The NEM Team would like to announce the official logo.
Excuse me, but my opinion this logo is unsuccessful. For example, I like yellow-green cube much more. Need voting for different logo. Let's ask people.
It is good to get peoples' opinion. I am wondering, what exactly is it you don't like? The colors are from Loi's design (the cube is orange and green, btw) for the investor's handout (NEMORANDUM) and NCC.
It is hard to improve branding, etc, without more specific comments.
[li]it is my first impression, but then it just fixed. In russian thread proportion like/dislike about 1/3. It's emotion reason.[/li]
[li]the logo is too agglomerated, has many details, is difficult for reiteration. It's design reason[/li]
[li]the logo causes strange associations and repels. One says about three sperm (and I too), the other says about 666... It's psychological reason.[/li]
When I see a girl, I immediately may say: mine - not mine. So here )
Without preparation I showed cube and curlicues for my child (10 years old), his first reaction: cube is beautiful, curls is ugly.
[font=arial]Excuse me for bad English.[/font]
andme, your English is fine.
Thank you for your opinion! It is okay that you don't like the logo. I really appreciate that you explained why.
I will think about the design some more and see if I can improve it. I am also trying to work with Loi to get a new design, so don't worry this is not the final NEM logo at all. We will continue to make improvements.
Later on, when we get closer to releasing, we will have the community vote on various designs. I want to do this in a way where people can compare many different ideas and designs, to try to find out what people like the best, so I am programming a web app to do this voting.
If you have any suggestions or ideas, please feel free to share! I think because your culture is very different from mine, your perspective is different and you may not be used to a symbol like this. In Asian cultures, it is very common I think, and the meaning if very harmonious and good.
I will try to improve the design more and post some ideas here.
Not sure if this helps explain anything or not: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Томоэ
makoto,
the more i look at it the more i like what your trying to do with it!
spaw
Based on some comments, I tried simplify the color scheme. Any thoughts?
I changed the balance of the logo and I think it is much better now.
A logo should not remind someone of a religulous symbol, it's ok if it reminds them of a everyday object (ie. Apple). It should be easy to reproduce (ie Apple, Nike, Microsoft), meaning in a logo really doesn't matter to most people anymore.
almost every logo has a sense of meaning, whether it's readily apparent to the layperson is another story. even the Apple name and logo was meant to convey a certain idea, most of this stuff happens on a subconscious level.
this particular logo and it's iterations have a few things that i really appreciate. the circles tend to create a sense of continuity, equality, eveness. things that NEM is meant to stand for. Also the use of the tomoe gives the idea that it stands for something. It doesn't matter if I don't know exactly what it represents, but if someone looks at it, it gives the impression that there is something more behind it .
cubes and rigid structures, to me, represent the status quo. the old order of, well, to much order :) so i like where makoto is taking this. i'd suggested on the trello card that stripping it down to something more simple, or abstracting it even further might help. it could help to invoke the same ideas without being so bold or forthright about it. hiding the meaning a little deeper, just giving a glimpse of it.
or...we could just pick something that looks super cool :)
The cube is N + E +M. The cube also suggests a puzzle (cubic puzzle). A puzzle is to be solved by YOU and that symbolizes the concept of a decentralized movement and the slogan "A new economy starts with you" in a cool and modernistic way which matches the independent culture of crypto and high-tech community.
The tomoe = old-fashion, non unique symbol used many times before. Makoto brought it in and explained to you that these are three elements and three colors representing three teachings that Nemsters should follow. I don't know about that. The concept seems artificially imposing and therefore distasteful to me.
That's my opinion.
One more point is that you should see the potential of the cube in doing all sort of animation: talking cube, singing cube, family of cubes, souvenir cubes etc. Tome is not going to have that. A cool guy like me is not going to wear a T-shirt with a tome shape on it.
The Cube Justification.
