Your opinion about logos.

[philip sewell]

A chap called Nathan (I believe from Murdoch joinery) rang me and gave me some feedback on the scribers. Generally he seemed to really like the tool but suggested adding a logo which I hadn’t thought of.

I looked into having a stamp made of the stylised plane on my logo but have opted for stickers at this point.

I’m interested to know if a logo would make a difference between buying or not buying an item for you. Particularly in my circumstance where it’s obvious I’m a one man band.

I’ve come to realize that selling is a dark art so keen to learn what guides our decisions about what we buy.

I wonder whether being a single craftsman is a bonus for selling my boxes but a hindrance for selling the scribes.
Thanks in advance.

Philip.
www.tooleypark.com
www.bespokehandmadeboxes.co.uk
www.neatcatch.co.uk

 

[EddyCurrent]

I like to see a logo, if the item is any good then the supplier should be proud of it.
Laser engraving would look better than a sticker. On wooden items I like to see a hot branding iron being used for the logo.

 

[Peterm1000]

Neat looking tool... Is that a sticker? I think an engraved logo or similar increases the feeling of quality. A sticker - not so much.

 

[Peterm1000]

I like to see a logo, if the item is any good then the supplier should be proud of it.
Laser engraving would look better than a sticker. On wooden items I like to see a hot branding iron being used for the logo.

Funny - we posted at the same time with the same thought!

 

[akirk]

A logo gives you an identity / brand which suggests that you 'established' and that does give a bit more credibility / value to the item over something with no branding or logo (such as a generic Chinese item)

however a sticker can look a little more industrial / low spec than something better integrated and it could look as though you have simply imported cheap chinese versions of a product and added your own sticker...

could you instead engrave or acid etch or similar?

 

[akirk]

Funny - we posted at the same time with the same thought!

I was obviously also writing the same thing as no replies had been posted - I replied and hey presto two other similar views!

 

[Cabinetman]

I have been down this road, what I really wanted was a float on transfer for my wood products but I just couldn’t find them, had some engraved badges/labels made in the end but I wish I hadn’t bothered as they took a while to sink into the timber and time is money. I hope you don’t think I’m being rude but those labels are not right and the first thing I would do would be to unpeel it. I hope it doesn’t leave glue behind?

 

[TheUnicorn]

I agree with others logo yes, sticker no. Would look nice acid etched / embossed, it is just a question of whether the cost of adding a logo is justified in the price

 

[doctor Bob]

I have some lovely stainless steel plates we are supposed to fix to the furniture, trouble is no one ever does it!!!

 

[Jelly]

The logo is nicely designed and would add a lot to the "feel".

But it just doesn't work as a sticker...

I would immediately remove it, be bugged by the adhesive for a while, then use the scribe for years until it finally got lost/broken, and finally post here asking if anyone could remember where I could get a replacement from having not seen the logo in years.

Engraved*, laser etched, or acid etched would give a substantial improvement in appearance, though personally I think @Cabinetman's suggestion of a seperate brass tag held on with screws or hammer-in-screw-rivet-thingies, might be the best aesthetic choice to make it scream "quality".

* If you're having the metal parts CNC'd anyway this could be added to the cycle pretty simply, but might warrant redesigning the logo to allow it to run as a single toolpath with a d-bit cutter to minimise cutting time.


Edit:

I have some lovely stainless steel plates we are supposed to fix to the furniture, trouble is no one ever does it!!!

Fair point, which would certainly make me re-appraise my preference for additional plates in a production environment.

 

[Padster]

As you asked for opinions, here's mine: If someone recommended a tool and it had no logo, I wouldn't care, if it had a sticker I may peel it off as others have said, if it had an engraved, embossed, etched logo would I think it makes the tool look nicer maybe - would it change my opinion of it no....BUT I may remember the brand more easily....

Not sure that helps! Sorry.

Padster

 

[artie]

Ask yourself, how many successful companies do you know that don't have a logo?

