Logo design for Miskeeto
When approached to design a new logo for Miskeeto, I was given some background info about the company. It went a little something like this…
What Miskeeto do
Miskeeto is dedicated to working with clients on “socially-conscious” web projects – things that aim to improve the world in some way. The company name, in fact, comes from the quote, “If you ever think you’re too small to have a big impact, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.”
Overall message to convey
No matter how small you are or how little you can do, you can still have a big impact.
My client wanted a modern looking logo, using text, and a mark that can be used as a stand-alone object. I asked how Miskeeto want their logo to differ from the competition, and was informed that they, “want a supremely recognizable icon that can be immediately associated with Miskeeto on the web, in presentations at conferences, in print, etc.”
‘Supremely recognizable’ – simplicity is key to achieve this, and I preach about simplicity in all logo designs, as it aids memorability. I set about researching competition, and brainstorming ideas.
Sometimes, your client won’t like the designs you present them with, and when that’s the case you have a decision to make: do you keep presenting ideas until you reach the right result, do you ask for more money before continuing, or do you tell the client you’ve produced what you believe is the only idea that works? I’ve never been one to readily turn my back on a client, and this was an instance where none of the options (below) were right for the job.
The client wanted a more abstract than literal logo, and the above options achieved this. However, they didn’t capture the essence of the brand. The ultimate idea to capture is that mosquitoes – these tiny little creatures that shouldn’t be able to do anything at all – can have a serious impact on the world around them. The company tagline, “Big enough to change the world.” illustrates this point.
I got thinking: what can illustrate the power of a mosquito, yet be less literal than showing the actual insect? Ideas now circled around an abstract representation of a mosquito.
Keeping the mark as simple as possible, I narrowed the insect down to three important shapes – the two wings and the ‘needle’. The wings can be symbolic of the clients global coverage, and the ‘needle’ for the power that is held in its piercing.
I presented a further option, after the two previous ones, and here are two layout variations:
After seeing these options (above), my client said:
I love this. Particularly, the second one, where the mark is used as the “t” in miskeeto (and the fact that this mark can stand on its own). Nice work! It feels tall and proud and powerful – and I love that. That’s what I was after.
What do you think?
As always, I’m more than happy to know your thoughts, and any constructive criticism is very welcome.
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51 spot-on reader comments to “Logo design for Miskeeto”
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I think it’s great!
But there’s something about the three circles that doesn’t quite work… :-/
I can’t quite place it though…
But still - I think it’s great!
Very memorable.
I like that company’s idea too…
I’m going to go check them out…
I like the idea and it works very well as you showed us.
The only downside about the logo I find is that the ‘mosquito’ mark is a bit too round. It doesn’t quite fit in with the font and over all just looks a bit too soft in my opinion.
Love the logo - but I don’t like how they’ve incorporated it into their Co. website.
Color selection has left it looking bleached and limp.
I like the logo but I don’t think the colors are great.
I think the logo is great - you cannot forget it easily if you see it a couple of times.
I think the black background of the logo looks better then the grey one in the company’s website.
Love the final product David, and I’m with The Paper Bull - surely they can incorporate it into their website a little better. I hate it when you feel as if you’ve exhausted your ideas, and like some of the ideas you’ve given your client and still they’re not liking any of what you’ve provided. It leaves me feeling as if I’m inadequate for the task, and it’s a very frustrating place to be. Of course, I generally find that I haven’t actually exhausted my ideas after all!
When I first laid my eyes on it, the standalone T stood out right away before I adjusted my vision to read the word to form it in my brain.
Very clever design. The black lettering on white background works better than the white lettering on the black background. It looks like the black letterings were more greyish so if that was used instead of the black background, I wonder if it would stand out even more.
Take pride in this one, David, I took graphic design at SCAD and can tell you this is one of the finer “creation” I have seen.
The T or icon resembling it at least is a bit too blurry on the edges I’d say, in the two layout variations when sized down it looks okay. The white on black though makes a little bit more obvious already and on the miskeeto site it’s quite obvious.
In your brainstorming session I absolutely love the one you drew above what you went for, it looks like a really cool simplified mosquito :-).
A fantastic logo and a poor co website. I believe the colors are ok, they conform to web conventions.
But some links turn orange, some diappear, some don’t change etc. The slogan on the right is too small a font size and the font face looks out of place, also the the b in big should at least be capitilized to help stress size and importance of the co and it’s aim. The description of the co is good but the font is too big and should be justified to the left, I don’t even want to comment on the white space (I see with IE7) above it. Also the menu on the left, the first letters should be capitilized (they’re important internal links). The logo doesn’t need it as a logo is a symbol. But the logo should always be in the biggest font and i believe it struggles here. Rant over, sorry :)
I just took a look at their website and loved the design on the header. The gradient goes well with the logo.
