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[side_show]

So, since I'm always way too busy, I thought I'd create my own theatre company to, you know, make life less complicated...

Seriously though, since I'm about to embark on my first independent production in about 5 years, I have not choice but to create a company name and image to produce it under.  So, here comes Side Show Theatre! - intimate, contemporary productions. 

Why am I telling you all this?  I am trying to find or create a logo.  It should be something simple, and small enough to be used as a letterhead and on business card sized tickets.  Anyone have any suggestions for images? Does anyone know of any free, rights-free clip art sites that I should check out?  I've started searching the web... but I really want input into what I choose because it needs to be eye catching yet simple enough to tell you what you need to know.

[Choop]

Two circus tents: one smaller, then the edge of a bigger one next to it, cut off by this:

SIDE SHOW
 THEATRE!

www.istockphoto.com is a cheap royalty-free images site. Like $3 for the image you want at print resolution.

Best of luck!

[side_show]

Choop -  I really like your tent idea a lot.  Very cute.

I actually spent a couple hours searching illustrated clip art sites earlier today, and I'd looked at that site, but it's mostly photos, and I want something illustrated.

I spent most of the day toodling with ideas, I like the idea of a megaphone as a logo - since both circus barkers and insane directors use them.  I'm thinking the megaphone will have the company name subltly coming out of it, in a font that looks like Barnum and Baily... or something.

I also really like the this weird victorian circus art pic, or perhaps the monkey at the bottom of this page.  But since I'm mostly thinking about something for letterheads and as logo on the bottom of posters, tickets and such, I'm thinking b&w is better.

I dunno...

[theinevitable]

wait, so, will you actually use the "Side Show" moniker?

because if so-- that is a perfect... logo.

[side_show]

wait, so, will you actually use the "Side Show" moniker?

because if so-- that is a perfect... logo.

Yes.  It will be called "Side Show Theatre!" - I'm not too sure about the exclamation mark though.

Which one is perfect?  Choop's suggestion?  It is brilliant, isn't it?  I'm thinking a direct connection to circus isn't necessarily a good thing though... I don't want people to expect clowns, or in the case of side shows, pickled punks and the like.

[wombat]

I like the one in the first link.  Can't it be processed to be in black and white?  With, like, a computer or something?

That's a great pig on the second linked page, not that I am recommending it as a logo.

[Drygioni]

Possibly, two tents below like Choop suggested, with a megaphone above. On the megaphone, you have Side Show Theatre in capitals, with the first S starting at the speaking end and then the words get wider as it eventually reaches the end.

SIDESHOW

[theinevitable]

oh, I was just being silly.

but the monkey is pretty cool.

also, the choop idea is good.

but, if you want to avoid Actual Circus problems, I would go with the megaphone.

[Choop]

Wow, I'm surprised at the reaction to my idea!

I like the megaphone idea. You could even adapt the megaphone to the show -- a '50s paper high-school megaphone for a classic modern play (such as your own), an antique brass-n-reed circus-barker model for Classic Theatre, or a modern police megaphone for improv, a graffiti-styled megaphone for edgy modern theatre, etc.

Are you looking at particular fonts? I like Judy's sizing idea, but it might downplay the image (branding) part of the logo too much in favor of the growing "Side Show" -- plus, without ridiculous amounts of manual kerning, a space is tough to work into a size growth. Ooh - Maybe get a square out of it like this:

SIDE SHOW
[megaphone]
  THEATRE!

Like, but they'd all be butted up together and it would work. Is it okay for the megaphone to point left? Otherwise the words would shrink, not grow, which might not be great...

Hm. Maybe both Side Show and Theatre grow out from the megaphone along the horizontal axis.

I really wish I were better at pushing pixels, because then I could just whip up what I'm imagining.

[AugustWest]

I have a friend who does my graphic work.  She does a wonderful job and is very reasonably priced.  I don't know if you want to hire a professional or not, but if you do I can send you her contact info.  You can see the logo she designed for me at the bottom of this page.

[slink]

Something designed for the purpose would probably be best, but hey, you can't go far wrong with a smoking monkey!