Broken Kode Logo
When I’m not talking much on the Kode, it usually means I’m up to something. This has been a pretty long weekend for me. I didn’t go to work on Friday because I was pretty determind to finish off several of my projects. You’d be amazed at the amount of progress someone can get done if he’s under a self imposed deadline.
Of the things that was on the top of the list was to finally create myself a logo. This task is a lot simpler to say than actually accomplish because the honest truth of the situation is that I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to get myself sorted with a logo for like over a year now. I couldn’t for the life of me decide what I wanted the logo to convey. I couldn’t for the life of me sit down and come up with an idea and run with it.
Honestly I tried everything. I tried sketching, hoping that devine inspiration would strike me and I’d be off, however I’ve come to realise and accept that unfortunately my mind simply doesn’t operate that way. Sometimes I can force the issue and will eventually submitt. This could be because of time constraints, it could be because of lack of energy to continue kicking the point into submission. However Broken Kode is different. Broken Kode is in many ways a reflection of myself and as such I don’t care how long things take, as long as they’re done properly.
Sitting on something for a long time however is not good. Taking your time and taking a year and a half to think of a logo is silly. Now I don’t know if it’s because I sat down and I thought things through, or if the pressure got to me but Saturday evening it hit me. I knew exactly what I wanted my logo to convey. I knew what I want to say with it, and I had a clear image in my head.
I’m not sure how most designers go about getting ideas to create things, but due to my background in weilding a pencil and ink brush, I visualise the entire thing in my head before I’ve even begun. I can ’see’ everything clearly in my head. The final result might differ in the details, but the overall outcome is pretty close to what I envisioned at the start.
The one thing that really annoyed me was getting something to work as 16px x 16px for the new favicon. After going down to like 50px x 50px there seriously was no point to the whole thing. So you’ll notice the favicon is a bit different to the real logo, but the essence is there. I’m not going to base my logo on the basis that it’s got to fit into a 16px x 16px square, anyway the logo is going to be getting a lot of use in the physical world, so that takes a bit of presidence. For all those IE users that can’t see the favicon (first of all switch to Firefox) here’s an image, 
This element only occupied 1/6 of my weekend. I’ll hopefully be announcing the other stuff later on during the week.
logo looks quite nice. good job!
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Really slick, Khaled. I don’t know how you mange to convey “flat” and “3d” in the same image but it works marvelously. You’re like some sort of freaky pencil guru.
I certainly get the whole, “hmm.. logo… logo…” thing. I’ve been trying to envision one for ages and still have no hard idea on the subject.
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
I’m diggin’ it (and by that I mean I like it, not that I’m social-bookmarking it). It has that classical feel of yester-year, and somehow “just works.” Does this mean that a site re-align is forthcoming, to match the new logo? Off-topic: I got my start doing hand-drawing too. When drawing, I’m basically tracing what I already see in my head.
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
You are a god amongst ants.
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Nice logo, Khaled! I see that blue and orange are definitely your ‘brand colours’ now.
I’m the same but different; I visualise the whole idea in my head but in the act of putting pen to paper (or digital bits), the idea takes shape and evolves…
Can’t wait:)
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Thanks guys.
Chris - Word of advise (seeing as it took me 1.5 years), don’t push it, but actually sit for a while and think of an idea, what you’re trying to get across, things kinda fall into place after that.
Nathan - I’m going to be sorting out the realign/redesign in the not to distant future. I’ve got the ideas in my head, I’m just going to need to find me a javascript guru to help me out for a couple of things…or a flash one, not sure yet but I’ve already sketched what I want :).
Scrivs - Only a demi-god,..at best :) lol
Phu - Yeah, blue and orange does click with my sensibilies. As for mystery project (not really a mystery, but the scope is), if I could stop TWEAKING then I might actually get it finished off :).
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Excellent work - nice complementary mix of imagery and font. :)
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
PS: Feel free to hit me up for any Javascript hackery - I need something to do. ;)
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
How you’re handling all this I have no idea. Did Heilemann teach you something I don’t know?
Looks great of course. I love that you “dare” use color in a logo like this, I’m always chicken myself.
Sidenote: it would be a good idea to place the favicon.ico file in the root of your webserver, since that’s where browsers assume it is anyway. Check your 404 log :)
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Looking good malaka!