Then go and do some research into the thinking behind some famous logos.

It's not whether to have one or whether it's engraved or stick on.

It's whether it's designed correctly to appeal to the subconscious mind in a way that words cannot.

IMO the wrong logo would be worse than no logo.

 

[MARK.B.]

A quality product advertises itself but its nice to know who made it so a good logo is the way to do it, stickers as said above can be lost over time and can look cheap.
I had a look at your site Phillip and on both models it says a 1mm lip ,looks to be around 10mm from the pictures

 

[Cabinetman]

Ask yourself, how many successful companies do you know that don't have a logo?

Then go and do some research into the thinking behind some famous logos.

It's not whether to have one or whether it's engraved or stick on.

It's whether it's designed correctly to appeal to the subconscious mind in a way that words cannot.

IMO the wrong logo would be worse than no logo.

So where do they get the subconscious minds from Artie? Not saying your wrong BTW.

 

[thetyreman]

it wouldn't make the slightest difference with me..

 

[TheTiddles]

It does look a bit like you’ve badged someone else’s product, but you have to start somewhere
Aidan

 

[Droogs]

I have been down this road, what I really wanted was a float on transfer for my wood products but I just couldn’t find them, had some engraved badges/labels made in the end but I wish I hadn’t bothered as they took a while to sink into the timber and time is money. I hope you don’t think I’m being rude but those labels are not right and the first thing I would do would be to unpeel it. I hope it doesn’t leave glue behind?

@Cabinetman have a look at Lazertran. It is a blank water transfer decal sheet that you put through a laser printer. I used them for my Irn Bru colour scheme for my bike.

 

[Ollie78]

I am in general agreement about the sticker not being the best. It will likely peel off and look scruffy quite quickly.

The product looks great though, a neat execution. Have you tried it with Pica dry pencils ?
Only because my current fastcap easy scribe only uses normal school style pencils which I don`t have so many of now I converted to the Pica pencil, also the fit of the pencil and the brass knobs leaves a lot to be desired.

I do think a logo is good to have but I think it should be etched or machined/ stamped on.
The logo won`t make me buy it or not, the quality and usefulness will do that, but afterwards the logo will accidentally go into my brain as I use the tool for years.

I remember seeing something that could print masking sheets for etching circuit boards on a laser printer or something. Perhaps something like this might be the way forward.
Or maybe a masking sticker and a quick blast with a bead blaster, either to leave a shiny logo or a matte logo on the shiny background.

Good luck.

Ollie

 

[philip sewell]

Thanks for everyone who has responded to this post. It seems like the stickers aren’t getting the thumbs up which is fair enough.

They are good quality and not easy to peel off so I think they will stay on for a while (or they can be peeled off and a wipe with a bit of white spirit will clear up any residue).

As I said in the first post I went down the road of getting a stamp made and going forward I might try that. My mind was changed when I bought a good quality cramp that had the company logo on a sticker.

It’s also a cost issue, will having a fancy logo on the tool justify the extra cost. I think this tool is geared more to the professional fitter who is probably more interested in how it performs.

I have some fine tools but I don’t take them on site because I’d probably knacker them. This to my mind is very much a functioning, useful tool which is well made to withstand being knocked about on site.

If I start to sell a few more I'll look into some of the options people have suggested (some of which I've never heard of so will have to do some research)

Ok, here’s another question.

How much do reviews play a part in your purchasing decision?

I’m trying to get purchasers to review the scriber as this (for me anyway) has an impact on whether I buy or not. I’ve had a couple of good reviews so far and it’s early days so hopefully I will add to them if I sell more.

Thanks again for all your help.

Philip.

 

[baldkev]

Fof me, reviews are very important, but thats dependent on cost. If the item was relatively cheap i wont mind dropping a few quid taking a chance, but if its a bigger purchase i definitely look at reviews and alternatives. And returns policy......

Great looking bit of kit by the way

Where did you get your stamp made? Id like to get a wood brand made
Thanks, kev