Many thanks for all of the submissions. There are some good designs here for what is apparently a tough task. Because this is a company selling art, the standard is very high.

Given some of the comments here, and some of the private email messages, it would probably have been better to stress that original design is needed. Logos, by their nature, are copyrightable, as are many original designs. Legally I could not use other work without approval of the original artist. I assumed this was obvious.

My partner and I will be reviewing these designs to decide if we will pick a winner.

With the most of the first 19 designs, there seems to be a pattern of using a color palette that is bronze / tan / dark cinnamon / beige / grey / black. I'm not saying that these designs don't work.

Other pastels would work for other designs - like watering down Maxfield Parrish or using aqua or light green. Or you can mix or match.

For those of you submitting a design that includes a female figure - I applaud your efforts! There is a challenge here as there is precedence in the medallic art field.

Because it ties into the tradition of medallic art, I would recommend you visit http://www.finemedals.com/artists.htm to see some examples that would tie your idea to the medallic field. In particular look at Deschamps, Damman, Maillard (especially the Automobile Club de Nice medal), Pelletier, and de Vernon.

Another interesting site to visit is http://www.artmedal.net/english/frameset.html, and check out Bazor, Bottee, Chaplain, Charpentier, Coudray, Lavrillier, Lechevrel, Pillet, Placht, Prinz, Renard, Rivet, Roty, Schwartz, Theunis, Turin, Van der Hoef, etc. Most of these artists are Beaux-Arts or Art Nouveau, some are Art Deco.

Submission #5 has come closest to the image of the company.

It combines both a artistic graphic element and typography. It doesn't scream art, at least not in the style of Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Beaux-Arts. It could benefit from a broader color palette of pastels. I also like the female form, and would like to see it more sensually presented.

#3 and #4 have interesting garlands that are common medallic art motifs. There are a number of medallic art designs that could be used.

Submissions 1 and 2
* focused on the typography. Each took a different approach.
* 1 used a muted color palette that worked well for the design
* 2 used a layout that I had thought about, but passed on because it
doesn't seem to grab attention
* what is missing is a graphic element that is in the Art Deco, Art
Nouveau, or Beaux-Arts style
* the challenge is to combine the soft sculptural elements that medals
are designed with and still convey the solid of metail