Sell-Your-Home-FSBO.com logo and slogan - aack arrgh

acornwebworks · #1 (**permalink**) 11-08-2003, 11:29 PM

Hi folks,

I don’t really have a logo. What I have is a graphic header as well as a gif for those places where they want to you add a small graphic, and two old banners. They all drive me nuts.

They are at:
http://sell-your-home-fsbo.com/navbar3.gif
http://sell-your-home-fsbo.com/ad_graphic.gif
http://sell-your-home-fsbo.com/banner_1996.jpg
http://sell-your-home-fsbo.com/fsbo_banner.gif

I also don’t particularly like my slogan, which is “...helping FSBO homesellers just like you since 1996”, but haven’t been able to come to close coming up with a new/better one.

The logo and slogan I love the most - and would ‘kill for’ - can be found at http://www.60minutelogo.com/real_est...o_designs.html (You’ve got to click through their examples to get to the BendRealEstate.com one which is the one I covet. I love it either for my primary domain, or for FreeFSBOListings.com which I just bought and which simply forwards to another of my sites.)

My business is creating property websites for people selling their homes themselves and getting their website/property listed extensively on the web. I suppose I really ought to ask my clients which of those two were initially most important when deciding to use our services or what else was the primary selling point for them.

I’m preparing to substantially revise my site (thanks to prior great feedback) but was wondering if anyone had any more-than-generic advice for me re: logo/slogan.

I’m asking for that more-than-generic advice because I’ve read and re-read what so many of you say about what a logo and slogan should do, but am so brain dead when it comes to being creative about these that I’m not even ready to approach a logo designer and explain what I’m looking for beyond pointing them to the aforementioned example.

Yeah, I’ve even taken those ‘long walks in the woods to empty your mind’...hasn’t helped :-)

Thanks a ton in advance!

Kendall

tikanet · #2 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 03:09 PM

For what it's worth, BendRealEstate.com is not a registered domain. We can, therefore, suspect that 60 Minute Logo's example is just that, an example. Have you tried to contact 60 Minute? They may be a bit expensive, but true desire has always been able to overlook the cost of indulgence.

What is it about this design and catch phrase that attracts you? What changes would you make, if you were to modify it for your own purposes? The rhyme scheme (mouse/house) is not copyrightable. The image of the mouse is very clip-art-like, and tethering it to the stylized house element with the cord is neither novel nor protectable. And about that house image: can't help but feel that the flimsy, unbalanced structure is about to collapse under the weight of that heavy (thick) roof. The house can be vastly improved upon, the mouse can be better rendered and the catch phrase can be modified, maybe to even better suit your site's needs. IMO, with a little work, incorporating these elements into a tighter, more balanced package would make for a really nice logo.

Anyway, if this sparks a discussion of ethicality issues, that's all good. What is a rip-off? What is a legitimate use of ideas and elements of ideas from other sources?

acornwebworks · #3 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 09:21 PM

Thanks for responding with such good questions and comments. I was afraid I was asking for too much.

Unfortunately, this slogan/logo is, indeed, trademarked - by a realtor in Oregon.

You can check it out at http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield...ate=u8l07p.4.2

FYI, I used ‘mouse house’ as my search term at the USPTO < http://www.uspto.gov/ > and got the following variations:

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield...h=Submit+Query

As to the logo...

Here’s what I like:

1) I like the cleanliness of the design. I am not a ‘busy logo’ person, so don’t like things like http://sellmyownrealestate.com. I also find that I like non-3-dimensional logos.

2) If I modified the logo, I would *like* it to be to one of the following:

”Click a mouse...sell your house”
”Click a mouse...list your house”
”Click your mouse...list your house”

All are in keeping with my services. I also think they are catchy, to the point, in keeping with expected FSBO internet services in general, and not only say what clients would get but is a call to action.

But I would be willing to consider variations on that theme. Unfortunately I find it hard to get this one out of my mind (and have for quite a while) so have no imagination left :-(

3) I like the way the URL is incorporated totally into the design since my URLs are my business names. (By the way, I think the heaviness of the roof in the original is meant to balance the heaviness of BEND at the other end, but could be wrong.)

4) I also like the way that this could be both a web and business card design, as well as fit nicely into an email signature

I, too, would be interested in people’s thoughts about what is a rip-off and what is a legitimate use of ideas and elements of ideas from other sources. Since this particular logo/slogan is trademarked, it certainly reduces my options somewhat.

Now knowing that the logo/slogan is trademarked, what are your thoughts on using these elements to create a nice logo?

Thanks,
Kendall

avscaptain · #4 (**permalink**) 11-10-2003, 02:18 PM

Why dont you just make your banner a picture file and have just 1 as a logo on all correspondence and web pages instead of multiple ones. A logo is just a clever / unique picture.

Just a thought.

Edward Young
http://www.linerspecialist.com