Going Nowhere (but in a good way for once)

in book stores are magic, Random Crap

More bookshop news!

So.  I’ve been poring over the names I’ve given to all of the imaginary bookshops that I’ve opened my head since I was little, trying to decide which one is right for our real-life store and I keep coming back to one.

Growing up I spent more time in the land of books than I did in real life.  I lived in those neverlands that you can only visit in stories.  The places you grew up in that never actually existed.  The ones you got lost in and the ones you found yourself in.  Those strange countries that real and important, in spite of the fact that they exist nowhere at all but inside you.  And that’s where I got the name:

Nowhere Bookshop

And it works on a variety of levels because whenever I spend hours at a bookshop and Victor is like, “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL DAY?” I always say, “Nowhere” and now I’ll actually be telling the truth.  Sort of.

We’ve seen a few locations that we like (more on that later) but now I need help on deciding what the logo should be.  Because you have helped to create this store in giving me such amazing ideas for the perfect store it seems only fitting that you should help decide the logo.  I’ve narrowed it down to these five designs but I can’t decide which one is best so I’m asking for your help:

CLICK HERE FOR THE POLL

Can you go in and rate each one?  Just click on the images to see each logo and then give each a rating from 1-5 stars (5 being best) and then click “submit”.  There’s a space that asks for your name and email but it’s not necessary so just leave that blank.  (The logos are still workable so you can leave comments on the design if you think it needs a change or should be a different color, etc.)

Thank you for being here.  And for being Nowhere.

242 thoughts on “Going Nowhere (but in a good way for once)”

Read comments below or add one.

  2. LOL, “Vote on Logo Designs for James Lawson
    James Lawson would like your opinion”

  3. “Vote on Logo Designs for James Lawson” is my favourite part of this poll.

  7. What about “everywhere” instead of nowhere? To me, books conjure whole other worlds. If I’ve been in a bookstore all day, I’ve spent the day everywhere rather than nowhere!

    And IMO, “everywhere books” has a nice ring to it…

  10. Not sure who James Lawson is, but happy to vote for Nowhere anyway!

    (That’s Hunter S. Thomcat’s real name. Don’t tell anybody. ~ Jenny)

  12. GAAA, as usual, i didn’t read instructions so just voted on one as my fav.

  14. instead of “no.. where” I kept reading it as “now here” which works just as well.

  18. Luv the name, I relate to this so much!! THX for being you, you are wonderful.

  21. As I looked at the designs, I started reading it as Now Here, which is pretty great too

  23. Love the name. Left comments on the logos (along with my name and email address). I not a designer but I do lots of communications work, so it was fun to critique something that I had no hand in creating.

  24. I love it. I also love that the more I look at the word nowhere, the more my brain moves the space from no where to now here. Which fits just as perfectly.

  26. Please tell me there will be a marker at the exact center so we’ll know when we’re in the middle of nowhere.

    (There absolutely will be. Maybe at the bar so you can get a drink in the middle of nowhere of while perusing the books. ~ Jenny)

  27. And I can play “Road To Nowhere” while traveling to TX. If I ever go to TX. It works almost as well as when I used to hum that while passing a storefront church named “Hiway to Heaven” on my way to work.

  28. and when you’ve had enough of being ‘nowhere’, you can always come back and be ‘now here’.

  29. Please tell me there will be a marker at the exact center so we’ll know when we’re in the middle of nowhere.

  31. Now here! Nowhere is a good place to be with a book. Start neutral and find the book’s world. Sad and strange that my 2 favorite logos are 4th and 5th. My least fave leads the polls. What does this say about my taste?

  32. I love the roundabout Neil Gaiman reference too… Nowhere / Now Here
    I think this is from Neverwhere….

  33. I love the roundabout Neil Gaiman reference too… Nowhere / Now Here
    I think this is from Neverwhere….

  34. Starting to plan a trip to nowhere immediately! I’m in the middle of a crazy stressful couple of weeks and looking at logos was the highlight of my day and helped me relax- your bookstore is already magic!

  35. I love the name so much!! I voted for the first logo – clean and whimsical! I think it would look great on a t-shirt, too. Better than great – insanely awesome!

    Maybe do logo t-shirts as sort of a Kickstarter thing? And then when we all get ours, we can post them on social media and tag it!

  37. I love it. And there should be a giant display of “You Are Here” so that folks can see that they are, indeed, in nowhere, and nowhere is here.

