I had to create a logo from scratch, since they were using a clip art bought online and using a script typeface that came in Microsoft Office; it was really foul. Since they are my parents and I've worked for the company, I knew their clients (mainly dentist offices, residentials, with little commercial) and set off to sketch.

 

One main issue was the name. It was R&E cleaning, with the ampersand. Which is nice, but when they had someone create a website (an aweful website) they had to use RNE cleaning, which isn't RandE cleaning. The whole & was a mess, so it's just better to do away with it so they can be searched easier. 

 

I tried all sorts of silly combinations between the RE and the word cleaning, even trying to make it look like a house. I threw it all away because it just wasn't working. I finally settled on using a monogram, using Futura as the basis, since it is the working man's font.

 

I took one of my old sketches playing with R & E / R + E and took the format of having the type fit into a square ratio with the r nestled in the top left, e bottom right, and the +/& in the middle. It worked, but it looked dull, so I swapped out the +/& with a heart, because RE is a wife and husband team and because it would appeal to their residential & office demographics (small business, friendly types.) 

After setting up the logo, I used a shade of turquoise to be the main color, with a red heart to contract, while the lettering would be in white. On BW applications, everything would be in all white or black, opposite of the background. Because of the square ratio of the logo, it can fit in a circle, square, rectangle, meaning its versatile on applications. 

Applications for a cleaning company of two?!? Yes, they can put it on shirts, business cards, letters and invoices, alongside their uniforms and cleaning supplies. One thing I urged them to do was to use cleaning uniforms instead of their normal clothes with a shirt with R+E. They are a professional service and shouldn't appear like a normal person when cleaning a house. 

 

I always put a logo design on my Kanye shirt mock-up. I also keep in mind fashion when I create my logos (who wants an ugly logo!?) If you could imagine Kanye wearing the logo, while still working for the business in question, then it works for me. This is my logo test, half serious.