branding web apps design (space-consuming, appearance..)

In branding web apps, I want to minimize screen space lost to logo/name.

[broniusm]

In branding my web application, I want to minimize screen space lost to the comapany logo and name combination. However, I'm running into minimum-logo-size issues.

The previous developer took up a hefty 150px vertical by 100% horizontal to say in big bold letters "[logo.gif] COMPANY NAME" on every page of the app. I have now squashed that 100%-wide, first-line banner down to like 35px vertical, but now a particular logo of a crest comes out looking like a cockroach, and others are junky-looking.

Of course, all submitted logo graphics are scanned business cards or Word doc letterhead BMPs. Our clients wouldn't know where to begin to find a scalable vector image equiv to submit to me.

Ideas or past experience? I'm looking to minimize the space used but without offending the client. And the info really has to be up there, b/c the clients have their clients log in to "their" system.

[oilman]

What resolution are you scanning the images in at? Scan them at as high a res as possible so you have more data to work with. Then when you're resizing them do it incrementally and re-sharpen the image with each step. I've found the incremental solution to be invaluable over the years.

[briandangbob]

oilman is slick. he is right. go in 10% increments with a little sharpening each step. photoshops algorithms for upscaling work best in 10% increments. if you want a program to do all that for you buy genuin fractals print pro @ lizardtech. it beats photoshops algorithms for upscaling. i am a graphic designer. i run into that problem daily. i have also found from my experience that their is always a vector logo. you just have got to either speak their language or to the right person to obtain the vector image. you have to understand that vector or .eps mean nothing to word processing office junkies. good luck

[broniusm]

> Then when you're resizing them do it incrementally and re-sharpen the image with each step. I've found the incremental solution to be invaluable over the years.

Hmm.. Great idea fellas-- I've been running under the impression that resizing is best done one-shot, and if you miss the mark, undo and resize again. Your suggestion makes sense.

briandangbob-
I'll try to get a vector logo. What I mean about receiving the image on a business card, I meant to say their own letterhead is a scan of their own logo (!). But I'll try to dig deeper.

The other design issue still remains: Is there a classic way of branding a web app without completely consuming that huge space across the top? Currently, we have:

[logo.gif] Company Name --------------------------[holiday icon.gif]
==================================================
[menu ------------------------------------------ [logoff] ]
==================================================
...then the app screen

My question then becomes, what other layouts have you seen/worked with that still show logo/company name?

-bronius

[briandangbob]

sounds like you have a case of the horizontals. your problem will always remain when working with vertical logos. height of space will be your worst enemy. if you are lucky your clients will have a vetical logo and a horizontal logo just to remedy such a problem. sounds like you need to talk to the marketing depertment of each client. only then you will find your perscription to battle the horizontals. Get well soon!