After (during more likely) having done both the Steemporium & Steemstreams logo, I had another job already lined up (wish it was always this easy). @Rest100 and @mrviquez are heading up a new project on the blockchain, and they were in search of a professional logo. So @Rest100 contacted me on Discord. Due to things still being set up at the time, I was asked to hold this post under wraps till everything was ready. Which it now is.

The project in this case is Five Star Entertainment Group.

The Brief

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The logo obviously needed to portray the five stars from the name. They represent the highest rated level, 5/5, a sign that Five Star Entertainment group provides the highest level of service. It also needed to represent Five Star being a company on the blockchain. Apart from that, it just needed to look top notch instead something put together from stock art.

Concepts | Initial thoughts put on paper

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While still working on the Steemporium logo and waiting for some feedback, I took the opportunity to do some sketches, let my thoughts flow about what I thought the logo might go and look like.

Usually, depending, I show these to the client, so they can see where I'm heading and so they can shoot down thoughts that might work for me, but not for them and thus, save me some work.

In this case though, I had some clear ideas I really wanted to show in a slightly further developed state. And that for me, actually turned them into unsuitable logo's. The general idea for each of the following 3 logo's was to combine 5 stars into one. It just didn't work, even though the sketches clicked for me. I'll explain why each failed for me.

But before I do that, I want to tell about how I chose a rather bold tactic when presenting all the logo's to @Rest100. I told him I was going to show him 3 logos and then I told him I did NOT want him to choose any of them. Then I showed him the 5 star Free Crown logo (the one that ended up being chosen) and told him to choose that one. He had NO qualms whatsoever to do that. He loved it. But since he's not alone in this project, some cross checking had to be done. So, having said that, here are the 3 cannon fodder logo's I was fully willing to sacrifice in order to get the Free Crown design chosen.

Cannon Fodder | The Failures

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Atomic Star

This one is just way to boring, had not much to do with blockchain technology and fails in regard to portraying 5 star service.
There's 5 pieces of star, but the relation to generally accepted display of 5 stars for greatness is lost.

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Atomic Ribbon

I liked this one a lot in the sketch phase. But in the actual design it falls flat on it's face. There's just 1 star, and there is no representation of the block-chain at all.

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Atomic Blockchain

This one had more potential. It's a single star, formed of 5 'stars' each ending in a block representing the blockchain part. Unfortunately, it also looked like David's star or a Menorah. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it did NOT fit the needs for this logo.

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Inspiration | The Winning Idea

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Apparently, I had to get these 3 out of my system, before moving on to the final design. I already had it in the sketches. There's only one with 5 stars and it looked boring initially, which is why I went on with the other ones first. But when I started digitally exploring it, the winning idea hit me full force. I was not going to do 5 stars.

I was going to lay down blocks from the BLOCKCHAIN (the triangles), the negative space between them forming FIVE STARS and the entire logo itself forming a CROWN. Because next to 5 star service and blockchain tech, I wanted the logo to portray them as the best of the best, KING of the hill. The 5 in the centre is an emphasize on the Five from the name and functions as a jewel in the crown. It will also allow them to use it without text and it will still lead to the Five Star name.

All that brought together and The Free Crown design was born. I had some other variations to this, dubbed Half Crown (top right) and Full Crown (bottom right). But both of those made the stars more obvious, more in your face. And I loved the cleverness and subtlety of the Free Crown design.

They chose the one I loved most, the Free Crown edition. In my opinion, they chose the best. I think in the end, the story that makes up the thoughts behind a logo are what makes it a winner.

Thanks for reading.

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Full STEEM ahead my fellow Steemians