  40. I LOVE the first one (girl in the stars) but seeing it written out, seems like you could play on “nowhere/now here” – as that’s my experience with bookstores. I am simultaneously nowhere and very very present.

  41. I love the idea of you having do not disturb signs that say nowhere on one side and now here on the other. Calling dibs on that now. Congrats, Jenny, btw. Cant wait to see it all. Shana.

  42. They’re all lovely. Girl on the ship’s mast sailing off to Nowhere was my favorite! I’ve never been to Texas. Looks like that’s about to change….

  43. Keep in mind that for logos, the more simple, the better because it grabs people’s attention faster and stays longer in their head. Think Apple or the Nike swoosh, and Pepsi’s logo is the most recognized in the world. These logos don’t even need the brand name associated for people to know what they represent. The logos you propose are nice, but to me, these look like an “expanded logo,” i.e., something you use when you have the space, but an even simpler, more instantly recognized one would sell the brand better. Maybe I’m overthinking it for a bookshop, but even B&N’s and Half Price Books’ logo are extremely simple. Just my two pesos after working for a “perceptual management” (read: “advertising”) agency in Scottsdale for several years. 🙂

  44. For whatever reason, one of the logos read in my brain as “Now Here” and it threw me for a second but I decided I like thinking if I was in your bookshop I’d also be “now here” and “nowhere” at the same time. 🙂

  49. I’m a bit “no” on having the obviously fem/girl outline because of the gender spectrum of customers.

  50. Sigh. My least favorite is in first place. Oh well. Whatever you pick will be just right.

  51. I agree that “Everywhere” would make a lot of sense too. But I’m fine with nowhere if you insist.

    About the “now here” comment: when a friend was on a junior year abroad, in Vienna, a DJ announced a song by Neil Young as “Everybody Knows This Is Now Here.”

    I hope I can visit San Antonio once you’re open. I’m in NY’s capital region — kind of a long haul. But I’m a big fan, Jenny.

  53. Do you accept donations? I have this crazy idea on who to give all my books to? Gotta Google how far to San Antonio from Pinetop!

  54. Do you have any idea how far you have come since I first read your blog when you were hiding in your bathroom and breaking the internet because we all wanted to join you in there on chat?

    Now you’re going out and planning to open a bookstore where you will have to actually talk to people sometimes.

  55. As a graphic designer, I die a little inside each time someone who is starting a business they have dreamed about their whole life uses crowdsourcing for the logo. Also it’s “poring.”

  56. I lived in Ocala, FL for a bit and there is a bar there called The Nowhere Bar LOL, and named exactly that way for when you’ve been at the bar all day you can say you’ve been nowhere 😛 I love the name!!

  57. It wasn’t until I looked at the logos that I saw Nowhere/No where is also Now here. Which totally works for a Jenny Lawson bookshop because I have been carrying around my You Are Here bag for months now. <3

  59. Since I was a child, my dream has been to open a stationary store. When the bookstore grows big enough to hire a buyer/manager for your stationary section I might just need to move to Texas!

  60. Sometimes I see “nowhere” and sometimes I see “now here” in the graphics. I kinda think that’s appropriate!

  62. I can’t wait to visit Nowhere! That’s going to be such an epic trip. “Where are you going?” “To Nowhere.”

    And these logos are all amazing. I did vote & leave comments. But overall, I didn’t dislike any of them, although I did like one more than the others.

  64. Aww, I spent a bit of time putting thought into my comments but when I tried to submit, I just got an Oops 500 error message. 🙁

  65. Nowhere Bookstore is good but I like Neverland, which you mentioned. Or maybe there are already bookstores with that name. Anyway…I voted on the designs and commented but I like design #1 with the additional gold embellishments in #3. I don’t like the black background of #3.

  66. I left some comments regarding the design from the perspective of a marketing person who has had to do a ton of logo work in my career. I hope you find it helpful (and if not, toss it out!) 🙂

    Best of luck as you move through the process. Opening & having a retail store is a true labor of love, and 6 years in, I can say I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Enjoy the ride and be sure to take a few moments every once in a while and appreciate being able to live your dream. <3

  67. Love how the name blinks back and forth between “nowhere” and “now here” in a most magical way.

  70. <> I can’t be the only person the knows James is Victor’s first name…..can I?

