# Not Ready To Sell, However



## commoncenz (Aug 1, 2015)

Hi Soapers,

As my title says, I'm nowhere near ready to sell at this point. However, I am thinking ahead to Thanksgiving when my family holds a "mini-family reunion". I will have several of my aunts and uncles there and would like to gift them some of my soap as they have all been asking about it.

That said, I was trying to come up with something other than "Soap by 'Pot Ash Pat'" to put on the labels. I've come up with something that I think might work as a "brand". Our last name is Mason, so ... "The SoapMason". Thoughts on the *Logo* would be appreciated.


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## doriettefarm (Aug 1, 2015)

I like it, especially how you incorporated your last name and that mason also alludes to something hand-crafted :clap:


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## not_ally (Aug 1, 2015)

Love it!  Both the graphic and the name, just simple and perfect.  I can't think of anything in the way of improvements, which is a good thing.


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## commoncenz (Aug 1, 2015)

Thank you both. I had some worries that it might be a little too cutesy using the last name and the graphics might be a little too sparse.


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## not_ally (Aug 1, 2015)

No, definitely neither too cutesy nor too sparse.  I really do think it is very, very good, I am not just being nice.


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## IrishLass (Aug 1, 2015)

And I like it too! (spoken with a lilting Irish accent, of course, in the vein of those old Irish Spring soap commercials from the '70's). 

I think it's perfect. 


IrishLass


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## shunt2011 (Aug 1, 2015)

I think it's perfect. Nice job!


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## Susie (Aug 1, 2015)

If you want to know for sure that you love it for soap, print it on a label sized scale, then use it to label a few bars.  Set those around and "live" with them for a while.


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## commoncenz (Aug 1, 2015)

Great idea Susie! I'm going to do just that. Thank you!


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## jules92207 (Aug 1, 2015)

I really like it, very creative and unique. Nice job.


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## cmzaha (Aug 2, 2015)

I don't know, sorry I find it kinda of creepy with the big black hands, only as a color. The bar of soap is to much in the background with the prominent hands. Sorry just my opinion. I do like the concept and the name, maybe slim the hands down. Also keep in mind printers do not love printing pure black and can be troublesome on label stock, unless you are going to send them to a printer


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## Ellacho (Aug 2, 2015)

I love the name! Perfect!


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## spenny92 (Aug 2, 2015)

I think the font for "handcrafted" needs to change to something easier on the eye. Maybe it's just my eyes, but I find it hard to read and it looks too "scrawl-y" for my tastes. I like the name, though.


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> I don't know, sorry I find it kinda of creepy with the big black hands, only as a color. The bar of soap is to much in the background with the prominent hands. Sorry just my opinion. I do like the concept and the name, maybe slim the hands down. Also keep in mind printers do not love printing pure black and can be troublesome on label stock, unless you are going to send them to a printer



No need to be sorry Carol. I was asking for opinions, and that includes constructive criticism also. Can't improve upon an idea if you don't get feedback that makes you think about what may need to be improved upon. 

As an aside, I chose the black hands because the soap that is being "hand crafted" (my soap) is being handcrafted by a guy with big black hands. lol


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

Man, I would not want to put anything resembling my hands (little ugly brown ones) on a label 

I kind of like the idea behind yours, although if what Carolyn says about printing that much black on label stock is correct - and her advice pretty much always is - it might be a reason to test it out before you get too attached .....


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

Oh, I knew for a fact that I was going to have to send away to have these printed. Our little Canon inkjet can barely handle the graphs, etc. that my son prints out for reports. It's great on pictures though .. go figure.


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

Cenz, will it be much more expensive b/c so much black?  I don't know how those things work.  If so, I wonder if you could get the same effect by doing a thick outline (ie; thick enough to convey the idea of black hands rather than just having it be an outline)?  Not sure if that makes sense, or if it would work, even.  It might be worth it to just take your lumps and pay, heck, you've already pretty much committed to a lifetime of penury w/the FO addiction and all


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

This inspires me, if I ever sell, I may actually have an "ugly soap" line w/pics of my actual hands on it!  About time they earned their keep


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

You know, I've got until ... say late October to have settled on a final design and order the labels. I'm quite sure that once I've paid my dues, made my mistakes and have developed a product line that I can be proud of, I'll revamp the logo, etc. But, that's months and months away. I'm thinking that if I start selling, it will be sometime next spring/summer. So for now, as a "gift label", I want something ... not embarrassing and nice. 

