Pretty sure it’s not a troll and I echo the ‘well-done-for-getting-off-your-arse’ comments, BUT; advertising your services for weddings, where there’s just ONE chance to get it right, with a portfolio like that is just asking for trouble. Cock up a commercial job and the only thing on the line is your reputation.

I’d advise knowing your onions very thoroughly before going anywhere near a wedding. Cock it up and you will have ruined the biggest day in some young couples lives. ‘Nuff said.

Try http://www.weeprint.co.uk and tell Jenny that Pedro from Flying Fox Bikes sent you. She charges a one-off, which is really cheap and she’ll keep on redesigning until you’re happy.

advertising your services for weddings, where there’s just ONE chance to get it right, with a portfolio like that is just asking for trouble. Cock up a commercial job and the only thing on the line is your reputation.

I’m sure 4xjohn knows that all too well, but lesser men would have wimped out by now. If someone does see past the website and signs him up, but he doesn’t deliver, he will have failed. It happens to businesses all the time, but those that bother to start the business in the first place always deserve some credit. There’s not many jobs out there, so respect to anyone who tries to create work for themselves.

respect to anyone who tries to create work for themselves.

the content is poor though even for a provincial jobbing photographer/vidographer.
my advice would be to look at the competition in your area offering similar services and and see what they are doing right and how they present themselves.

Fair play for getting the business and website set up. But in all seriousness, the text on the site needs rewriting by someone with better English.

Also, (blurred) photos of text? Ugh.

And,

in answer to “what more could you need,” if you don’t know the answer to that, you shouldn’t be offering to do weddings. What happens when your camera breaks on the day?

Very good article here for those that are interested – as a professional I certainly wouldn’t churn out a logo for peanuts. A good logo needs careful thought, however someone who just wants something that looks ok on a business card isn’t usually prepared to pay full a brand identity.

Have a read chaps

http://www.matdolphin.com/blog/2012/01/25/how-lo-can-you-go/

What happens when your camera breaks on the day?

if you are professional you have a spare camera with you.

if you are professional you have a spare camera with you.

My point in its entirety.

I’d echo the entrepreneurial spirit thing about setting up your own business in such a notoriously difficult and competitive world, I know, I dabble in it. Go for it and good luck. I’d also like to add to the comments about wedding photography, I had a friend who’d won competitions and couldn’t find work, but I guess your research has shown there’s a market for budget wedding photography. Don’t be put off by the negativity.
Usually you’ll find that any lack of training can be over ruled by an abundance of natural talent.
Play to your strengths and get someone else to do the rest, just like the logos. Don’t listen to precious designers here, get yourself to a design college and see what they can do, it doesn’t need to be high quality, you’re not a multi national, yet.
The good news is that if the product is good enough you don’t need fancy logos. You only need that kind of rubbish to distract from the crappyness of the product.
The bad news is I need to recalibrate my monitor as you gallery all looked a bit flat on this screen. 🙁
I raise a glass to MrsToast and the previous thread. 🙂

With apologies to the OP – hope you get sorted on a logo…

4xJohn – really? I mean really? You want people to hire you as a professional photographer?

Great shots of a wedding… 🙁
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbmtb/sets/72157628815353423/

Still tortoise; so you’d be perfectly happy to have a beginner turn up at your wedding, your one off big day, cock it up right royally, leave your new wife in tears and charge you for the privilege? Would you just say, “oh well, at least he tried”? And 4Xjohn – again, good on you for giving it a go, but why not start with work which can be recreated when everything goes tits up?

I think you’ve made a mistake on your equipment page. In the about page it refers to a professional DSLR, but on the equipment page it only refers to an entry level consumer DSLR…you probably want to update it to include your main professional camera too, rather than just your back up.

I think it’s a very good website. It makes the standard of work you can expect from him abundantly clear.

Still tortoise; so you’d be perfectly happy to have a beginner turn up at your wedding, your one off big day, cock it up right royally, leave your new wife in tears and charge you for the privilege?

Of course not. Who would? I would see the quality of the photos on the portfolio and take my money elsewhere. Anyone who booked a photographer without seeing his/her work first is taking too big a gamble. I was trying to promote a bit of constructive criticism and encouragement rather than the STW group mockery.

why not start with work which can be recreated when everything goes tits up?

That’s a great idea

Usually you’ll find that any lack of training can be over ruled by an abundance of natural talent.

i disagree, once you can instinctively control the medium you have the ability to create anything you want.
it’s no good relying on happy accidents or ‘your vision’ if you can’t recreate that for your paying clients.
And that’s only half of it, managing clients expectations and delivering the goods are a big part of it.

That Dolphin bloke sounds a bit pompous as if he thinks that “Design & Art Direction” is some special skill that takes years of study and qualifications.
If I was a plumber I’d be quite happy with that logo.

I used Jamfrog Design to do this for my startup last year.