  71. I am kinda disappointed that you didn’t draw it yourself. I know that a tough cookie to crack but even in your own handwriting it would be so spot on. You own Nowhere girl !!!

  72. So excited for Nowhere dreams! I voted on the logos, but wanted to throw out that complicated logos with lots of detail might need a very streamlined version for smaller uses such as a Twitter icon. I live in the San Antonio area and cannot wait!! for my trip to Nowhere. xo

  74. So now I have the song Road to Nowhere in my head. As far as earworms go, this is not bad. Mazel on the new project!

  76. I am ridiculously happy about this! I cannot wait for you guys to open it up, and I promise I won’t be a weirdo (well, more than normal) if I see you there.

  77. Now Here in Nowhere…..doing Nothing….but Reading and Dreaming…ah, the Joys of Books!!

  78. They are all gorgeous. I wonder about making the reading child androgynous to avoid perpetuating the myth that reading is a girly pursuit. Just a thought. 🙂

  80. OMG you are getting so close. If I lived in San Antonio, I would fill out an application the minute you put the “Now Hiring” sign out. 🙂

  82. I think the logos/designs are too “feminine” with the girls on them and all the swirls. I think the design should be more gender neutral.

  84. Wait – I originally saw it as “Nowhere”, but could it also be “Now here”?

  85. Anyone else have “Nowhere Man” Stuck in their heads now?
    Also, I love the idea of taking a road trip to Nowhere! Perfect!

  86. As I was looking and re-looking at the designs, my brain started reading NOWHERE as NOW HERE. Hoping you can find a perfect location for the shop so that you can say “Nowhere is now here!”

  87. I love the name and that it can be seen as “now here” and be equally true.

  89. Hahaha – the current results are exactly opposite of my preferences. I agree with everyone who prefers a more gender neutral logo, and I’d be really attentive to a logo that reads clearly when it’s printed both small and large – some of the intricate details on some of them will get really lost on, say, letterhead or book marks, or if you’re looking at a sign from a distance.

  91. There could also be a possibility of a play on the word from Nowhere to “Now Here.” I love the concept and the designs are right on!

  93. Love the name.

    Coming from the design community, I’d strongly encourage you to work directly with a designer. Often times, crowdsourced design websites mean designers offering up their ideas and work for free. The sites also undermine the value of good design. I know you can appreciate how hard it is for artists and designers to get paid their worth on commercial products and sites like these make that even more challenging.

  96. So glad my favorite is in first place at the moment. We all have good taste.

  98. Beautiful! I like the logos, as Real Life Gilmore Girls mentioned, they are quite intricate and I’m thinking of it from more of a reproducible aspect – can you put this on brochures, websites, and even promotional items, a logo on a nice trucker hat perhaps ;-). I think you might be able to and it might even be really cool, but something to keep in mind. Congrats!

  99. Take this for what it’s worth, but I work in the printing-your-logo-on-stuff industry, and whenever I see very fine lines and detail in a logo, I worry that it won’t translate well into merch that your many customers will want to buy. I definitely see a Nowhere coffee mug in my future is all I’m saying.

  100. i m giving these the consideration deserved, so it may take me forever to figure them out. I love them all. and I thought I was so clever figuring out it also could be interpreted as Now Here, Duh! I guess from the comments that I am far from the only one to think this, So it is a good thing. You are now here – nowhere. Love love love it. My vote will be coming in soon…..if possible,

  104. I see people beat me on my Road to Nowhere as a theme song idea! Since the Talking Heads have disbanded, I suggest dressing neighborhood urchins in giant white suits and having them lip synch it at the grand opening.

  105. The name is perfecto! Also makes me think of Neverwhere à la Gaiman. I must have weird tastes because my choices are coming in last but that is typical. Ha!

  106. You need to play “We’re on the Road to Nowhere” from the Talking Heads in your store. 🙂

  107. Hey Jenny. Former graphic designer/art director here. Nice designs, but I’d say that they’re looking too illustrative, and don’t quite capture your essence. The ones with the girl give a bit of a wrong impression—they look like they are specifically for a children’s bookstore. Personally I’d say skew in the direction of something a lot quirkier. These are a bit typical and you’re way more interesting than that.

  108. I really hope you can use comments like mine: “Like the extra doodad-ery, but really, still does not feel quite THERE. (Yes, I know it’s nowhere, but as a bookstore, it’s still a secret destination, my personal top-secret hideaway that only I and a million friends will know about.) Maybe needs to feel more secret staircasey treehouse-y?

