Vote for an ECF logo

[Richard James]

Extraordinary. Option A is poor but perhaps something can be made of it. I can't imagine what they were thinking of with option B.

Many years ago, in a previous life, I was working for a company which provided computer analysis of market research data. Management, in its wisdom, decided to employ a marketing consultant to find a new name for the company. A rather strange man named after a Scottish football team (Motherwell? Montrose? Morton? Yes, I think that was it) spent a week talking to all the employees to find out exactly what they did. At the end of the week we were summoned to a meeting to be told our new name: SHIPSHAPE. Everyone immediately collapsed in fits of hysterical laughter thinking about what would happen if you changed the 4th letter of the name. Needless to say, the suggestion was rejected out of hand. Since then I've been deeply suspicious of marketing people.

[John Hickman]

Please keep the current ECF logo.

I don't like the other two, especially 2, and I don't want any more ECF funds and effort spent on changing it.

Regards,

John Hickman

[Matt Harrison]

I have no idea what they're asking to be paid for this, but Create Services isn't a massive international company - it's run by a keen member of Hackney chess club and is a modest enough operation.

I quite like Option 1 btw.

[Rob Thompson]

I also voted for option 1 (even before Carl's addition). Though i note someone has voted for 2 now

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

... it's run by a keen member of Hackney chess club and is a modest enough operation.

No reason not to give his name - Mark Rivlin.

I'm really not impressed by either of the two new suggestions, but I'm not keen on the old logo either. Can I have a "none of the above" option please?

I won a logo competition at a company I once worked at. Mind you, they went bust a year later.

[Tristan Clayton]

Well, here's the best I could come up with after 15 minutes on MS Paint.

ECF logo.png

And my design fees are very reasonable...

I'm also not keen on the two new logos, or indeed the old one.

[Richard Haddrell]

Let's call the ECF Consignia and have done with it, then talk about something worth talking about.

[Geoff Chandler]

Thank you Jon for the name,

(I'm not too fond of that logo, where is the chess connection - see below).

I was thinking there was a chess insider in the company or at least
a contact with the powers that be.
So why all the cloak and dagger stuff? If this lad is going to do it
on the sly then good luck to him.

However we cannot afford it (I keep thinking about that junior magazine
being pulled).

The current logo is perhaps misunderstood.

The Red Queen is Britannia a symbol of hope and freedom throughout
the whole world.

If you put your thumb over the top of the Queen you
will clearly see a pawn.
The is not just a Queen but a promoted pawn.

Again another statement.

No matter how low of birth you are if you strive forward
with a sole purpose in mind then the rewards are great.

The Knights face each other, as player do over the board.
You cannot mate with two Knights thus declaring that
we are all equal.

They stand bold, proud, courageous, fearless and erect.

When I look at those two Knights I feel a sense of inspiring awe
and comfort. My spirits are lifted.

If you look at the outline of the logo, imagine it in a solid black colour
you will see it is the shape of a King. This sublime message was
placed there to remind us that chess is the king of games.
The Royal Game.

We must keep the current logo.
It is symbol of righteousness, a beacon of hope for the lowly and the oppressed.
Take away that logo and you take away our dreams.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

We must keep the current logo.
It is symbol of righteousness, a beacon of hope for the lowly and the oppressed.
Take away that logo and you take away our dreams.

<applause>

Very impressive!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

choose Proposal 3 – to keep this design

What is the history of this logo? Someone said it was the BCF logo. When was that first designed and by whom?

[Richard Bates]

The current logo seems to be modelled on the British Ladies' Championship trophy (or vice versa).

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Is it just me, or does option 1 look more like Lapras from Pokemon than a knight? "

John obviously has hidden depths...

I have had similar experiences to Richard with logos, straplines, mission statements, etc., and wonder if they are really necessary. But (3) has the advantage that you can immediately tell what it is about.

A committee member at Redhill Chess Club suggested we have a logo and after a while we came up with a red rook on a plinth, which not only looked like the club championship trophy, but was also something red (the rook) on a hill (the plinth). He volunteered to do the art work, but then moved from the area and everyone else forgot about the idea.

[David Lettington]

I'm not sure what's wrong with the current logo, can someone explain what the criticisms of it are?

If it's necessary to spend money on a new one, what are the benefits of doing so? If, for example, a new logo is likely to be part of a package that attracts new sponsors then might be worth spending money on.

[Adam Raoof]

I'm not sure what's wrong with the current logo, can someone explain what the criticisms of it are?

If it's necessary to spend money on a new one, what are the benefits of doing so? If, for example, a new logo is likely to be part of a package that attracts new sponsors then might be worth spending money on.

A very good question.

The current logo renders very poorly on screen - especially on phones and hand-held consoles or anything with a small screen, as it has too much fine detail. We need a more versatile logo that can be used on traditional stationery items, but also on new technology. We are currently negotiating a contract that may require this.

The logo may be familiar to us, but what we need is a logo that will appeal to people who have never heard of the ECF or take part in chess tournaments. We need a logo that is simpler in form, that conveys the right message ('board games'). It needs to be effective when printed in one colour, or no colour. It needs to be useable when you shrink it down to fit on small items, or blow it up to a film-sized poster.

Sadly, I do not think that the current logo fits any of these descriptions.

[Ian Kingston]

I'm not sure what's wrong with the current logo, can someone explain what the criticisms of it are?

If it's necessary to spend money on a new one, what are the benefits of doing so? If, for example, a new logo is likely to be part of a package that attracts new sponsors then might be worth spending money on.

A very good question.

The current logo renders very poorly on screen - especially on phones and hand-held consoles or anything with a small screen, as it has too much fine detail. We need a more versatile logo that can be used on traditional stationery items, but also on new technology. We are currently negotiating a contract that may require this.

The logo may be familiar to us, but what we need is a logo that will appeal to people who have never heard of the ECF or take part in chess tournaments. We need a logo that is simpler in form, that conveys the right message ('board games'). It needs to be effective when printed in one colour, or no colour. It needs to be useable when you shrink it down to fit on small items, or blow it up to a film-sized poster.

Sadly, I do not think that the current logo fits any of these descriptions.

I agree with all of that except for the 'board games' part - IBM's logo doesn't have a computer in it; the BBC doesn't have a TV or a radio; MacDonald's doesn't have a burger; Shell doesn't have a petrol pump; Nike doesn't have a running shoe. Yet we all recognise those logos instantly.

The logo needs to be instantly recognisable as the symbol of the English Chess Federation (that's the message). Putting a chessboard on it risks making it just one more generic chess logo. Although I don't like it as it stands, Option 2 actually fits the bill quite well. Make the text clearer and lose the full stop, and I think we could have something highly distinctive that would be a big improvement on the existing logo.