Take a look at the about page. Daniel Schutzsmith, that is quite a picture. Pretty funny.
I prefer your original abstract ideas to the final one, but I guess the client comes first :P What font is it that you have used?
OK - I’ve viewed their site again and the logo colors have changed. Dunno if it’s the different browser on my home PC or if they’re playing with the site. On IE 6 it viewed in a light baby blue / white combo. Very washed.
Tonight on IE 7 it’s a charcoal grey header with the logo in white. Much more effective. But the rest of the site is displaying itself quite funky.
Impressive logo David. I like it a lot! Not much else to say. :)
IMO, the client chose the one that really has the least effect of the three. I don’t really like the final one much at all. I think the two not chosen have great identity and are very visually pleasing, but I just don’t get why they went the way they did :\
Great job, though. I guess they’d be the experts on what’s right for them, not me anyways ;)
I like the final product. The logo has the elements that you’ve stated before - simple, describable, memorable. It can work with different colours and sizes, with and without words.
Thanks for sharing some of your thoughts/sketches again.
I like the one with the circlar O logo, I wonder if it invokes something negative (no one likes to have a mosquito bite!), but then it covers the idea of a little thing having a big effect and effects spreading etc.
Like Slevi, I like the one with the little legs, the more needle-like one is good too. It seems a good thing to me that you work the way you do - honing in on a couple of ideas. If I was a client and saw all your sketches I’d umm and ah over the possibilities for far too long :P
Dave, absolutely brilliant. A very similar approach to how we did ours (and similar concept).
Absolutely loving these case studies. Keep them coming.
I agree that Miskeeto’s goals are admirable. Regarding the circular styled logo, my client thought it resembled a broadcasting company too much, and I can see how that comes across. My reasoning behind it was a kind of ‘ripple’ effect, with something small (the bite) growing into something much larger.
Christian,
Funny you think the mark appears too round, because that’s exactly what my client wanted. They’re a professional group, who want to appear approachable. The mark was to reflect a sense of friendliness, without hard edges / lines. I appreciate your opinion though.
Paper Bull,
Nice to have you stop by. I hope all’s well with you across the water? Glad you like the logo design.
Marko, Todor,
Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts.
Randa,
Nice to read you’ve been in a similar situation, where you almost feel inadequate. Of course it’s all part of the process, but you can’t stop yourself from being human. My client ended up happy, which is great, and in turn, that leaves me happy.
Mark,
Being over in the UK, I wasn’t familiar with SCAD, but having checked out the SCAD website, it certainly seems like one of the top design colleges in the US. Thanks for the kind words!
Slevi,
I reckon that’s just my ’saving for web’ that produces the slight blur. Every logo I create is a vector file, so please disregard that. I’ll update the images when I have a chance. Regarding the sketch you liked, and I touched on this in my comment above, the idea was to keep a rounded feel, which ruled this idea out. Still, thanks for your thoughts.
Simon,
No need to apologise for the rant. I don’t intend to comment on the website here, as that’s a large topic and I’m short on time, but perhaps Miskeeto will find some benefit in what you say. Who knows?
Brett,
It’s a cracker of a photo, isn’t it? Daniel is the main reason why I designed this project. He’s the main man behind Graphic Define, and had previously approached me to write for the website. He then recommended me for the Miskeeto logo design project, which I’m extremely grateful for.
Daniel, if you’re reading this, thanks again.
David,
I’ve used Century Gothic for the company name. It had a nice rounded, modern feel to it, and was one of a few typefaces that I suggested.
Paper Bull,
I’ve always seen the charcoal grey version of the Miskeeto site, so that’s odd you found a baby blue / white combination. Perhaps it was the browser? I’m using Firefox at present.
Deron,
Thanks! I’m glad you like it.
Connor,
Your thoughts are much appreciated. Finishing with a particular design can always be very subjective, and there’ll often be a difference of opinion (as shown in these comments). What’s of importance, is that the client feels they have a mark that will last, and take them forward. Of equal importance is that the designer doesn’t provide any poor design examples, as inevitably, they’re the ones that will be chosen.
Kristarella,
You’re very welcome, and I enjoy sharing my design process, as I still have a lot to learn, and you all help me along the way. It was an odd brief, as you’ve thought about, with a mosquito having negative connotations. No-one wants bitten! It’s the impact that’s the main focus however, so you work with what you’re given. It would’ve been interesting to sit in on the naming process for the company, and why Miskeeto is spelt as such.
That’s a good point about showing sketches to a client. Too many possibilities can lead to a big set-back. I type from experience here.
Dave,
Interesting how your logo is quite similar! Not surprising that you think it’s brilliant then, haha. Cheers for stopping by, and thanks!
I think it is quite great and definitely eye catching as well as memorable. You are really talented David!
