New USA7s logo contest

[IamScotticus]

I like the flares/clams (only Americans call them clams), but lets face it, flares are too per-war looking for the modern tastes. Think MGTD.

Cat certainly drppped the clams adapting to the consumer tastes as well as competition best practices as allowed.  The cycle wings became the standard equipment since the late 90s.

After all, initially the flared wings were only a compromise to get into the American market.  

It is a fortunate coincidence the flares do compliment the 7 very well, IMO.  But I would prefer to race with cycle wings. 

[Timothy Keith-Lucas]

Have we exhausted ideas?  If so, I vote for any of the near relatives of the original design proposed by JohnCh, such as this one:

A risk in doing a group design is each person having a very specific favorite, such that no consensus is reached. I actually would prefer a slightly lower bonnet and wings, because it looks more Caterham than Lotus, and I own a 1962 S2.  Perhaps someone with more investment in the organization than I have developed could propose a model that he/she thinks everyone could live with.

[JohnCh]

Hi @Timothy Keith-Lucas as per the original post, not all proposals are in this thread, and the intent was to keep it open through April to give people time. There is no rush to reach a decision.  If nothing else comes in over the next couple of weeks, or if the people who have privately indicated to me that they are working on something don't need the extra time, then I will consider ending it earlier than planned.

 

On 3/21/2025 at 9:53 AM, JohnCh said:

Feel free to post your ideas here, but to make an official submission, please send a PM to both @Croc and @JohnCh with the subject line "Logo submission".  We'll close this down at the end of April, but if nothing compelling comes through, we'll extend it indefinitely.  Bottom line, we don't want to make a change just for the sake of change. 

 

[IamScotticus]

6 hours ago, Timothy Keith-Lucas said:

it looks more Caterham than Lotus.

I looked at that first thing myself,  and I'm going to disagree of your assessment of the bonnet angle.  Cat nose heights vary from car to car, but my observation of Cat bonnet angles is they are nearly horizontal, especially on a DeDion.  This requires some proof.  The front bonnet height on my 96 is 6.25" and the and the scuttle is 9". A Lotus nose height is generally an inch shorter 5.25".  The inch difference is more noticeable depending on the rear ride height which I believe S2s & 3s (live axles) ride ride higher in rear. With John's silhouette being perfectly horizontal,  and to have the bonnet angle it does, is evident to me this is based on a S2 profile, or an artistic library has been taken.  Regardless,  I think the lines of the car are very good but the silhouette lines could be thicker or darker to pop better for smaller thumbs, etc. 

Yes  it's a ridiculous argument.  But it's fun.

 

Edited March 31 by IamScotticus

[pethier]

The most-important part of any sticker or the like is the URL:

usa7s.net

 

The "net" is important.  URLs in the USA seem to be .com or .org so I think getting the .net in there would be a good idea.

 

If a representation of a car profile is used, the bonnet angle is a trivial concern, IMHO.

[CBuff]

John can confirm but I think we have the  usa7s.com domain and it redirects to net.  Not sure of everyone’s loyalty to the .net but I don’t think it is as critical. 

[panamericano]

I tried COM a few weeks ago and id DID redirect to the NET site.

[pethier]

55 minutes ago, panamericano said:

I tried COM a few weeks ago and id DID redirect to the NET site.

Cool.

[JohnCh]

Quick follow up.  The contest end date was yesterday, and we were fortunate to receive a design that @Croc and I both like a lot.  The winner has been notified and is cleaning up the design now to get it ready for printing.  It should be ready in another week or two, at which point I'll share the new logo and announce the winner.

[JohnCh]

It's time to announce the winner of our contest and share the new logo. @Slonie has spent the past several weeks making tweaks to his winning design, including developing different color combinations to work with backgrounds other than white, and vectorizing the logos to provide scaling flexibility. In recognition of his contribution, he has been elevated to the newly created Lifetime Member user group, which is similar to the paid Club Member group, but with increased limits, and no expiration date. If you like the new logo, please thank him for his efforts. If you don't like it, please internalize your feelings, silently count to ten, and thank him anyway. 

