SurfHook

Good, good, good vibrationnnnnnnnnnn... What is ironing board doing in here? Time to grab pencil and paper.

Not too much working here. The font choices are strange enough, but adding a gradient to them is not a good choice. The rest of it looks like clip art, with the exception of the barb at the end of the hook...and that is going the wrong direction. Another problem is that Surf and Hooked just don't seem to go together. If this is the store's name, then that is what you have to deal with, but if it isn't, I would steer them away from that. It sounds a bit like a surfer got snagged by a hook. Is the boat shape intended to be the underside of a boat or a surf board? it looks more like a boat to me.

Look at the bright side of this: there are so many mistakes and rules broken with this logo, that you're going to learn a lot from them and be a better designer for it.

Now, where to begin?

Right off the bat, it's a mess. The composition looks totally random and non-logical. Try to always use a grid when you create a logo. Each element should be placed strategically and proportionally with the other. It's always a good idea to keep things simple (not to be confused with simplistic) : symbol over wordmark centered, symbol on the left and wordmark on the right, etc...

Gradients can be tricky, it's better to avoid them if you're not really sure what you're doing. They can cause some trouble when printed. All the more reasons not to used them in a logo. That being said, you can always several iterations of a particular logo, one of them being the "deluxe" version, with a bit more glitter and shiny bits. But your basic version should be free of gradient.

There are too many symbols in your logo. The surfboard, the sun, the wave and that weird looking fishing hook. Again, the greatness of a logo usually resides in its simplicity.

The fonts you picked are terrible. I understand it can be tricky for beginners to find good professional fonts. But there are ways to find them. Check out sites like www.fontsquirrel.com, www.losttype.com, etc... Understanding how fonts work and which are good or bad is something achieved with experimentation and research. Check this sites out: www.typophile.com www.fontsinuse.com. Combining two fonts is always a good idea, but they have to compliment each other. A serif with a non-serif, a wide with a narrow, etc... Also, there's something you want to never do again: using gradients on fonts, let alone individual characters.

To conclude, you need a proper creative process. Starting off directly on the computer, without any prior thinking, researching and sketching is a pitfall. Illustrator isn't a creation tool, it's an execution tool. Don't let Illustrator's features guide your creativity. It should be the other way around. Always start with a bit of research. You want to make a surf shop logo? Have a look at what similar business did. Notice the trend, the good ideas, the bad ones. Get yourself a Pinterest account, check out sites like www.logopond.com and www.dribbble.com for inspiration. With all that info, shut down your computer, grab a note book and a pen and sketch. A lot. Anything that goes through your head. And when you think you're done, sketch again. It's the most important part of the process. You can let your creativity flow without the constraint of a software and your computer. When you've refined an idea you really like, then and only then open up Illustrator and finalize it.

I hope this helps. Do not hesitate to submit more logos for review. You have a long road ahead of you but it totally worth it.

Good luck!