    Sorry. Too many migraines, meds, and depressed moments I guess.

  109. Like the store name! I’d rather be “Nowhere” reading than anywhere ‘not’ reading! You can tell customers – you are Now Here – Nowhere!

  110. When I was in college there was a bar across the street called The Library. So my roommate could honestly tell my parents when they called (this was before cell phones) “He’s at the library.”

    I can’t wait to be on the road to Nowhere!

  112. Done 🙂 I actually liked them all, felt mean to give one of them a one star rating !!

    Now you need a motto…my fave bookstore (The Montague Bookmill, in Montague MA – old mill turned into a used bookstore, it’s awesome) has a great one…”books you don’t need in a place you can’t find !”

  113. My dream bookstore was always going to be called “Storyville” but now I’m leaning more toward “Black Dog Books” in honor of all the black dogs I’ve owned!

  114. Going to go look some more…but my first thought was “does anyone see NOW HERE”…as in you thought you were nowhere, but you are now here!

    Sorry. Had a medical procedure done today and may sti be loopy

  115. I had several that I liked. I got an error message when I tried to vote, though! I’ll try again later and hope it fixes itself…

  117. Congratulations and thank you for letting us vote! The design in the lead would be super cute on a book bag or Tshirt. Silkscreened, the second color would add to the price. Digital print, won’t matter. I always like to have a logo that will work as single-color, say for a book stamp or on a register tape. Or as a sponsor, on a poster for an event.

  118. Love the name of your shop!! And, for people who don’t do English very well… You are Now Here at the No Where Bookshop. LOL See what I did there. Good luck and some day I’ll be in TX to check it out.

  119. “Nowhere” is just the English for “utopia.”

    Just sayin’.

  121. Love the name, Jenny! But when I first read it, my mind saw Neverwhere, which is even more awesome IMHO. Guess that name is already taken, huh?

  122. I made a comment on the poll that the “w” is a good place to have an open book in the “w” shape. reading all the comments seeing “Now Here”- this would override that misread, if desired.

  124. Please, please, please tell me that you’re the one who owns the nowherebookshop.com domain. Someone grabbed it just a couple of months ago. Looks like the same people also picked up the nowherebookstore.com domain.

  125. I was curious, I take it the name should be “No-where”, but it could just as well be “Now-here”, as in “I’ve been lots of places, but I’m Now-here”

  127. I feel like a bookstore/bar logo should incorporate the alcohol part of the equation. Just my 2 cents.

  128. This was my favorite part of the day as well! Glad I’m not the only one to see James Lawson’s name. We all need a fake identity, right?” I am not afraid. I was born to do this.” Joan of Arc

  130. I had something to say about each one… but apparently for my 5-star choice, I was with the crowd. The rest varied quite a bit though. I’d love to see some of the thinking behind the other rankings…

  131. What about Know Where? You know where the most interesting people congregate for books. It’s where you go to know things. You’re the writer, you see where this is going.

  132. I LOVE how you can read it “Nowhere” or “Now here”. That’s really cool.

  133. I love the name! And if you want, you can say you’re Now Here….then you can be Nowhere!

  134. When it’s open – I may have to make a special trip just to visit…and I am not usually a Texas fan. Love you, though!

  136. I had voted before reading the comments, so my opinions wouldn’t be swayed. I commented on my very favorite design, saying that I liked it because it could also be “Now here”. I LOVE that so many of us feel like Nowhere can be Now Here. Kindred Spirits and all that.

  137. Jenny,

    I wanted to start a bookstore and coffee shop in 1986 but just graduated college with my masters in architecture and couldn’t see how I could do this. Missed what your plans are but I planned on areas of the shop with differing themed building features based on book types. I wanted the building to be an experience like the books the rooms contained. I feel bookstores are disappearing now. Glad you will be opening one. I am going to go look at you’re recent posts as I missed the last few. Good luck in you venture.

  138. I keep seeing Now Here but that works too. For some reason I can’t open the logos to full screen…

  139. I kinda think you need a logo that says “Now here be”, with some form of visual references to Yoda and Baba Ram Dass.

  142. I am already planning a trip to bring my husband and daughter with me to visit your shop. I am waiting for the moment when we’ve hit 75 mph on the interstate and I set the cruise control when I will say, “Look! We’re going to Nowhere fast!”