I’ve been lurking on your blog for a bit, David, and I love it. It’s great that you open yourself up like this - too bad the client ends up getting blasted for their website and choice of logo!
Alex,
I’m always happy when a ‘lurker’ ‘de-lurks’ to comment. Your compliment is very kind, and thanks for saying. As for the feedback from others, I’m very aware that not everyone likes the same design that I do, and I make a point of asking before publishing client projects. Gratefully, Miskeeto allowed me to write this blog post.
I too, love the case studies. I also am anamored that you do your logo concept sketches by hand and that you share them with us.
The concept is very powerful and believable, however the more I look at the final version (especially the black version) I cannot help but see an alien face. On further thought this may not be a bad thng. I am of the mind that a good design will always be different things to different people and that adds to the overall complexity of the “mark.”
Good job.
I think the finished version most matches the name of the company, and really didn’t think the rounded or square versions did anything to make me think of a mosquito. I also think the light colored lettering on dark background works best, wonder what it would look like if you used red for the lettering instead?
I think it would stand out more on their website if they centered the logo at the top instead of to the left, and also if they put the logo at the bottom too, but those are different issues.
Excellent work on this one.
Excellent work, David. That’s a brilliant logo, and as your client says, strong enough to stand for the brand on its own.
It’s great that you find time to prioritise work like this on socially-conscious projects. I see from your earlier post that you’re working for Myeloma, too.
I take my hat off to you for using your skills to put something back to help others.
Africa, and cancer, too - they’re both such worthy causes.
The Logo is great in that it plays upon the company name Miskeeto very well. In addition it could be used in print, web and other types of media as is.
Good Work
I like this logo. I like its simplicity. Although I like the font you’ve chosen, it would have been interesting to see others too. Great work.
Btw, is it one of the Futura family?
Sorry to multiple post like this, but have just found the font in your comment above. Did you have editable comments before? If so, why did you do away with them?
David - this is a *great* design!
I’ve recently started following your blog & look forward to reading more!
I love the logo. It’s clean, distinct and eye catching and has a nice backstory.
Is there any special meaning or abbreviation on the words “Miskeeto”? Is it just purely a variation on saying “Mosquito”?
The design is great! Catchy, simple, and harmonic. Do you draw your sketch at meetings or your refined it first before? It looks very distinctive, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd design is very different.
I’m afraid this one doesn’t do anything for me. As an icon I wouldn’t even consider it to be an insect.
I was wondering if you ever just considered a simple photo of an actual mosquitto? It would look like one actually landed on the stationary. It would say it all, I think. A name/Company represented by an image.
Ed
Ed, that’s an interesting idea and would be cool for stationary etc, but obviously David didn’t think of that because, “The client wanted a more abstract than literal logo…”
Ed
the photo wouldn’t work so well when reproduced at smaller sizes. Also, I’m not sure that the mosquito is the most attractive-looking insect.
Thanks very much. The more I look at the mark, I actually see the blades of a wind turbine, which is an extra environmentally friendly association. Interesting to know what you see though.
Tracy,
I appreciate your thoughts. Red is a colour I didn’t experiment with, as my client asked me to use the same colours they have on their website.
Roads, A. Taylor,
Cheers for commenting, and for the compliments!
John,
No need to apologise for the multiple comments. I have the ‘edit comments’ plugin activated, but it’s not working for some reason. Perhaps once I get a chance to upgrade my WP installation it’ll be back to normal.
There were quite a few different typefaces shown to the client, and Century Gothic is the one they most liked - particularly all lower case characters.
Ryan, Chamoix,
Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to comment.
Didik,
Let me find that meaning for you. As for sketching, I’m not entirely sure what your question is, but I always sketch before using a computer, and very rarely show my sketches to clients (either online or in meetings).
Ed,
As Kristarella mentions, my client didn’t want a literal image, because it’s not a very friendly, approachable icon (a mosquito).
I agree with John when he says the photo wouldn’t work so well when reduced (the legs, ‘needle’ etc. would disappear very easily due to the thin line-width).
Granted they wanted nothing literal for the reasons they mention, so why did they call themselves that if the insect as “not very friendly/approachable. I understand they were referencing the icon, but wouldn’t their public view the name with the same distain? They are an irritant that carries disease. One thing about a mosquitto, it is internationally recognizable.
I have to admit I love their attitude and direction on the website. Palette is pleasing too. Did you have input there?
Does anyone ever present something to a client even though they expressly state it is not what they want to see? I often say, “I don’t give what you want, I give you what you need.” The client to me is a part of the overall team to finding the solution. I view their bringing me on as the communications professional, not simply an “artist” to deliver their vision. They expect me to bring my professional opinion tho the table as well as my talents. I have had many situations where they express their surprize on viewing a recommendation containing an element or two they told me they “didn’t want to see.” This also shows how open minded they are in delivering that solution.
