Although the connotations are a bit strange to me (the name), I feel like you could do something much more memorable / original with your look than big type + a weapon... knife... thingy?

Few things... in my modest opinion and experience:

1. Looking at your mark, I would lose the blade knife thing, and stick with the diminishing line and the cleave mark through it... having the knife seems redundant and a bit blunt for any viewer with some intelligence... also really focuses too much on the negative connotation in my opinion.

2. I would lose the combination "g + n" in Design – or is there meaning there? Was the "n" cleaved? (cloven?), if you are aiming for something like that, perhaps a pure type solution could be found that does it in a more intelligent way, and would also make the mark unecessary?

Good luck! bm

I like the start of the idea. Your tagline really says it all without the meat cleaver. You might be able to incorporate the "clean-cut" idea in the company name like Scott mentioned and maybe it's not a a tear, but a clean cut through the words horizontally starting small and increasing as it goes through the whole word. I would also agree in not combining the 'g' and the 'n' unless you have a reason for it. I like your color choice.

Cleaver as-is is clip-art hokey looking. But if I had to use the cleaver I'd put it splitting the 'gn' in design.

Disclaimer: I value my opinion, but there is little reason for anyone else to do so (except maybe for the fact that I am usually right)
; )

The "gn" ligature (or is it really) doesn't work at all, and is totally unnecessary too.

Wow, Mr Pallarp, what a great idea!

I will say it the way I usually say it when I see such logos: This logo is more of a clipart than an actual logotype. You will have to minimize the number of elements and colours and all the things that make it look like clipart.