Which direction to lean?

[Over The Hill]

Bit of an odd one

I am designing a logo for a business venture. The name has the word EXPRESS in it and I want it on the theme of a train speeding along.
Now DHL have this but I want the name to look like an art deco style steam train speeding along.
If you look at the DHL logo it is the same on each side but the italics give it movement.
What direction is the DHL logo travelling in? to the right or left?

My guess is that it is moving to the right
Generally you lean towards the direction of movement.


But then if you look at trains, they tend to be shown as leaning away from the direction of movement.

This train leans backwards



So imagine a logo with steam and woosh lines
EXPRESS=
does this look right and look like it is travelling from right to left?

= EXPRESS
somehow to me left to right leaning in seems wrong although it is the way convention dictates

Thanks for any input. I have been looking at it too much to see myself.

 

[Fnaar]

I think it's travelling to the right too, and this would make sense, as that's the direction we read in (left to right) which I think is important. In a desperate effort to take myself away from the work I'm trying to finish before Christmas, I tried writing it out both ways. Although (as a left hander, poss) it's easier for me to draw with it leaning to the left, it looks wrong, like it's trying to NOT make progress, which is the opposite of what you want. So, leaning to the right is my answer. And the whoosh lines should go before the E at the start of Express (which is actually following the word as it zooms along)
Now back to work.

 

[asterix]

If you could see the wheels they would be leaning forward as they provide the motion. That's what's wheely important..

(The figure looks as if it is struggling to get anywhere TBH. The head should lean back comme ca:

)

 

[ASC1951]

So imagine a logo with steam and woosh lines
EXPRESS=
does this look right and look like it is travelling from right to left?
= EXPRESS
somehow to me left to right leaning in seems wrong although it is the way convention dictates

Thanks for any input. I have been looking at it too much to see myself.

I don't think your logo - just seven letters and woosh lines - has enough context to give a sense of travel. For me, you would have to have some perspective from a change in letter size, or something above or below the text which either tapers or finishes beyond the 'rear' of the text.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

If you could see the wheels they would be leaning forward as they provide the motion. That's what's wheely important..

(The figure looks as if it is struggling to get anywhere TBH. The head should lean back comme ca:

)

What about these, a similar idea, designed to be (supposedly) like a runner in the blocks. Back forwards back, basically a sort of zig zag shape. Sort of, anyway, you get the jist:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_Class_BB_15000

http://locodriver.co.uk/Vol03/Part05/04/index.html

 

[Shaun]

When I was designing logos, movement in text was always conveyed by "leaning" it over to the right; like so.

The "motion" feels arrested in the left-leaning version.

 

[Fnaar]

Here's a whole bunch of 'express' logos to have a gander at:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=S...08#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=Express+logo&tbm=isch

 

[Aperitif]

Good words that Fnaaster and a nice quicklink.
'Leaning' doesn't do it for me - although it is a classic movement device, in conjunction with the shift lines...so familiar in cartoons etc - the streaks...
'Ownership' of the word by a company might help...'THExpress' - oops a literal but I'll leave it. The X Press might be a good name for a Quick Print oulet.
Effectively, any company that does the fast delivery business and gets a good rep. for it will be known by that name. ie: 'Rapido' not Rapido Express.
================================================........Got to go and do some work now...

 

[Over The Hill]

Thanks for all your responses.
So I think we end up with the preferred option like this

or



"Train" is travelling left to right and the lettering leans into the direction of travel.


But then with the right visual cue it seems to be able to go against the lean with the following two going right to left!!



Do the second two look wrong? Or do we just accept it as the woosh lines show it is going that way <<<<<
Oddly the second two seem to work as they go front of the word first. It could always have the italics going the other way so it travels and leans to the left.

 

[asterix]

I like your option. I also like JP Express because I think the logo matches their slogan. The lettering is unaggressive and I get the impression that they have time to listen at the start but once they get going it's whoosh! When I did forwarding, a personal relationship with the haulier was valuable and it wasn't the whiz kids who could always be relied on.

The last one is untidy and confused IMO.

 

[ayceejay]

I would be wary of emphasizing the SS just to be on the safe side.
I think that leaning towards the right expresses movement away from the viewer, if you want to illustrate movement coming at you the technique would require something like 3D with the head of the message on the left tailing off to the right.

 

[Cycling Dan]

One direction ??
*wheres my coat*

 

[Over The Hill]

One direction ??
*wheres my coat*

No different Styles I think

 

[Wobbly John]

BTW, things leaning to convey motion stems from vertical travel focal plane shutters, as shown in this example:

Note that the photographer was also panning which resulted in the static objects leaning in the opposite direction. More info here

 

[Over The Hill]

Cartoons use the lean to show motion. See above, first one does not look like he is moving while second one does. I think it is that he must be moving or he will fall over.


I am still working on the logo!!