  143. I’ve got to agree with many of the other commentors – lots of the logos are awesome and beautiful and would look great on a t-shirt or bookplate. But you also want a version that would look good on a bumper sticker and be readable on a shop sign from the street at speed of traffic. For that you need a simplified version – my favorite for that is the one with the kid sitting and reading, and get rid of some of the frills for your street sign version.

  144. I like both the current first and second place favorites with the girl sitting with a book on the N loop/bookstore banner. Except I believe it would be much more appropriate if the figure reading was a raccoon instead of a girl.
    Or possibly Beyoncé (the chicken, not the singer).
    A taxidermied* raccoon though is probably the most representative figure. Also, since raccoons have fur and mostly don’t wear clothing, a discreetly posed racoon sitting with a book would be appropriately gender neutral.
    *I don’t think you could tell from a drawing the the raccoon had been taxidermied. It would be one of those things that people Just Know.

  146. To open logos in full screen – right click and open in new window. That is what I had to do in the Chrome browser.

    There is a News from Nowhere not-for-profit, radical, community bookshop in Liverpool (the original, not Liverpool, Texas) that has been going for 45 years. Good company.

  148. damn it, I spent time typing in responses and then when I hit submit it gave me a 505 error. I was so sure it was right that I went back and just clicked stars with no comments and hit submit again – and it worked 🙁
    anyways, the only comment I guess that matters is for the one I gave 5 stars: black background, gold accents, star in the R. Said it was way better than the white version b/c more striking, memorable, and I liked the gold accents. Also star in R is neat – could be star for Texas, could be “reach for the stars”, could be something else.

  150. You are SO BRAVE to put the name out there before it’s open – it’s like telling people what you are going to name your baby and then people tell you alternatives or that it was their cat’s name as a child…

  151. My absolute favorite is the navy one. The lines are cleaner than the others, it’s gender neutral, it’s the most interesting visually.

  152. Great name and logos. I voted so do I wear a sticker saying I Voted? Also, the name is Nowhere and sometines it looks like NOW HERE. Very cool. I will be there for the grand opening 😁

  153. I voted 5 stars for the first one and just wanted to note that it does bring to mind the Dreamworks Logo of the boy on the moon fishing. Congrats btw, love that you’re doing this and following your dream

  154. I love the brown with one with the dragon, although a different color than the brown may make the design pop more. Also the name is perfect. If you keep coming back to it, it’s yours. Submitting my choices produced error 505, but I wanted you to have my opinion. It really makes a different to enlarge each one. In fact, you wouldn’t go wrong with any of them.

  156. I totally understand the comments about the girl figure but….YOU are a girl. This is YOUR dream. We can’t go so far into political correctness that we don’t allow for the the individual.

  157. I love the brown with one with the dragon, although a different color than the brown may make the design pop more. Also the name is perfect. If you keep coming back to it, it’s yours. Submitting my choices produced error 505, but I wanted you to have my opinion. It really makes a different to enlarge each one. In fact, you wouldn’t go wrong with any of them.

  158. And my fav is the brown one, too! So much a walk into fantasy, which is what a book is!

  159. Ever notice that the word “nowhere” is also the words “now here”? How Zen is that?

  160. Nowhere/now here makes me think of Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones.

    I agree with some of the comments about readability of the logo when blown up/reduced. I think the brown one would make a great card or bookplate – I think if it doesn’t win you should still use it in a stationary range. The more I see the one in the lead the less I like it. Bicolour might be better.

  161. I love the name. I always got lost in books myself. I would so go to Nowhere.

  162. I wish it would be the Get Lost bookstore. I always get lost in books. It would make great merchandise, too.

  163. Lady, you are dangerously close to creating a sanctuary for misfits! Kind of like a year-round Comic Con without the cosplay.

  164. I like how “Nowhere” can also be read as “Now Here” based on the font 🙂

  165. What if I like them all (or just about all)? Because really, they’re all kind of cool in their own ways.

  166. Is it bad that I want my favorite logo to win? VOTE FOR THR GIRL IN THE TREE PEOPLE.

  168. Please please please call your new releases section Now Here at Nowhere. Pretty please.

  169. Please please please call your new releases section Now Here at Nowhere. Pretty please.

  170. Without reading the other 160+ comments, I just wanted to make sure that you had noticed that Nowhere could also be seen as Now here. Which is another way to answer Victor when he asks where you’ve been.

