Logo For Asdworld.com, A Social Network-based Site Serving Families With Autistic Children

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT US:

This project is to create the logo for ASDworld.com, which will be primarily a social network for ASD families and the professionals and businesses that serve these families. The company will serve as an umbrella site that includes not only the typical social network features but also high value-add features for families that will lead to increased participation by the networks of professionals and businesses that seek to serve all aspects of the asd family's life.

This site will be based in the US and will initially target only US residents. It will initially be in English but will quickly aim to include Spanish-speaking families.

If you need to read about autism, start with http://www.autismspeaks.org/. As an example of the kinds of people that we are targeting, consider that autism strikes families across all socio-economic groups with slightly higher incidence rates in NJ and CA.

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED:

We are looking for a logo to serve as a key integral piece, the foundation really, of the brand identity, from placement on the website to serving as the foundation for the site design & color scheme to use on business cards, site badges, and even lapel pins.

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS:

The primary audience, the real users for whom we are creating value and whose presence and contributions greatly enhance the value of the site, are families with autistic children (including children who are now grown into adults). The first-person asd community is clearly within that group. The secondary audience is comprised of (a) the broad cross-section of doctors, therapists, lawyers, advocates, and related professionals that serve asd families and (b) the mainstream businesses that either serve ASD families as a component of their market or would like to create/share market-specific offerings for this segment.

WE LIKE THESE DESIGNS:

The Autism Speaks puzzle piece is the most notable motif for autism-related organizations. Most designs use the jigsaw piece in some fashion, and typically a multicolor version is used. We like the idea of using a simpler/clearer design so that it maintains integrity at different sizes and can carry more of its intrinsic meaning across different media/formats/channels.

Here are two logos we've approved for different businesses: http://www.thoughtstorm.com & http://www.namahagi.com

We think the Namahagi woodcut-style logo is more like what we're looking for here than the TSC logo.

WE ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE (or we don't want to see) THIS IN OUR DESIGN:

We would not approve of something that was too confusing with the Autism Speaks design. It is NOT necessary to use the jigsaw motif but a generic design that doesn't create some kind of connection to autism (even via a new metaphor) won't be the right answer (e.g., a logotype-only sort of treatment won't be the right response for this project).

We suspect that a generic logo like the one for WAAD (http://www.worldautismawarenessday.org/) is unlikely to carry enough intrinsic meaning, but we are absolutely willing to be convinced if you explain your thinking.