[li]simplicity, but the diversity[/li]
[li]simplicity, but order and organization[/li]
[li]symbol of science (mathematics, geometry), but also the shape of nature (crystal)[/li]
[li]inspires confidence for old and young (subconscious connection with childhood, childrens cubes)[/li]
[li]diagonal mark on the top edge gives it personality, such cube exists in the singular[/li]
[li]you can see in the picture: a cube, a house, imposing characters, a puzzle, a crystal … depends on the individual[/li]
[li]recognizable at a glance, easy to repeat the mark; is looking at the icon precisely and accurately[/li]
PS. It torn me between the cube and abstratnym logo (stylized N).
@spaw: I like your idea of abstracting out tomoe more and I am playing around with that. It would be cool to "hide" the algorithm for POI in the shape of tomoe and I am trying to do that in a simply way.
@argpentum The puzzle comment is a good one and I like the idea of hiding a puzzle in the logo. I think the cube puzzle is a little hard, though, since you can represent almost any letter in it.
@andme Great comments and I like that you list specifically what you like. This is valuable feedback.
@vicvegas I think younger people like asian culture and I think it will be popular to go with a theme like that. Especially since Bitcoin also has that mythology and even UP himself was likely from asia, if you read the NXT forums 
[font=Verdana]Okay, I haven't explained all of my thoughts on the logo, so I will go:[/font]
Pros:
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Design is really bold and different from logos/symbols typically used in crypto[/font][/li]
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Looks really great and stands out compared to other coin logos (https://twitter.com/hitbtc/status/482168148175888385/photo/1)[/font][/li]
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Represents what NEM stands for[/font][/li]
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Tomoe is often used (it is on roof tiles, for instance), so I find myself thinking of NEM whenever I see tomoe. This could be free advertising.[/font][/li]
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Tomoe is a symbol that has been around for millennia, proving that it is a geometric shape that has meaning for people (as with all symbols meaning is imposed by the consciousness that observes it).[/font][/li]
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The emergent circle formed by the Gestault Law of Closure is really cool. It creates a unified whole from disconnected parts.[/font][/li]
Cons:
[li][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Tomoe is a symbol that is already often used. Just using tomoe in that way doesn't seem to be very unique. It seems that if we could hide tomoe in a design like a puzzle, that would be more interesting. Right now it is too direct.[/font][/li]
From these thoughts, here is what I would like to try to do: take POI (which is calculated from three different parts, like tomoe) and try to represent the POI algorithm in the shape of tomoe, but in a unique way that isn't just using an old shape. I think that if this can be accomplished in a good way, then we will have a very strong and meaningful symbol for NEM.
Anyone have some thoughts on this? I'm going to need a few days to think about this.
I did some readings and looked at the tomoe carefully. In its bare form, they are three big commas grouped together in a circle.
@ARGpentem (for some reason the quote ability doesn't seem to be working on these forums…)
Yes, you can draw it with commas in a way. With a brush, like you would use in Chinese calligraphy, it is 3 brush strokes. You push down at the beginning and then gradually lift the brush while moving to the right (or left, depending on the direction). In this way, tomoe is a spatial primitive.
Makoto,
Can you picture yourself letting the Tomoe idea go? Can you see that as a possibility in your mind?
@tradecraft: Of course. All possibilities should be considered.
Makoto,
We can go to 99 designs, have them compete, to bring into the logo the concepts NEM represents, and incorporate the idea and meaning behind POI. And yes, outsource the idea.
Also, you can proceed with trying to get the designer you like to remake the logo you envision for NEM.
Then, the community can decide.
Listen, I know this is a decentralized movement, but you guys made NEM. Tell me to back off, and that you want the logo you have, and honestly, I'll back you up. I do my BEST to get the rest of the community on board. I think if you said this, most would give it to ya anyway.
We can do better IMO. But if it's what you want. It will work.
You and the rest of the devs made an amazing system. You want the logo to incorporate certain elements. So tell these things that you want, to an ARMY of artists, and let them do their thing.
Your guy beats them all great.
The idea of, we want a guy IN HOUSE, to make the logo, is just so...
it doesn't fit, to me, the concepts that bring us all here in the first place. That's the old way to me.
But if he wins, he wins. That's the beauty of the whole thing. It's seems that you see the logo as very important and that you want the creation of it to be more personal I think.
We have the best product. We need the best artist. Open it up to everyone.