The Tomome is conceptually good but something is off in the execution.
The thin slivers around the edge or something about the program used to make the curve looks off.
the way apple does IOS is super flat design is a good indicator. The Tomome tries to be super flat but its not some how, and ends up looking like a 12 year olds ms paint.
The way the cube combines the letters is quite smart and probably subconscious, it also makes you look at it to see how it fits together, because humans are puzzle solvers
Further the CUBE logo has three different but coherent presentations which builds a sigil effect. None of the others integrate with the words or suggest type face of NEM.
The Cube offers a complete package and design language with which the rest of the nem effort can use as a guide.
Also I don't need and explanation about the Cube, it tells me what it is even in the logo N + E + M. The tomone requires a blurb of text to justify it.
For this reason the cube is currently better on multiple fronts, and the more I look the better the cube is.
I don't think a cube represents the non-hierarchical ideals of NEM.
I agree with you about the balance of the original tomoe logo, so I made some changes:
I would encourage people interested in the logo design to join the logo committee. It is up to the logo committee to try to provide some guidance for the design of NEM. The tomoe logo is still a work in progress and we don't have any new design from Loi, so I don't think holding a vote now is the best time.
Please join the logo committee on trello if interested (PM me with your trello username if you need to be added to the board or something):
https://trello.com/c/JhDuvPYf/66-logo-contest-2-phase-of-narrowing-downThat is some what better, but if I could say this ,the tomome is used in quite a lot of places in some cultures as you have pointed out and is no unique to nem.
You have now slapped the tomome on to the last letter of the nem and ended up with a rounded curve not a the same as the other lettering so broken the visual language, its sort of shoe horned in.
further the N + E + M concept is not there or something equivalent.
I'm not trying to put your design down in anyway, rather it just does not seem to offer the unified visual language or the be su de novo / sui generis , to nem, and thus differentiated from everything else.
You might have a better design in you, but the tomome as it is does not appear to tick all the boxes the cube does
Also I like the way the cube sort of looks like it is floating, and popped out of the page, I saw this first some where else and it caught my eye.