Clean & fresh identity wanted for a mobile & web app developer!

Apperrific

A small group of developers are forming a new company which develops mobile and web applications.

We use modern methods of delivering apps that have a strong focus on clear and simple UI. We'd like our new branding to be on the same wavelength.

We're all Web 2.0, don't mind being bold, but like to be taken seriously, at the same time. We work on fun projects but serious ones too!

We work on e-government projects, on silly websites, on handy mobile apps, and projects from very vertical markets. There's no single stream that we stick to, although mobile apps are a slightly bigger part of us.

I don't know that there's anything more I can say about us to help, so I'll happily answer any specific questions.

We have a mixed set of current clients, and aim to continue to seek clients in a variety of fields. Our focus ranges from modern projects (web mashups, mobile games, silly websites) to scalable enterprise apps, with lots of "middle of the road" projects in between.

We'd like our branding to be a little on the fun, or cheesy, side, but safe enough to not be dismissed by a more serious client (eGovernment, local authority, large enterprise).

Ultimately, our target audience is anyone who needs to have an application developed for them. That's a large audience, but we don't want to exclude ourselves from any portion of it.

We're completely open to any creativeness input, but would like to explain what we're after, in general, so we don't waste anyone's time.

The created logo will be used mainly in a wide & short format (e.g webpage banner), but must be flexible enough to allow use in a square format (favicon, avatar, etc.) and that square format won't have the full Apperrific name.

Colours requirements are not set in stone; we like grey and orange, but earthy colours are OK too. As are variants of brown. Number of colours should be low, but gradients are OK.

Fun is OK, as is cheesy, as long as there is an identifiable brand in there. By that I mean, you're free to play with the logo, as long as there is a central focus that can be taken out of context and still be associated with the name.

Clean is a must. Some call it basic, some call it simple. Minimal artwork and detail, but enough to get a point across. We build our UI like that. So, while clouds might seem Web 2.0 and clean/earthy/cool, they are not very distinct. It would be hard to build a brand based on clouds without the name included. That said, clouds are fine as part of something; I'm not dismissing their use.

Use of the name should probably be all lowercase in a modern wide font-face. Again, not a hard rule. Tag line (which will change, but will always be short), and will initially be "Apps. Terrific ones."