(on a closing note regarding legibility in size. I wouldn’t recommend reproducing at anything less than ‘actual size’ because it would loose the point. Anything less than actual would be represented by a light font.)
Brilliant logo design, as usual, David! I really like Century Gothic. It has a lot of character for a sans serif. Good choice!
I liked those other logos you presented your client, too, particularly the one with the flipped E, but I can see how it doesn’t quite capture the essence of the company as much as the final one :)
Did you know they’re using a .png on their site and it doesn’t render properly in IE6? I don’t know if you have any control over that…
I can’t take any credit for the colours, as the website was pretty much finalised before I was brought in. Actually, the site was waiting on my logo design before going live.
Lauren,
Thanks very much! Yeah, I know they’re using a PNG. There were some issues with GIFs, and I was told they’d implement a code fix for IE6 (to enable PNGs to show properly), but I guess that hasn’t happened yet. I’ll send an email now and offer a new file (one without transparency).
Thanks for your comments everyone. I’m the founder of Miskeeto, and I wanted to update you on a few things.
First, apparently, Adobe Contribute (which I’m using for site updates) was messing with the site in ways I didn’t know about, and the view in IE7 was … well, all shades of messed up. I was told about it yesterday and it’s all fixed now. Sorry for the confusion. I’m sure it made a terrible first impression, and I regret that.
Second, it seems quite a few of you disagree with the color choices for the site. To explain, I chose these colors becuase they’re the same ones used on my personal site (www.rhjr.net), and I wanted my existing clients and anyone who approached me because of the book (”Designing the Obvious”) to see some consistency between the sites, so that they understand the two are definitely run by the same person.
David’s logo is excellent, and I agree that the site may not let it shine as much as it could. We were very interested in launching the site by a particular date - last week - because I was headed off to a conference and needed to be able to talk about the new company while I was there. I didn’t know at the time how the logo would fit in.
In the future, I am interested in pursuing design tweaks that will work more cohesively with the logo design. At the moment, however, it will have to wait a bit.
Thanks again for your comments.
It’s simply great ! I like your works, all of them :)
Best, Maciek
being a graphic designer, i like the simplicity of the logo, it is really good.
excuse me, but i post somethings but there is not more, have you deiced to censure me? …
i move some important analitic critics about your job..
i like your logo but i think that the T is not simple to idendify, if i read for the first time i see miskeeLo, not miskeeTo…
the logo is good ( shape, idea etc…) but i think it’s not good for the reason that i explain.
regards.
Fabio
Thanks for stopping by, and again, thanks for hiring me in the first place. It was a pleasure working with you on this design.
Maciek, Akolikar,
Glad you like the design, and it’s good of you both to say so.
Fabio,
Perhaps your last comment was caught in my spam folder, I’m not sure. Sorry it didn’t appear.
I corrected some grammar and spelling in your comment above, so it’s easier for others to read. I hope you don’t mind.
thanks a lot for the correction in grammar and spelling. like you can image i’m italian. my critics are not against all your work. i like so much of the works you have done.
my compliments.
so just this logo has not convinced me!
regards.
Fabio.
p.s. excuse me if i’m being a bit aggressive with you. ;-)
I like your website: having discovered it only recently, I find it’s a useful personal resource for graphic designers. I have a question about this, though.
You say: “Sometimes, your client won’t like the designs you present them with, and when that’s the case you have a decision to make: do you keep presenting ideas until you reach the right result, do you ask for more money before continuing, or do you tell the client you’ve produced what you believe is the only idea that works?” You don’t quite completely answer that question. Obviously, you didn’t tell them that’s the only idea that works (I find using that line to be a bad choice as well), but you also don’t mention whether you asked for more money or not. I understand if you don’t want to disclose that detail, but I’m still curious, having been in the same situation before.
Glad you like my site, and if you’ve received this notification via email, you’ll find that I’ve recently moved the site to http://www.davidairey.co.uk (the .com address has been stolen).
As for your question, sorry that I didn’t clearly give an answer. I’ll address the topic in an upcoming blog post, and thanks for asking for clarification. I’m sure there are many others who have also been in our position.
You are really great! I love reading these posts and looking at your work. You are really one talented guy. 0_o
Loskas’s last blog post…aloft opening swank hotel near Philadelphia airport
You’re too kind.
Now, where do I send your $10?
you have the neatest sketch book ever!
nice work!
Thanks for the props, and congratulations on your recent LogoPond Awards win! I was happy to see the elephruit logo featured.
I wish more graphic designers would show their roughs of their logo designs.
Thank you for doing so.
I think they don’t because they don’t draw or doodle before going to the computer.
Shame on them.