Logos
I have been playing around with ToolGuyd’s logo, trying to see if I could tweak it to look a little better. For now, it seems to work well enough, so I’ll leave it alone.
While I was testing things out, I came across some of the site’s older logo files, and thought you might find it interesting to see how the logo progressed through the years. The changes aren’t too drastic except for in 2011 when our current design was created.
2014 Logo Ideas
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I think that the non-textured graphic is a little punchier and cleaner looking, but don’t know if it’s the right way to go.
While I like the alignment better in the second and fourth variations, the stacked design might be a little small and flush graphic design makes the graphic look too puny.
I could take the celebratory hammer graphic away entirely and keep it reserved for special uses, such as favicons, awards badges, and avatars, but then readers would stop wondering about why it’s backwards. We can’t have that now, can we?!
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Site Changes
I put forth a few minor changes recently.
First, I modified the multi-tool reviews and knife reviews pages, and created a best EDC gear buying guide, which is currently bare but will be added to as soon as I have the chance.
Second, but perhaps more significantly, I enabled “lazy” image loading. Some parts of the site can get image-heavy, especially our recent ultimate gift guide. Images will now load as you scroll down a page, instead of all at once. If you come across any glitches or issues, please let me know! This *should* improve loading speeds and site performance in certain cases.
Third, I made the top menu bar “sticky,” such that it sticks to the top of the page as you scroll down. Again, if you come across any issues or just plain don’t like it, please let me know!
I initially intended for the sticky feature to be used with a top-located promotion bar to let readers know of special giveaways, articles, and things like that, and still might change things up later on based on feedback.
A rather outdated “shop” link in the menu has been changed to Where to Buy. If you want to support ToolGuyd with your purchases, or simply want to see which distributors we recommend most, check it out.
Off-Topic Content?
You might have seen the GearGuyd link in the menu at the top of the page and the GearGuyd recent posts list at the bottom of the sidebar to the right. I guess it’s a good thing, but I just don’t have time to create new content over there.
I have been considering bringing some limited off-topic content to ToolGuyd, mainly technology-project related, such as personal robotics projects. Nothing about kitchen appliances, movie trailers, or anything like that. Maybe I’ll spin up a once-a-week break time column here where off-topic discussions can go. If you like the idea, great! If you hate it, please let me know!
Please don’t hesitate to chime in with feedback, good or bad, as it really does help.
mnoswad1
just now noticing that the hammer is backwards in the logos hand.
I prefer the current logo with the wood like grain in the background compared to the 2014 versions. the current logo seems more developed than those as well. Seems like a step backwards actually.
maybe just turn that hammer around.
Stuart
I get what you’re saying. The cleaner logo works well for award badges, such as with the recent “best cordless oscillating tools” post, but with it at the top it feels like something’s missing.
I might experiment with different textures, such as diamond plate, but for now it looks like the wood grain texture will stay.
The simpler non-textured image might still be useful for favicons, tablet bookmark icons, and things like that.
Thanks!
As for turning the hammer around… I tried that and it just looks weird.
Phil
Stuart,
I’m a lefty, and that just looks weird. Sort of looks like you’re going to reach down your back and scratch yourself with the claw. With it in a (left hand instead), it would look ‘normal.’ – at least to me. The logo’s fine, that is, unless you want a different tool, like a saw instead.
Tyler
Yes, please turn the hammer around.
John G.
Hammer around (looks like you are about to hit yourself)w/ grain!
Stuart
But it just doesn’t look right with the hammer reversed!
fred
I like the reversed “pulling claw” hammer – and always thought if it as a subtle joke,
Now – if it depicted a “ripping claw” or framing hammer – it would be less of a joke – since many are swung that way.
Peter Carn
I like the backward hammer, it’s very Hannibal Lector! Lol…
Jim
If you are hesitant with the suggestion of turning the hammer around, then maybe you would be open to the suggestion to turn the arm around.
Jerry
Don’t stack the logo. It has always been ToolGuyd, not
Tool
Guyd
Mike47
Turn the hammer logo upside down… and add a nail.
DaveZ
I love to see the incremental changes to the website (and logo). It all just keeps getting better, since the faux wood look is so last decade! Also, I agree that you shouldn’t stack ToolGuyd.
Now, about that hammer … it never bothered me until you pointed out that it was backwards. Now I can’t “unsee” it and it does look a bit like a weapon. Is that a warning from Mrs. ToolGuyd so you don’t buy too much stuff??
Keep up the good work. This is one of my favorite websites!
Bill K
I’m hearing similar thoughts as mine on your logo. I appreciate the present design balance from a geometric perspective and can visualize how it might look weird if the hammer was rotated. But let me offer a small design tweak….. increase the ~90 deg angle between the arm and the hammer, just as one might do if they were raising a hammer in victory. The hammer might end up being ~35 deg off vertical instead of the present 45 deg. Just a thought.