 

There is one downside to the new logo; it doesn't work well with the current site color scheme. As a result, the site will receive updates this weekend. Don't worry, it's not radical. It's simpler, and cleaner, and the navigation and layout are unchanged. 

 

Below is a large image of the primary logo designed for white backgrounds, and smaller versions of other color options that will work on various darker backgrounds. I've also included a screenshot of the new site color scheme to assuage the concerns of those with a primal fear of change. You know who you are.

 

Provided the printed T-shirts and embroidered polo shirts pass a quality check, those will be available for purchase in the near future. Rather than increase the price by managing our own storefront which takes a cut of the profits, we've opted to let you purchase directly from the printer via dedicated links that will be published on the forum.

 

Thanks again Slonie!

 

 

[pethier]

I like it.  Simple.  Direct.  Not favoring or dissing any particular brand of Sevenish cars.  Has the complete-enough URL.

[IamScotticus]

@Slonie thanks, your 7 shiloette was my favorite and thanks @Crocfor the serif 7.  It's an appropriate subtle homage to Caterham. 

[Croc]

1 hour ago, IamScotticus said:

...... thanks @Crocfor the serif 7.  It's an appropriate subtle homage to Caterham. 

 

No thanks to me.  It is all @Slonie who deserves the credit.   Plus @JohnCh deserves credit for shepherding the contest and now making it ready to roll out on this site.  

 

I'm just lost in London again this week.  

[JohnCh]

2 hours ago, IamScotticus said:

It's an appropriate subtle homage to Caterham.

Uh...no. As @pethier noted above, it's brand agnostic. You're welcome to interpret it as an homage to Caterham, or Lotus, or Westfield, or even Lamborghini, but I don't want to create a false backstory on its intent. This should be an apocryphal-free zone. 

[panamericano]

@Slonie, job well done.  Very nice design with some Color.  

 together.

@JohnCh, thanks for pulling it all together.  Will there be stickers for putting on cars?

[SENC]

Well done!  Thanks Slonie!

[Timothy Keith-Lucas]

Wizard! Thanks so much for the updated logo.

 

I just downloaded a copy so I can print it on a shirt. No commercial intent. Is that OK?

 

[JohnCh]

6 hours ago, panamericano said:

Will there be stickers for putting on cars?

 

Their sticker options aren't great: square rather than rectangular, which creates massive top and bottom borders. I could add them provided people don't mind cutting them to size themselves; however, I have no idea if the adhesive is paint safe. They are likely fine for roll bars and tool chests.

 

5 hours ago, Timothy Keith-Lucas said:

I just downloaded a copy so I can print it on a shirt. No commercial intent. Is that OK?

 

A one-off is fine for the time being, provided it's clear that the copyright stays with the club, and there's no form of monetization; however, since the club may opt to monetize merchandise in the future, we'll likely add a restriction that the use can't duplicate an official club item. e.g. if there is no sweatshirt available, and you want a sweatshirt, make a sweatshirt. But if there is a sweatshirt, support the club and buy the official version. Bottom line, we don't want to unintentionally spawn a sanctioned knock-off market   

[wemtd]

John Et al.   The colors look good!

 

re stickers: would it format on an oval vinyl cling sticker? I’ve had one on my car for years without falling off. & I’ve removed them without any marks.

[JohnCh]

The issue with the stickers I mentioned above was specific to the printing vendor I've chosen for shirts. A different vendor who offers more sticker options may not have self-ordering capability or have decent shirt options. Although we could use different vendors for both, I think most people would want to bundle a sticker with a shirt to save on shipping costs. Most of these places have a minimum shipping charge that will far exceed the purchase price of just a sticker. I'll look into it later when I have time to see what options exist that won't require me to go into the fulfillment business. Of course, if one of you wants to volunteer to become a logistics engine...