[/url]
business card FINAL proof-3 by LOVATSTOVES, on Flickr[/img]

I think it’s okay but then I’m not a designer type. 🙂

She was very good to deal with and more reasonably priced than the other ones I spoke to locally.

Graham, I think you’ll find that the blue used in that design is a touch too cold. I understand that this envokes an image of water, but I’m looking for the warmth of central heating to, so a slight hint of orange just to warm up the blue wouldn’t be amiss. The font is leaning to the right which indicates movement, again I would be looking for a plumber who is willing to saty and complete the job rather than being speedy and looking for the next pay cheque. Finally the dolphin is jumping and is too close an image to a fish out of water, again, I’d be looking for a plumber who was confident in their own abilities.
Bloody complicated, isn’t it?

Also, there’s more white space to the left of ‘Dolphin’ due to the italics; looks unbalanced.

(Unless you did that on porpoise.)

It is the way you look at it. 😛

It’s just a logo to go on the side of a van to me.
The picture matches the words and has some relevance to the business which makes the whole thing easier to remember.

Absolutly Graham – some people read this “language” into fonts and logos and are convinced its an inherent quality. It the emperors new clothes again

It is not – its just as you say it

as if he thinks that “Design & Art Direction” is some special skill that takes years of study and qualifications.

it does, if you want to be very good at it.
not obvious if you are visually unaware though.

Bloody complicated, isn’t it?

TJ will be on his way soon. He’s told us before that this is all a load of bollards and no doubt he’ll tell us again. 😆

[EDIT – he’s already here!]

Too late stilltortoise 🙂

I am sure the “code” or “language” is there for those who can read it – however it is not an inherent quality and most of us don’t read it and don’t care.

Absolutly Graham – some people read this “language” into fonts and logos and are convinced its an inherent quality. It the emperors new clothes again

Oh jeesus let’s not go down that loooooooooooong painful road again…

I am sure the “code” or “language” is there for those who can read it – however it is not an inherent quality and most of us don’t read it and don’t care.

“most of us” define most? 98%? half? you don’t actually know?

🙂

Have a look (Edit; link doesn’t work. Search Google for Plumber Logo images)and see if you can guess which ones were done by a professional and which ones were done by the plumbers kids using Paint on their home PC.
That Dolphin one looks as good as anything there to me.

The one thing that stands out to me is the repeated use of a pair of Stillsons to identify a plumber. I thought it was all push fit couplings these days.

And going back to the original subject, I saw Mounty’s post on Facebook about gaining a new qualification.
I take it that’s what this is all about ?
Well done and I hope the new business goes well.

TandemJeremy – Member
Too late stilltortoise
I am sure the “code” or “language” is there for those who can read it – however it is not an inherent quality and most of us don’t read it and don’t care.
POSTED 26 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Fortunately there are people in this world who do care and have vision and more than a one dimensional view of things.

And going back to the original subject, I saw Mounty’s post on Facebook about gaining a new qualification.
I take it that’s what this is all about ?
Well done and I hope the new business goes well.

Yes it is Graham, thank you. A chap from here is looking at the logo side of things for me. Just putting content together for the site.

Long time no see. I have not been out with the Wyre crew for a while 🙁

That Dolphin bloke sounds a bit pompous as if he thinks that “Design & Art Direction” is some special skill that takes years of study and qualifications.
If I was a plumber I’d be quite happy with that logo.

My point exactly – mr one man band plumber isn’t interested with an in depth analysis of how I arrived at the solution for his identity, or what it says about his business. He wants something that gets him noticed. However large corporates who have marketing teams that are constantly managing the face of the business in a marketplace are. Yes there is a lot of bollox involved, but no more than in any other job

Fortunately there are people in this world who do care and have vision and more than a one dimensional view of things.

But fortunately not many people are prepared to pay for it.(Esp. Plumbers).

that’s what MS paint and prontaprint were created for.

AAHH! Search Google for PlumBer logo, thought you meant plumper logo… found this anyway.( Can those intelligent logo analysts please embroid on this one please.)

Never mind finding the hidden meanings in logos, I need some help finding the hidden meaning in Sputnik’s post.

the dolphin is jumping and is too close an image to a fish out of water

“dolphins are great communicators – but they don’t speak my language”
“dolphins aren’t local – I want a local plumber”
“dolphins can often be found hanging around in large groups, bullying little fish”
“dolphins don’t wear pants and they rarely floss their teeth – I want a hygienic plumber”
“dolphins aren’t corgi registered”

lol @ brakes 😆

Actually, the first thing that I see when I look at the Dolphin Plumber logo is a big pool of water – that’s the LAST thing I want to see when I think of a plumber.

In all seriousness, I think there are differing levels of importance when it comes to logos and our expectations can vary.

When looking for a plumber, I kind of already know that I’m getting a bloke or two. So I’m not going to be looking too hard at their corporate identity for clues.