As another aside, I've had people sample my soap who are ... well not begging, but trying to push me to sell, because apparently there aren't soapers in the area (at least none who sell) ... and when I tell them I'm not ready, they just don't understand why. That's OK though, because I "DO" understand why.


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

not_ally said:


> This inspires me, if I ever sell, I may actually have an "ugly soap" line w/pics of my actual hands on it!  About time they earned their keep



Ha! The ugly soap line is a pretty good idea. As far as your hands being ugly, I'm sure that they aren't. We all have parts of our bodies that we are sensitive about.


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

commoncenz said:


> Ha! The ugly soap line is a pretty good idea. As far as your hands being ugly, I'm sure that they aren't. We all have parts of our bodies that we are sensitive about.



Oh no, they objectively are, even my mom thinks so.  That is OK, though, I figure that I am better off w/my ugly little mitts that having to deal with, e.g., a Cyrano issue! Also, I am quite fond of them despite their ugliness, they have provided yeoman's service all my life.

I think your label is far more than just "not embarrassing and nice", for me it really works as an end result if the printing thing is not an issue.  Also it is kind of great that it appears there are not a lot of soap sellers in your area, when you get around to selling it will be so nice to have the market cornered rather than having to deal w/tons of competition as in a lot of other areas.


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## cmzaha (Aug 2, 2015)

commoncenz said:


> No need to be sorry Carol. I was asking for opinions, and that includes constructive criticism also. Can't improve upon an idea if you don't get feedback that makes you think about what may need to be improved upon.
> 
> As an aside, I chose the black hands because the soap that is being "hand crafted" (my soap) is being handcrafted by a guy with big black hands. lol


Yep, I did figure why the hands color and believe me that was not part of my issue. I just felt if they were a bit slimmer the soap in the middle would stand out more and put the hands in the background, our hands are really in the background when it comes to finished soap, and that is where my thought process was going. Something to bring out the soap. As mentioned I really do like the name and concept. Even changing the font and size of the "Handmade Soap" may do the job. We do not find that is costs more to print black on labels. Outlining might be a thought as Not_Ally mentioned. We also changed our logo from our original. 

Wish I lived in an area with little or no competition. There are now 4 soapmakers in the market I am moving back to. The new owner/manager asked how many I wanted dismissed, told him none. I am used to lots of competition


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> *Yep, I did figure why the hands color and believe me that was not part of my issue.* I just felt if they were a bit slimmer the soap in the middle would stand out more and put the hands in the background. Something to bring out the soap. As mentioned I really do like the same. Even changing the font and size of the "Handmade Soap" may do the job



Oh NO! I think you misunderstand. I didn't think that was part of your issue. My skin is not that thin. I took your observations as constructive criticism and something to consider in a revision. As a matter of fact, I re-worked my design to incorporate them.


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> There are now 4 soapmakers in the market I am moving back to. The new owner/manager asked how many I wanted dismissed, told him none. I am used to lots of competition



Wow, that was really nice of you, Carolyn.  I suspect most people would not have been so generous.


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> ...
> 
> Wish I lived in an area with little or no competition. There are now 4 soapmakers in the market I am moving back to. The new owner/manager asked how many I wanted dismissed, told him none. I am used to lots of competition



We went to a couple of indoor flea markets and outdoor farmer's markets yesterday. Not one soap maker. No bath bombs, lotions ... nothing. Couldn't understand it. Living in a rural area, I would have thought that there would be more people making/selling soap.


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## Obsidian (Aug 2, 2015)

The larger soap looks much better. I'm not crazy about the chartreuse color though, it hurts my eyes a bit. It probably would be ok on a label but you might try different colors to see if any look better. I would probably go with a blue.

Something about the soapmason looks off, is it centered over the image?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 2, 2015)

It might be, but might just be because it is 'the' with a space so it looks lopsided. 

