Need an idea for a logo

I am in the process of starting a company and need some help with coming up with some ideas for a logo. The actual work will be outsourced to crowdspring, 99designs.com, or maybe even oDesk.

First, some background on the company. About a year ago I lost my son and one of his passions was video games. I started a company in his memory called Bubba's Game Room with the purpose of creating an amazing party experience for kids. Parents can come to me and I can help them host a birthday party where all the latest video game equipment will be brought in and they can play all the latest games. I will run mini tournaments, have some jam sessions on rock band, and just have some good competitive fun with the kids.

When trying to play around with a logo concept, I am just stumped and could use some help. I like text based logos that have the web 2.0 look, but I also have to cater to the fact that since this is logo is for Gamers and their parents, it needs to be edgy and cool.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I recently went through the process of getting a logo designed at 99designs, I have blogged about my experience here: http://www.redguava.com.au/2010/11/getting-the-most-out-of-crowd-sourced-design-work/.

I think you can dive into one of these contests without really knowing what you want for the logo, the contest itself is a bunch of designers brainstorming ideas for you.

I've had a lot of success with http://logotournament.com, actually. You get a lot of good designers cranking on your problem, and you interact w/ them all (as much or little as you want) through the process until you come up w/ the logo you find perfect.

So sorry to hear about your loss. And what a fantastic way you've come up with to celebrate your son's life by creating amazing parties!

From what you've said, you're not yet at the point where you could describe what you want from a logo. But you're on the way. A great logo will convey some sense of:

• Parties
• Kids
• Amazing experiences
• Gaming

So crowdspring, 99designs or similar may be a great way at least to develop your thinking. If you give a fairly open brief, you'll see a wide variety of ideas and this will help develop your thinking. If you're active in engaging with individual designers about what you like and don't like, by the end of the process you'll have something to work with.

Now, it's possible that the logo that emerges from this will be essentially a first detailed sketch. Put it on some low cost business cards and marketing postcards, and go test reactions with parents and kids.

At the end of that, you may find there are things which work and things which don't work. If you've developed a good relationship with the winning designer, they'll be delighted to take on a follow-on project - or you can use what you've learned to create a more detailed brief for a new design contest.

I'm also sorry to hear that.

How about a 2D character inspired by typical video game characters? Colorful, a bit C64-style but maybe a bit more modern. The pixels shouldn't be exactly squares that are arranged on a raster but loosely fit the raster. I imagine a character running to the right, in particular arms in a running position. Things pointing to the upper right are generally recepted positively.

I think it should be designed in a way that at first sight people don't necessarily associate it with a game character. That way you could stress that your company is focussed primarilly on entertainment.

Try finding a solid local designer. You'll need to go back to them. I believe that properly managing your relationships with skilled professionals are the key to success in any startup endeavor. And this can be done only if you are appreciated and highly esteemed, as much as if you respect others. Said another way: do you have contests for your plumber?

And, treat your whole brand with respect from the get-go. Making yourself appealing to kids isn't just the logo.

I really hate to advertise my services on sites such as these, but I really feel I must for this one. I am a web and graphic designer that I know you will love, you wont think twice about going to 99designs or corwdspring after seeing my designs: http://casesandberg.com/ As per the logo, I feel for something such as this you want to go for something that is more edgy and cool. You have to think of your target market, from what I can tell you are going to be advertising to kids and parents, not tech-savvy CEOs for example.

Hope this helps!!

Cheers!