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I ain't a great "campy" type of logo designer. I can do the nice, clean corporate stuff, or off wall retarded, but middle of the road has always given me a problem. Plus, I don't do Illustrator, because I seldom have to.

I have a friend who has a friend that's opening a huge indoor skateboard and SURFING facility in South Florida. (They've got these special pools that make waves.) The name of the place--which I think stinks--is "360 Surf & Skate." I have a major problem with "360" because people aren't going to read it as "three-sixty," the way it SHOULD be read. And if I do it like "3 en dash 60," that's also weird.

The other problem with "360" is that it requires some thinking to make the connection to 360 degrees (a connection which doesn't mean anything anyway), and us Americans don't like to spend too much time thinking.

 Help.

 I figure I have to have a kid on a skateboard, a kid on a surfboard, but how the heck do I merge the two with that name? Skateboarding and surfing around a globe, so it infers 360 degrees? If it means anything, the place will also have restaurant and able to host parties and such for all of the rich, spoiled brats down here.

Your creative input is appreciated.

 

 Hi Ira,

 Would you be willing to spend some money on this?

Th eproblem with this kind of work is that you a spend countless hours to have it look right (in your mind) and then having to deal with a third party input (the customer). Much emphasis is put on a logo as it REPRESENT the company day in day out.

That said for a minimum fee of 39$ you could setup a contest at 99 Designs (http://99designs.com/) of course you will also need to assign a prize for that contest (the minimum for a log being 100$) but should you not find a "winner" than no prixe need be awarded or paid.

I have use this service in the past (It was under another name then) and got swormed by design ideas, of course the higher the prize money the more ideas you will get as well as attracting the best designer.

In short, you set your guidelines (as you did here) and wait for the proposition to get in. You can further refine those ideas by commenting on them telling the designers what you did like,what you did not and what you would like them to try.

Hope this helps! 

The first thing I would associate the number 360 with is degrees (I would imagine this to be true of the target audience too) when put into context with surf & skate I would certainly say it as "three sixty" why would you want to break it up with an en dash to force the issue when using a degree symbol after could accomplish this? I would only say it as three hundred and sixty if it were followed by a C or F.

Ira. Off the top of my head...

 

Surfboard with waves on left half merged with skateboard on right half (you might have the ends opposed to further punch up 360).

Rough idea anyway.... 

I have a font called Eric's Hand. It looks nothing like that though I take it it's not yours…

My handwritting. I sketched this on a sticky note and scanned it in.

My apologies for offending people's eyes..... 

They could have asked for SK8 now that would have drove me mad…

Thanks, Eric.

And Larsen--the problem is also how it reads. (Plus the fact that going in a circle ISN'T such a big surfing or skateboarding thing. You also go up and down!)

And when you read 360, your mind says three hundred sixty--not 3-60. So I have to use it as two words like Eric did, or use numbers to that effect.

 

Ira, no offense, but I think you are overthinking it a little. I totally get where you are coming from but this is a logo for a skate/surf business. Most of the clientele is either going to be teens, or parents of teens. Ultimately, when it's all said and done, the only factor you'll have to satify in the client's eyes is this; does it look cool?

Because if it looks cool (neat, awesome, whatever word you want to use) it will bring in that age group (and their parents because of the teens).

Yeah, you want to make it understandable, but kids at that age aren't going that deep in thought about a logo.

I'm just saying...... 

Kids that age in South Florida can't even READ, so the less you give them, the better.

Surf&Skate is enough, and even better is Pompano Beach Surf & Skate so they know where the place is.

Hi again Ira,

Here's my take on it

If for some reason you cannot see this image, you can view it here 

Very cool Michel. I like the implied concept (at least to me)...surfing the asphalt. Covers both surf and skate. Good one. 

The wonderful server here at The Florida Dept. of Transportaion is blocking out the image. Can you mail it to me at ira,ratner@dot.state.fl.us  ?

 Thanks, Michel! I appreciate the effort!

It's:

 

ira.ratner@dot.state.fl.us

 

I accidentally typed a comma above.

Michel emaile it to me and he really hit the nail on the head! Since their are skateboard ramps, I'll have on guy a board there, and the other, a surfer--both hanging 10 in the air.