  171. Oh.Kay. I should have known I’d have been beaten to that punch already. Oh well.

  172. I know people have already said it but it’s worth saying again – make sure your final choice is a logo that can reproduce well on signs, letterheads and all the great merchandise you’ll want: T-shirts, mugs, pens, bookmarks and so on. The more intricate the design the less readable it will be in a smaller size or in a medium like embroidery or engraving. You need to consider the lifespan of a logo and choose one that will scale with you (literally and figuratively). I work in publishing and marketing, so I know how important this is. Rebranding is a pain and it’s expensive. Start off on the right foot. Also, I love love love the name.

  175. Hi Jenny,

    Can’t figure out how to leave a comment…. sigh… Anyway, just want to say that I was hoping to see one of your drawing/style as logo design. While I like a few of your choices/options, I’d love to see a JL original “bubbles design” logo. for your consideration.

    Best, Sylvia

    >

  176. The great thing about “Nowhere” is that it also can be “Now here.” I was nowhere, but I am now here. And when it opens, Nowhere will be now here as well.

  177. I never realized before that nowhere is also now here
    In this context it kinda works! I live in Texas and will visit as soon as it’s open 🙂

  178. Also, I don’t think the logo is quite “there” yet. Sorry. Recommend you not pick a finalist yet. Keep working the designs.

  179. When I clicked submit to add my comments, the website said I got lost. That happens a lot. Mostly, I wanted you to know that the brown one with the girl in a tree is beautiful in full screen, but when you shrink it, there’s a monster’s face that has the book as an eye and the girl’s body as a nose. The lower branch is his mouth and chin. Plus, there’s an agonized spirit being in one of the clouds, so it creeped me out.

    I also felt that the black girl in one of your designs is racially inclusive, so that’s good. I liked that one.

    Spend some time looking at them shrunk down and even a little blurry. When it’s printed on a cardboard box, the paper has more trouble giving you a crisp image and you want to be recognizable.

    But don’t do what Amazon did and print a dick on every one of your boxes.

    I’m having a great time with virtual bookstore development. Thank you for that. Now, I spend time imagining what my bookstore would be like. I’d grow lots of moss and I’d want a spring running through the middle. Plus, there’d be little padded tree house nooks to sit in to read and write. And skylights, definitely skylights.

  181. Like several others, I got an error message when I tried to submit my vote. I saved my ratings and comments and will try to enter them later. I know how much you love your fans and would not want us to feel frustrated. I’m sorry the survey site let you down.

  182. Hi Jenny, I loved all the logos and submitted my vote. Ignore all the Judgy McJudgypants comments you are getting about the proposed logos. They are all great and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them! I’m very excited for you and can’t wait to visit your bookshop once it’s open. I live thousands of miles away and am already planning my epic road trip to come visit your shop!

  183. I’ve voted. In every image I see Now Here, and that’s a good thing x

  185. Thinking of “miles from nowhere” by Cat Stevens, which godt Well…

    Miles from nowhere
    I guess I’ll take my time
    Oh yeah, to reach there
    Look up at the mountain
    I have to climb
    Oh yeah, to reach there.
    Lord my body has been a good friend
    But I won’t need it when I reach the end
    Miles from nowhere
    I guess I’ll take my time
    Oh yeah, to reach there
    I creep through the valleys
    And I grope through the woods
    ‘Cause I know when I find it my honey
    It’s gonna make me feel good, yes
    I love everything
    So don’t it make you feel sad
    ‘Cause I’ll drink to you, my baby
    I’ll think to that, I’ll think to that.
    Miles from nowhere
    Not a soul in sight
    Oh yeah, but it’s alright
    I have my freedom
    I can make my own rules
    Oh yes, the ones that I choose
    Lord my body has been a good friend
    But I won’t need it when I reach the end
    I love everything
    So don’t it make you feel sad
    ‘Cause I’ll drink to you, my baby
    I’ll think to that, I’ll think to that.
    Oh yeah
    Miles from nowhere
    Guess I’ll take my time
    Oh yeah, to reach there.