Have you tried it with the 'the' above the 'soapmason'?

Also, the soap itself looks odd with the three lines one side and the two lines the other and I think the word soap is also off centre


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> It might be, but might just be because it is 'the' with a space so it looks lopsided.
> 
> Have you tried it with the 'the' above the 'soapmason'?
> 
> Also, the soap itself looks odd with the three lines one side and the two lines the other and I think the word soap is also off centre



I'll have to try it with 'The' on a Top line ... never thought of that. I can't do much about the soap picture as it was free clip art. If I had to draw any of it myself, there would be a whole lot more stuff off center or just plain crazy looking. lol


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> The larger soap looks much better. I'm not crazy about the chartreuse color though, it hurts my eyes a bit. It probably would be ok on a label but you might try different colors to see if any look better. I would probably go with a blue.
> 
> Something about the soapmason looks off, is it centered over the image?



I'll plug some different colors in and see how I feel about them.

I want to thank you all for your suggestions. They (and you) are greatly appreciated!


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## Susie (Aug 2, 2015)

I like the second logo better than the first.  I agree about the "the", also.

I think all of us get well meaning friends and relatives that have only ever experienced our handmade soap encouraging us to sell.  I think that is the #1 reason we get so many people thinking they are going to get rich after making one batch of soap.  If you have no competition where you live, though, I might would be perfecting ONE basic recipe with different scents and/or colors to hit that market the minute you cross that one year mark.


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## spenny92 (Aug 2, 2015)

That one looks much better. I agree with TEG, try having "The" above "Soapmason". I also think it looks odd as the soap picture looks like it's trying to be 3D, whereas everything else is 2D. I wonder if you could try editing it and cutting off the extra part of soap on the left?


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

That's kind of what I "was" working on Susie. Then I joined this forum and found that I was feeling that I wanted to "try" different things here and there. Here and there became ... substituting one oil for another to see how it worked, changing percentages, etc. It's amazing how you can be satisfied with something when you just don't know any better and once you do learn better, you look back upon your ignorant self and cringe.


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

OK, last revision til after I cook dinner. Again, thank you all for taking the time to provide your thoughts and insights.

Edit: I see that I have to move the "SOAP" over in the bar of soap in order to have it centered.


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## Aline (Aug 2, 2015)

I think the name is awesome but the logo does not appeal to me. It looks clinical and the bar of soap obviously does not look  hand-made. Also, I don't think putting a picture of a bar of soap on a bar of soap does anything for you!

Have you considered simply using your name as your logo? It's such a memorable evocative name (to me it says RUGGED and RUSTIC!). Here's a 'rugged rustic' font:

Just my 2 cents


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

I kinda like that Aline. Very minimalistic.


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## Aline (Aug 2, 2015)

Well you could add an image too of course.....


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## doriettefarm (Aug 2, 2015)

I really like Aline's rustic version too.  Maybe you could find a border that looks like bricks of soap to frame the lettering?


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## Susie (Aug 2, 2015)

commoncenz said:


> It's amazing how you can be satisfied with something when you just don't know any better and once you do learn better, you look back upon your ignorant self and cringe.



Every one of us has been there and done that, LOL.  It is part of learning and growing in your craft.


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## commoncenz (Aug 2, 2015)

doriettefarm said:


> I really like Aline's rustic version too.  Maybe you could find a border that looks like bricks of soap to frame the lettering?



Funny thing is that I live in a very rustic/rural area. Yet, the idea of "rustic" and or "hardworking" didn't pop into my head because I've spent days looking at what others have done. Silly me. That idea is perfect for the area and the concept.

Oh well, I knew I'd probably go through about 20 or so designs and/or ideas before I settled on one. 

Thanks again for the nudge Aline.


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## cmzaha (Aug 2, 2015)

commoncenz said:


> Oh NO! I think you misunderstand. I didn't think that was part of your issue. My skin is not that thin. I took your observations as constructive criticism and something to consider in a revision. As a matter of fact, I re-worked my design to incorporate them.


