Just thought I'd throw this out there for some feedback. In addition to photography, I also play around a lot in Photoshop just to see if I can crash the computer. Here's the result of my recent goof-off session:

The lens flare might be a bit much. I can remove it. I also want to work on the knight a bit more. I don't like the way his chest goes "flat" between his chin and the curve in the "s". I may add a subtle curve in there. I haven't decided if I like his mane, either. Hmm...

Feedback? Comments? Ideas?

God, I hate people with actual talent.  That's really, really excellent. 

Yeah the lens flare is definately a bit much in my opinion - maybe try removing it and adding a more subtle lighting effect instead. Also I think a bit of contrast wouldn't hurt, perhaps a B/W gradient map on overlay, 40%.

Pretty nice overall though :]

That's amazing! I actually like the lens flare, leave it.

Kind of off-topic, but the knight looks like a seahorse.

Very interesting logo, in my opinion. And it indeed looks like a sea horse, but we gotta remember some crazy folks are into underwater chess all of a sudden, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. ^_^

I like the flare thingy as well, 'tis fine the way it is IMO.

I think the lens' glare adds luster to the logo, showing better depth with the contrasting colors.  It shows three depths, instead of two if you left the glare out.  Also, you showed a display of creativity by using the knight in the text, which is great. 

Keep on keepin' on.

Here's version #2:

I created a curves adjustment layer instead of using a gradient map. The added contrast helps a LOT... good call. I also removed the lens flare, changed the green lighting effect slightly, added a drop shadow and fixed the curve beneath the seahorse's chin. I mean the knight's chin.

The curve in the bottom of the "s" makes it look like a seahorse. Now, what could I do about that... hmm... I have a couple of ideas...

EDIT: Here's the same thing with the lens flare added back, for those who like it:

The second one is easier on the eyes, but I really liked the flash glare, because it appeared light was reflecting off a gold plate... just my amateur two cents.

Yeah it's definately much nicer now, especially with the drop shadow which adds a lot in my opinion. Good job!

the drop shadow really does add to the picture. I especially like the font art (which in this case is the most important part of the image anyway).

I am a bit into designing myself, and I would vote against the glare. Though it doesn't look bad leaving it out creates a classier picture.

Well done!

Beautiful! Well done!

At 1:20 in the morning I start doing goofy stuff like adding evil red eyes and smoke to the knight. I also enhanced the metallic look of the font (or at least I tried to). Okay, enough screwing around. I need to get some sleep.

Both are great excel - i think it has an elegant simplicity, while at the same time just enough flare and character sewn in with your photoshop skills.

for that reason i think without the lens effect is my slight favorite, for its oh so slightly calmer elegance, but the burst of light does give a tad more 'pazazz' if 'pazazz' is what you are after!

I wish I had the spare time that you do!!!!!!

As for the knight, have you thought about doubling or tripling the mane?  Kinda looks like a ponytail.

CLIMBER!!! Where you been, man? We need to start another game. Hey, Elizabeth is working in Camden again this week (FYI).

Yeah, I'm gonna do some work on that mane. It just doesn't look right.

Is this logo for a website only, or would it also be used on paper, posters, et cetera?

Because then you'd probably need a simplified version that also works on a white background.

In general it's a bit large to be practical on a website too, and I wonder if it still looks good if it's smaller. I think the little effects (like the smoke) are a bit much.

But I'm a computer programmer who is notorious for being utter crap at graphic design, if you always did the opposite of what I say on these matters, you'd do pretty well.

the lens flare one is the best!

I like the enhanced mettalic look better than the lens flare. I also think the smoke from the knight might be over the top. And as someone else suggested, making the knight's mane look more like a mane and less like a pony tail.

Overall, very good looking.

It just occured to me that I haven't thanked you guys for your comments. Thank you.

The fancy version would only work well on the web or maybe some high-quality printed flyers. It could be silk-screened on a shirt but nobody would be willing to pay that much for a shirt. And don't even THINK about embroidery.

But it's easily converted into a super-crisp b&w version with just a few clicks. It's also infinitely scaleable (up AND down) without loss of resolution. That's the beauty of paths and vector masks. Example:

It took less than a minute to create this version from the fancy one. You gotta love Photoshop.

I probably have about 3 hours in the fancy one. That's because I used the trial-and-error method to teach myself how to use paths and vector masks. Now that I know what the heck I'm doing, I could easily create a new one from scratch in 30 minutes.