  186. I think it’s neat that you can also see “Now Here” in your logo. I like knowing that even though I’m Nowhere, I have arrived : )

  187. I was surprised that none of the logo designs you’re considering are by you, in your style. Your artwork is so unique and imaginative, it can definitely invoke the feelings of “nowhere” you describe. Think about it? 😀

  188. I SO wish that I lived close to you. I miss a really cool bookstore with areas to read.

  191. Cancel Comment 181; I went back a minute ago and it did accept my vote this time. The top three in voting were also my top three, in a different order. That shouldn’t make me feel good (the point is to express an opinion; not guess what everyone else will think), but it does. I shouldn’t want validation of my opinion (independent thinker that I tell myself I am), but apparently I do. Thanks for letting us express an opinion; now if you think we got it wrong, do whatever you think is right. You’ll be looking at the logo a lot more than any of us will; please yourself, please.

  193. I love this name because NOW is an acronym for No Opportunity Wasted. Nowhere Bookstore can be viewed as No Opportunity Wasted Here Bookstore.

  194. Hi Jenny, I left comments on the poll but wanted to add my general two cents here.
    A. People are seeing Now Here which is fun but if the name is Nowhere consider kerning the letters of the logo so the W is closer to the H. Then it might read better as Nowhere, giving you the control of when to play on Now Here.
    B. I agree with another commenter above-traditionally, a logo is meant to be simple for easy recognition and these are a bit complex (number 2 is not) so maybe take an element from your favorite to make it the logo and use the bigger, more complex version selectively.
    C. That said, do what you want! I am a graphic designer so probably overthink these things!

  195. I want to be a voice of opposition to the advice you are getting from marketing and graphic design people. While I respect their advice, and believe it is the best course in many circumstances, you are not starting a technology company, you are opening a bookshop. The biggest use of your logo will be on your sign and storefront, and you want something that will draw attention, welcome people, and make them want to enter. Your design will be on reusable totes and mugs; they should be ones people want to carry. Your design will be on letterhead, so it shouldn’t be too unreadable, but some degree of complexity reflects who you are and what you want the bookshop to be.
    Think of it this way: some interior designers will tell you your bookshop needs clean lines, simplicity, minimalism — think modern design with sleek simple furniture. I envision your bookshop as something more like your haunted doll house — filled with nooks and crannies, interesting fixtures, fancy and comfortable antique chairs, and places people can hide in the corner with a book. Your logo should reflect who you are and what your company is.
    That being said, I hope you do have so much success that soon there is a Nowhere Bookstore in every town that has a Starbucks. You can worry about simplifying your logo then (and the Starbucks logo is still complex, and used to be even more so!)

  196. It’s screwing up when I vote. It says “It looks like you’re lost. .” Impertinent. Hmph. So……i love #3 and #5, but on 5 lose the four-eyed blobby guy with the tulip growing out of it’s brain.

  197. I voted! And it seems like the ones I chose are the winners thus far. Love it! Good luck, Jenny! You will single-handedly increase tourism to San Antonio because of the masses of Bloggess Tribe members coming to Nowhere! <3

  199. I do feel the need to suggest that you read my friend’s first book, the Stayover by Amber Curtis. It’s a ghost story but not a scary one, she’s the kind of ghost we all want to be, I think, and I think the book deserves to be included in your bookstore, but it’s her first novel and it’s self published and not very many people or places know about it and I really want her to succeed, even just a little. So please please read it and think about including it in your bookstore! Thanks!

  200. I thought #5 used a little tank spouting flames. Actually, that sounds like you and matches!

  201. The prospective logos call out for more critters: cat Rodeos, dancing raccoons, James Garfield, Hunter S. Thomcat.

  204. The real question is: what is the meaning of the tank on the one option?!?!

    Made my comments- and saw I am almost upside-down from the majority. I will love this store regardless of its logo.

  206. Love the name! It’s absolutely brilliant. I think choice one and three are amazing and maybe do a combo of the two?

  209. Oooooh, you could do a play on words.. Nowhere? Now*here. (you are now, here.)

  210. I’m with the other commenters who noticed that “Nowhere” also looks like “Now Here.” It was less noticeable on the logo with the type on an angle (#3 maybe?), but I like it. Very “YOU ARE HERE.”

  211. For people getting an error message: Try a different we browser.

    I got only errors using Firefox, but was able to submit with no problems using chrome. The exact version might matter too.

