It's not bad! Sometimes it's nice to do away with the designer-as-sole-visionary role and more concretely embrace what the owner has to say about their brand. They're usually open to feedback and ideas too, if any.

BearsAreCool 8y ago
Completely agree with your points. I do graphic design for some friends guilds in a few video games (free labour, I do it for fun) and people are horrible at describing what they want. As such, these days I tend to send a few rough drafts or some sample images other people made to get a feel for what people actually want. This kind of rapid prototyping technology, while not that great for creating a final project, is an excellent tool for aiding in communicating what is wanted, especially if simple enough so that a client can use it.

rco8786 8y ago

I disagree. For side projects or bootstrapped companies these “cookie cutter” logos are exactly the right thing to get something into the Wild. Once you find some traction/income/investment then it makes sense to go full designer route.

richardw 8y ago

Unless you've never created anything in your life try be a bit more supportive of others who do. I tested it and it kicked off a few ideas. Some were very close to usable for a side project I'm working on, where I don't need a 300-hour logo, I just need point-of-parity logo.