Dont forget your late February deadlines…
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Matthew - thanks, that’s one of the things that I struggle with BIG time. My general typography needs some serious work and a better understanding, and a nice wad of cash for fonts wouldn’t be a bad thing either. I might just take you up on the javascripting when it comes to implementing the retweak :).
Joen - Thanks buddy, but the more I look around the more I realise that I am seriously developing ‘my’ style. I’m just wondering when it’ll get old and boring :). Which reminds me wanted to say that playing around with Zenphoto I can definitely see that you did the design of the admin panel, just wanted to see where you were coming from (re-discussions on shuttle).
Stathi - I never signed anything, so you better NOT be giving me any shit :).
↓ Quote | 17/1/2006
Great job Khaled. I love the retro/classic yet modern feel of it. Your use of blues is fantastic as well. Keep up the good work my friend. Now that I think about it though, I’m jealous. I’ve been trying to come up with a logo for almost the same amount of time and still have nada to show for it :-/
↓ Quote | 18/1/2006
okay, im jelous. thats awesome.
↓ Quote | 18/1/2006
It’s nice, but I don’t like this typo very much… the microphone is a great idea!
↓ Quote | 18/1/2006
Ahh, this reminds me of myself. I’ve been trying to come up with a better logo for myself as well for nearly half a year. Good to know I’m not alone, heh.
Anyways, I dig the logo. I figured your interest lies in music, specifically blues/swing perhaps that influenced you? Curious as to why you did an oldskool mic.
↓ Quote | 18/1/2006
Hey thunderbolt, I’ve always had problems with my typography :). If you’ve got any better ideas for a 1930s style font, honestly I’m all up for hearing suggestions. That’s the one area I really wouldn’t mind some feedback on.
Khairudin, nah man, all of us are struggling big time with defining your online self. For me it was just a pretty simple idea that a blog is effectively the radio of the 21st century. Any which way you cut it that’s what it is. It’s bigger and better of course, but it’s still effectively a radio which you ‘broadcast’ your thoughts to the world. As I love the 30s style it was a pretty natural progression for me to go in that direction. Wait till you see what I’m working on right now, seriously OLD SKOOL :).
Shawn - thanks buddy. As you can see seems everyone has troubles with their own logo, which is kinda cool because I thought I was seriously crap because I couldn’t come up with something for myself…but I like your current logo. It’s reminds me of you straight away, soo I dunno I guess it works for me :).
↓ Quote | 18/1/2006
Very Nice!! Nice work man..
At the first look I though you started a podcast, until I saw the big “Broken Kode Logo”.
↓ Quote | 19/1/2006
Like the logo.
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
Think I broke your website.
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
That’s the first time I get a spammer with a sense of humour :). So funny, which is why I’m keeping the comment, not the link though (basically bloophead had a few links that broke the site, i.e very long ass links).
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
If I ever need a logo doing, I know where to go. Lovely design.
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
Thanks Ben :). Which reminds me, I really like your Mobile fish template idea, super cool. Wanted to write something when you posted it, but honestly I got seriously side tracked with all the little projects I’ve got floating around right now, but another one is about to be kicked out the door as well :).
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
Heh, thanks; one of the few bits of graphic design work I’ve done that turned out well (which is probably why I keep finding ways to re-use it…). If you end up making one, some photos would be great.
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
I’ll send you them for sure :).
↓ Quote | 20/1/2006
Hey, that looks really nice. I was just wondering what did you use to make that. Those look vector, so corel or fireworks?
↓ Quote | 22/1/2006
I always hand draw something, scan it in and then it’s Freehand (I must be one of the few people out there that still loves this little program and refuses to use Adobe-Bloatalot-Illustrator) and then into Photoshop.
↓ Quote | 22/1/2006
very clean/sharp. love the color palette.
↓ Quote | 26/1/2006
Ditto.
↓ Quote | 14/3/2006
Now I have heard somewhere that, “a good logo is one that can be drawn in sand with a piece of stick”.
This might be a little complex for that, but then you can sculpt amazing sand castles with sand too! I like it a lot, �neighbors envy, owners pride!�
↓ Quote | 15/3/2006