Results of our 20th Anniversary Logo Competition

[Geoffrey]

My votes had been Kadir, Marie and Geoffrey.

thank you, henning

[Athnuachan]

In the future we will see how and where we are going to use these new logos, on the website and elsewhere. Any of the top five logos – and several others – would look great on a T shirt, or coffee mug, to name a few ideas! (Don’t worry; I don’t plan to open an internet shop!).

Has been fun looking at these, some excellent, some awful!

Well done to those who bothered to enter.
But what is the point?
The only time I have been happily seduced into buying an LC T shirt, mug, etc. has been at a Merch. stand at a live concert. I treasure those purchases.They remind me of the place, the time, the occasion, the people who were with me.

In the absence of live concerts I can't see myself buying such stuff again, however creative or well designed the logo.

Hope they can be used on the website - I like the new colours and designs !

[Cate]

Congratulations everyone who entered, it must have been difficult for the judges to decide.
My favourite was Ania's timeless and elegant logo. I also really liked the Tea and Oranges one by Roman and Dmitry and the silhouette by Geoffrey as well as the white line design by Gwen.
There were many great designs entered, what a creative group of people we have here!

[Geoffrey]

i ask you who, wouldn't want to see this on a t-shirt? [attachment: picture of janis & leonard in action on an unmade bed]

what is the point? [of making merchandise with logos] . . . I can't see myself buying such stuff

after having read the above messages, edited as they are, i am tempted to consider whether my influence here is not finally beginning to reap dividends. it seems my teachings of rebellion against the 'guardians of beauty' are having an effect, people are starting to grow spines, fight the establishment. i humbly wonder if i am destined to go down in history as having spawned a generation of warriors fighting for the acknowledgement of leonard cohen's free spirit.

I also really liked the . . . silhouette by Geoffrey

thank you, dear cate - and also to the many who have said likewise

[jarkko]

...and who was going to make any merchandise to sell... not me! (Read the first message in this thread).
BUT I may have a T shirt of coffee mug printed for myself!

[Geoffrey]

I may have a T shirt or coffee mug printed for myself!

i would like to have a coffee mug with a logo on it, but are we allowed to do that since you now own the rights?

[jarkko]

Of course, go ahead! The logos can be used freely for non-commercial purposes by members of our LC community!

[lizzytysh]

Geoffrey's was my 2nd choice. I LOVE the black & white drawing of Leonard. Very effective and interesting! I like the drama of it, and the way the print is offset outside the border of the inside frame. His body and hat are also outside the inner box, with the white highlighting the overlap of his body and his signature fedora making them stand out even more against the black [both Leonard and Geoffrey impressively thinking and being outside the box]. I like the way Leonard is leaning in from the outside frame into the inside frame on more of a diagonal plane. I like the seriousness in Leonard's face... and this definitely is about LEONARD! He's older, but not necessarily old, in this depiction. HE is the focus and clearly denotes that these are about HIM. It's simple and effective. Leonard stands strong, as he dominates within the frame! With Leonard and Geoffrey being friends, it would have been great for Geoffrey to have placed higher, yet I still prefer Ania's unique and highly representative creation. And there are good reasons for the other two to have been included in the top three, as well. Choices can be so difficult to make.

Kadir's was my 3rd choice. Leonard with his signature fedora. Plain, simple, balanced, easy-to-read, and dramatic. Yet, it still focuses on Leonard as singer, though he could be reciting poetry just as easily. A very strong looking logo, with its squareness.

Now, looping back after my own top 3 choices, to the others that are included in the other categories.

Beverley's ~ Love the drama and the lighting, and his tipped signature fedora, with his hands and the microphone. Love the drama and the shaft of light from above, creating very interesting lighting all around; and his tipped fedora, his head down in his serious, focused, humble way; and his great, gentle, wonderful hands, so very flesh-coloured and detailed here, as they cup the microphone. As Diane said, the lighting replicates the stage lighting on him; another thought that I had was "how the light gets in... " I like the subtlety of [what appears to be] the Unified Hearts ring Leonard is wearing and on his middle finger [the balance of that]. This logo is very textural and I like that [his hat, his skin, the light... ]. I like that it says "Online since 1995." I was torn between Kadir's and Beverley's and am still almost more inclined to put Beverley's ahead of Kadir's. I'm just being true to my original choices in my comments.