What you have isn’t bad, in fact I might guess some might even say the unconventional hammer presentation is good for marketing because it catches the eye.
Keep up the great work!
Stuart
I might give it another try, but all the modifications I tried thus far only make the hand-hammer look more awkward. Ah well, I’ll probably leave it be for another few months again.
Bill K
FYI: The reported change to “lazy” image loading is not working well with my first gen ipad mini. I don’t recall in the past slow page display, but now I’m having images very slow coming up as I scroll down to view more.
Stuart
Thanks for the note about the issue! I disabled the lazy loading for mobile devices, and confirmed the change works on my own iPad and Android phone. If any other problems come up, I might just remove that function entirely.
I know I also need to tweak how the main menu works for touch devices. As it is now, it is very difficult to access anything in the drop-down menus. That kind of a change will not be easy to implement though.
Hang Fire
How about woodgrain for the text and brushed stainless for the logo? Or the other way around?
Stuart
The wood grain for the text made it look a little splotchy at times. I removed the texture from the lettering about a year ago and would be reluctant to go back.
Porphyre
Any chance you could fiddle the CSS to make the floating menu bar width responsive to text size? Specifically, I generally surf with images zoomed 0% but text zoomed 10%. So the menu bar font is bumped up a few points and the bar becomes two rows, with “DEALS” left justified as the only entry on the second row.
Stuart
I tried to tweak a few things just now, and getting the floating menu to be responsive to text size is not an easy task.
Short term, I can make it so that the “overflow” doesn’t move to a second line. That last link might extend out a little or it might disappear, I’ll have to play around to see which is easier to do.
Alternatively, may I ask why you only magnify text by 10% and not images? I found the need to enlarge text as well, and use browsers’ magnification setting (control plus + or -) at either 110% or 125% zoom. This way everything is enlarged without much disruption in how things look.
When I test ToolGuyd changes, I often use magnifications from 90% to 150%, because things sometimes misbehave when the viewing window is not set to 100%.
Short term I’ll see if I can create a suitable bandaid fix, but long term I will look into rewriting the code. It’s not just a simple CSS change, but layout modifications as well, since the menu bar inherits constraints from parent elements.
Stuart
So this is what I ended up doing:
Increased menu font size from 16px to 18px,
Changed from all-capitalized to “normal” with only first letter capitalized,
Increased spacing between menu items.
The menu bar does not go to two lines when text is increased 10% to 20px.
Ultimately this looks to improve visibility slightly, and the all-caps menu items look a little “loud” in comparison.
I’m working on a list of changes to put into the next site-wide design revision and will keep in mind to structure things so the layout bar can be condensed or expanded in special cases, such as mobile use or certain magnifications.
But to be honest, it will be better if the menu wraps to a second line rather than be cut off and hidden or extended to where it breaks the layout constraints. If the font size is expanded to 22px or larger, it will still wrap to a second line, which is predictable. Making it responsive might affect other things and could reduce functionality more than a double-height menu bar would.
But for now, the double-height menu issue *should* be fixed, and at the same time I believe the menu text is a little subtler and easier on the eyes to read. Plus it leaves room for adding another link in the future, although at that time your double-height menu bar issue would then return.
Porphyre
Wow! Thank you, thank you! Yeah, it looks great. I appreciate your effort.
I bump the text a little instead of the entire page because the larger text helps reduce my eyestrain but 10% or 15% zoomed images get a little blurry which then increases eyestrain. If Firefox would zoom+sharpen the images or something, I’d probably zoom the entire page, but I can’t stand the blurry zoomed images.
Grady Bookout
I like the first 2014 ideal. I too wondered about the hammer. My initial thought was “does this guy know what he’s talking about?” But then I read on and found, he does. As for the rest, of the stuff, TMI, it makes my brain hurt. Get to the shop and use some tools.
Great Site.
Good Job.
Thanks.
Javier
I like the design of the logo, I think it would look cool if it was the same design on a stamped stainless steel look. Stamped or machined finish with a slight 3d look and a bit of shadow.
Robert
The backwards hammer throws me off. I understand you feel it looks better this way… maybe use a sledge hammer instead?
Robert
Also I agree that ToolGuyd should not be stacked. It looks nice as one word. Great name by the way, clever and easy to remember.
LORDDiESEL
Remove hammer and put in a impact drill
Robert
The logo depends on your perspective. If you’re doing demo or nail removal, the hammer isn’t backwards at all. If you spend your day prepping for a new installation, your project may only see the claw side of the hammer.
Bill Strobel
Funny the hammer has been reversed since 2011 and now people are bothered by it. Leave it, it is your trademark. As far as updating it for 2014, the first one looks good to me.