  212. Reminds me of Diana Wynne Jones’ book FIRE AND HEMLOCK that some mentioned above, with the TWIN urns labeled “NOWHERE” that spin to say “NOW HERE” or “NOWHERE”. If you haven’t read it, you are in for a treat.

  213. Hi Jenny – thank you for being so open to the community during the whole process. Once a logo is selected, I hope you start making t-shirts with it. That way we can help fund the down payment on whatever building you choose. Best wishes always.

  214. Hi Jenny – thank you for being so open to the community on this. Once a logo is select, I hope you start making t-shirts with it. Then we can help fund the down payment on whatever building you eventually choose. Best wishes always.

  216. This was fun. Thanks for letting us participate. Others have pointed out that James highjacked your survey. I hope you get a discount from the survey people.

  217. Thank you for inviting us to choose our favorite logo designs. It is not an easy process and can feel overwhelming.

  218. I did the survey, I know you can do a really amazing logo, where are the truly crazy ones Jenny?
    OTH, I’m really only posting this comment because you have the lunar thing and I think this article “Why oysters close on the full moon—and more odd lunar effects on animals” will interest you :). Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/lunar-cycles-full-moon-effects-on-wildlife/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=Editorial::add=Animals_20190425::rid=877065632

    Jedi Hugs, I will visit when that bookstore opens.

  220. Tried to vote, but I’m geting the error message. Summary is; I quite like number one but prefer number four except the star in the R is for some reason making me want to scream. Number two is very good, number three would be great for a wine label but not for a bookshop. Number five is the best, though it’s a bit hard to read the word bookshop – it word be fine as a hanging sign, and then just having the wording over the door or window.

    And I agree with the other people that the kerning needs adjusting a bit. I’m actually reading several of them as No W Here and a bookshop needs Ws as much as the rest of the alphabet.

  221. I like it Jenny! I recently heard “people say nothin is impossible. That’s not true, I do nothing all the time”

    I’m getting very excited! This will end up being the longest trip to a bookstore I’ve ever made!

  224. We need to make a button or something so we can recognize each other without speaking when we visit the store! Like how in The Night Circus the Reveurs wear a bit of red? We need something with Beeps / KKMF…. 😉

  225. I’d say wait until you’re closer to nailing down a location before selecting a final logo. The logo has to work with the location as well as on printed material— making sure it’s going to be visible from the street or sidewalk, not disappear in the architecture etc. There might be restrictions re: size or position that would make it not work the way you had visualized. You might even find a great building that sparks a completely different new logo idea that just ‘clicks’.

  226. These logos are ALL soooo great! I feel that you should plan on using them all at one point or another for merch!

  227. Hey there! I noticed a comment up there that basically dismisses all the “consider making the girl less girly” suggestions as just being “politically correct.” It’s totally your store and your dream, and the person in the logo may represent you. Nothing wrong with that! Just please make that call knowing there’s a whopping big difference between being politically correct and, you know, wanting to be seen and valued and represented out in the world, whatever our gender.

  228. i tried to vote and added comments but it doesn’t appear it worked. Anyway I liked 1 and 4 okay. Found 2 and 3 to be too cold, no emotional pull. 5 was by far my favorite.

  230. Oh dear. Filled in the poll for our buddy “James” and the result page showed totally different results from what I picked. Sorry Jenny, I hope that doesn’t skew the results. But which ever you end up going with will be awesome!

  232. They are all beautiful, but I am not sure they do the WORK you need a logo to do. Your established audience already loves you. The logo needs to include us but also reach out beyond us, to invite others in, whether it is on the sign out front, on a totebag, or in an advertisement in print or online. In order to feel invited, people need information: what “Nowhere” is, and who it is designed for.

    To me, the logos with the girl strongly suggest a children’s bookstore–or even a children’s clothing or toy store, since the book is easy to miss in the girl’s hand. It suggests something narrower than what you have described. I love that you asked us our opinions, but you also need the opinions of the not-us, so I hope you can get them!

  234. Damn, why didn’t the poll stay open a little longer? I’d have liked to vote too! Rats. Still, I liked the one the voters picked out.

  235. Marcheline, don’t fret – regardless of the logo, there WILL be rats. Lots of them. In Victorian dress.

  236. I went to vote but polling was already closed. BUT I liked the winner the best so here’s my “vote” for that one!! 🙂

  241. I totally saw “No where” or “now here”? as well!!

  242. What I love about the name is the same as Will Simonds and others!

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