Marie's ~ I love the mystery and drama incorporated into this one, all the points of light behind him, and his face with his signature fedora in shadows looking down... that humility we all love. This is a very interesting photo depiction of him. I had interpreted the lights in the background as the audience he has for now turned away from, as he takes a rest and decides where to go from here. This is something I could see as a framed 'picture' of Leonard hanging on someone's wall. I love the description of it that I read on Facebook... "An Iconic image..... an unmistakable silhouette ...instantly recognizable as the man himself. The lights in the background represent the many fans worldwide. At first ...Leonard is facing you. He is watching over you as you peruse the Files. It is a personal relationship...The many fans are gathered behind him in support. Stare a little longer and Leonard can be seen facing his fans. It is Leonard the performer, addressing his Forum. “thanks for all the lights friends”. "

Ken's ~ I like the dramatic, black silhouette of Leonard's head with his signature fedora, and orange goes with the new Forum colours; but I couldn't make sense of its use, except for the reference by Leonard that there's no word that rhymes with it. However, even when an orange was staring me in the face, I didn't put "tea and oranges" together, as I saw the cup in Roman and his friend's logo as being a coffee cup. I hadn't considered it as a Wanted poster, as Diane mentioned... but I sure see it now, and it makes sense that Ken would do something like that I know that the colours for Henning's team of choice are yellow and black. Now, I'm wondering if the colours for Ken's team of choice are orange and something [maybe black].


Actually, I can easily see ANY/ALL of the entries on a t-shirt or mug! Some of us [Athnuachan] would and will spend money to make that happen. We have new experiences wearing them that we'll also remember and treasure. These representations of Leonard's world are worthy of sharing with the world.

[Geoffrey]

Geoffrey's was my 2nd choice. I LOVE the black & white drawing of Leonard. Very effective and interesting! I like the drama of it, and the way the print is offset outside the border of the inside frame. His body and hat are also outside the inner box, with the white highlighting the overlap of his body and his hat making them stand out even more against the black [both Leonard and Geoffrey impressively thinking and being outside the box]. I like the seriousness in Leonard's face... and this definitely is about LEONARD! He's older, but not necessarily old, in this depiction. HE is the focus and clearly denotes that these are about HIM. It's simple and effective. Leonard stands strong, as he dominates within the frame! With Leonard and Geoffrey being friends, it would have been great for Geoffrey to have placed higher, yet I still prefer Ania's unique and highly representative creation. And there are good reasons for the other two to have been included in the top three, as well. Choices can be so difficult to make.

leonard is well known for having no fans, only friends - and i count myself amongst them. ania's image was unbeatable, and deserved to be at the top. perhaps i am wrong, but i interpreted the results as 3 images sharing joint first place, and 2 images sharing joint second place - of which my effort fell into the latter. i liked very much the religious one right at the bottom by 'anonymous'. not an original picture, but more than suitable for anyone who understands its symbolic implications. it was in any case the one that made the biggest impression. the list was alphabetical, so 'anonymous' should not really have been last, unless the contributor's surname began with a 'z'. i didn't know it was allowed to be nameless. was it leonard who sent that one in, jarkko?

[lizzytysh]

Yes, that was my interpretation, as well. Still, we as we looked at them, ordered them. At least I did. Three sharing joint First Place, two sharing joint Second Place, and then one in Special Mention. I believe that, not knowing the name, the anonymous one was naturally shown last.

Yes, I would love to have the bottom one on my wall. It appeared to be a shroud, with the body departed. I wrote some comments on that, as well. I'll put them here later. I wondered was it the prisoner escaped? Was it the tomb? I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I liked it. I'm unfamiliar with the image.

[Geoffrey]

Yes, I would love to have the bottom one on my wall. It appeared to be a shroud, with the body departed. I wrote some comments on that, as well. I'll put them here later. I wondered was it the prisoner escaped? Was it the tomb? I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I liked it. I'm unfamiliar with the image.

it's a portrayal of what was found after they rolled away the stone, lizzie. 'anonymous', our mystery competitor, was saying that leonard is equal to a messiah. personally i don't think it's fair that only jarkko knows the identity of anonymous, there was no mention in the competition rules of this being allowed. if you stick it into 'google image' or 'tineye reverse search' a number of sites displaying that image are listed.
anyway, i received a parcel from finland containing a beautiful t-shirt in the post today, together with a superb picture of lots of birds on a wire. thank you so much jarkko; i will wear this garment with my head held high

[LisaLCFan]

What a marvellous collection of postage stamps!

[lizzytysh]

That must be why it resonated as looking 'familiar' yet not being familiar with where or why... and why your explanation was one of my guesses as to its meaning.
Maybe Jarkko didn't know who did it, either. I guess someone could have requested to not have their name listed, and he could honour that without having made it a part of the rules.

Looking forward to a photo of you in your t-shirt !!!

[phillip]

congratulations to the winners

[Geoffrey]

I may have a T shirt of coffee mug printed for myself!

good idea, jarkko!!!