I know you're probably feeling lost and confused since I've changed our logo ... please accept my apologies! Ever since Design Elemental has been around I've been using a gear logo in many different forms:

Whenever I redesigned this site I would change the logo to some extent. After doing some research it occurred to me that this is the exact opposite of what a logo is supposed to stand for. It should be a consistent symbol, word or image that can be easily identified and associated with what it's representing. With this new found knowledge and inspiration I took on the task of redesigning my own logo once and for all. After filling a page with sketches and ideas I was able to narrow it down to a couple options. The runner-up:

I was in love with this logo. It had the gear that I've always used and incorporated the letters 'DE' very nicely. I then asked myself, what does a gear have to do with web design, programming etc.? Well, I could spin it to mean almost whatever I want and relate it somehow. A gear is in a machine ... a website is a machine that ...etc. You see how this is very open-ended and broad. Also, the logo could be interpreted as 'CDE' instead of a gear with the letters 'DE'. So I decided to get rid of the gear, and just use the 'DE' and let that be the logo itself. Add a touch of gradient and dash of shadow and you have the new logo:

This is very clean and simple, and because of it's simplicity it is easily reproducible and scalable. Why do you need a logo to be scalable? Think big! You (or your client) may need the logo to be printed on posters, banners, or even signage. While most designs can usually scale large and still look excellent, going the opposite direction is more of a challenge. The greater the complexity the design, the larger it needs to be to retain it's detail. The logo design that I've chosen can also scale down to a very small image and still maintain it's clarity:

This can add the finishing touch to a website when used as a shortcut or bookmark icon.