Railroad.net Logo Development

Hey Mactraxx, I think the DOT NET should be in lower case as in "dot net" or " . net".
Possibly then an F unit surging out of the right side of the logo.

Would it be possible to see all of the previous RAILROAD.NET logos? I seem to recall that there have been at least two of them (not including the plain text-based name that is currently displayed at the top of the page).

Seeing the past helps us know where to go in the future, etc.

MACTRAXX wrote:Dave - Using the yellow R/R Crossing sign looks too much like the Virtual Railfan logo:
https://virtualrailfan.com
Railroad.Net does not need any possible legal or copyright problems in this instance...

Yeah, I don't think anybody will sue over a highway sign ripoff logo. Especially two hobby sites of which neither have money lying around to spend on lawyers...

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Since you asked for opinions - I'd suggest something generic to railroading, rather than a logo specific to one carrier such as Amtrak, or even one type of railroad. We all have different interests. To attract potential users, it should avoid the suggestion that this is primarily focused on passenger, or on new diesels, or on only fallen flags, or whatever. I think the various sub-forums cover just about anything there is to discuss, so IMHO make the logo non-specific.

The four former logos I could find on the Wayback Machine are:





I think I have them in order from most recent to oldest.

+1 on the first. Headlines *should* be in sans-serif fonts. Now, perhaps a slogan as well, "ALL rails lead to ... RAILROAD.NET See you there!" This way the logo promotes a "call to action".

Ah. When I click on the first, the image expands, and there is a tag line, "The Railroad Network", a good start.

Point is to attract new users, right?

Thanks, RandallW! I remember those now.

The one that looks like an EMD E-Unit is the one I remember most clearly. One could argue that it's too passenger-train-centric or too focused on the mid-20th century, but it was effective, recognizable and memorable.

BR&P, I think you made a good point about not focusing too much on one specific segment such as passenger rail or freight rail or fallen flags. That might mean not using rolling stock in the logo. Perhaps it could incorporate something like a crossing sign, crossing gate, or signal. Just have to be careful not to make it look like someone else's logo... not only because of copyright/trademark concerns, but more importantly because a good logo is one that can't be confused or mistaken for someone else's logo.

eolesen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2024 12:02 amYeah, I don't think anybody will sue over a highway sign ripoff logo. Especially two hobby sites of which neither have money lying around to spend on lawyers...

It would be in bad taste to closely replicate a known logo.

Both the crossbuck and crossing ahead sign suggested are in use by other sites. Not that other sites cannot use those elements, but can't something better be created?