Liking this one better :smile: I am so jealous you have no competition. How sweet it is! I also very much like Aline's version. Simplistic Rustic can be very easy to work with


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## cmzaha (Aug 2, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Wow, that was really nice of you, Carolyn.  I suspect most people would not have been so generous.


Well not so sweet of me, I kinda have a vested interested for the new owner to succeed... He needs the booth fees I do not pay


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## tbeck3579 (Aug 2, 2015)

I really like it.  Logo's/labels are emotional/psychological and mfg co's spend billions (no joke) on the psychology of getting the public to buy their product.  They get a split second to make an impression and get the consumer interested enough to look at yet ANOTHER product.  If you use a logo that resembles a company who already spent billions to get the public to remember them (subliminal messages work!) a lot of work has already been done for you, the foundation has been laid.  Remember, it is a split second emotion.  If you see a yellow arch do you think of St. Louis or McDonald's?  

All this leads me to my first impression of your label, the feeling I got when I saw the label.  I felt, at the moment I saw the label, that it was attractive and masculine, something a guy would like.  That was my "knee jerk" impression, and that was before I looked to see that you are a guy 8)  Cool eh?  Psychology fascinates me.  All of us bring bias to the table and gender is a big one -- we are human -- we can't help it.

I don't have a clue about the buying demographics of soap consumers (age, religion, sex, race, socioeconomic status, income, etc.), but I assume the vast majority of soap is purchased by women (could be my bias, but I would place odds it is).  I like your label very much and I'm not trying to say it should be more feminine because I am in no way, shape, or form a marketing expert.  Just giving you my "off the cuff" intuition.


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## Aline (Aug 2, 2015)

commoncenz said:


> It's amazing how you can be satisfied with something when you just don't know any better and once you do learn better, you look back upon your ignorant self and cringe.



Yes, it's definitely a process. I have made websites for my own businesses and when I look back at the first one I made 15 years ago (that I was SO proud of) I just cringe! :lolno:


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## spenny92 (Aug 2, 2015)

I also like Aline's idea. Sometimes it's best to keep things simple!


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## Aline (Aug 3, 2015)

I was vaguely thinking of the Rocky Top Soap Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/RockyTopSoapShop 

He keeps it really simple, with kraft labels and a rustic look. And look at the sales...!



doriettefarm said:


> I really like Aline's rustic version too. Maybe you could find a border that looks like bricks of soap to frame the lettering?


 
That's a great idea 



commoncenz said:


> Funny thing is that I live in a very rustic/rural area. Yet, the idea of "rustic" and or "hardworking" didn't pop into my head because I've spent days looking at what others have done. Silly me. That idea is perfect for the area and the concept.
> 
> Oh well, I knew I'd probably go through about 20 or so designs and/or ideas before I settled on one.
> 
> Thanks again for the nudge Aline.


 
You're welcome. This font is called CF Trash Zone and I got it from DaFont.com 
They have lots of rustic type fonts....


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## clownking99 (Aug 11, 2015)

Id have the word soap darker and handmade to the right of the bottom of the hands
Lookin good 
And that etsy dude , his packaging  - it looks good and easy tonread, but everyone does that it seems :-0


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## Jstar (Aug 11, 2015)

I like the second one the best..and def dont like the blue bar.

Depending on how you layout your label, you could put the 'The' on top, and 'SoapMason' across the bottom...or...keep it how it is and put it on a curve...

As for the extra line on the soap bar image, since it is a 2D image aiming for 3D appearance, you could use the bevel feature in PSP or PhotoShop if you are familiar with those proggies...darken the lines and slap a drop shadow on the bar...

{was an administrator for over 10 yrs on an online artists community...lots of graphics work LOL}

ETA: I also went and had a looksee at our local flea market...its a huge place..and there is absolutely NO body stuff there...so Im thinking maybe a couple months or 3 and I may be seeing whats up over there..stick my toe in the water so to speak lol


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## Misschief (Aug 31, 2015)

As for printing... I work in a print shop. If they're printing digitally (which a lot of printers do now), one letter in colour or an entire colour label shouldn't make much difference in the price. Even printing all black with reverse text (white text on a black background) should be the same price as black text on white. At least, it would be where I work.


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