Design ideas and process:

I was interested in creating letter logos on Illustrator as I believe logos are an effective tool which should be clear and eye-catching. I was interested in learning more about the different tools within Illustrator in order to create three logos which all have a different style.

Design 1:

For my first letter logo I wanted to create a 3D warped effect. To achieve this effect a followed a Adobe Illustrator 3D Text Effect Tutorial. In order to create this effect I first wrote my text in two separate text boxes. I duplicated the line I created using the pen tool and the dragged it down directly below the first line. I grouped them both in object settings. I selected the group and the circle and pressed divide on pathfinder. I then removed the middle part to create to separate halves of the circle. I then selected my first letter, ‘h’, and also selected the top section of the circle and clicked on make with top object which I found under object, envelope distort. I then repeated this using my second letter ‘k’ and the lower half of the circle. I then clicked unexpand under object and ungroup. I then copied the design and changed the colour of the middle group and changed the colour to orange and then scaled it down. I then used the blend settings under object and then clicked make. This created the 3d letter effect with a black and orange colour scheme.

I decided to create the logo in this style as I was interested in how to use 3d effects on Illustrator. I liked the contrast between the black and orange 3d effect and I liked the look of the lines across the orange areas of the letters.

Design 2:

For my second letter logo I used a tutorial to create this line style letter design. To create this effect I first had to create multiple lines and grouped them together, I rotated them so they were at an angle. I then used a heavy weight font for my letters. I then created outlines for the letters and aligned them to the lines I created. I then ungrouped the lines and then clicked on outline strikes within the path button. I then used the ‘make’ tool join my lines and letters and to convert my letters into lines using the pathfinder tool and the intersect option. I then ungrouped the lines and then made the left side of the lines have a pointed tip by using the direct selection tool to choose the anchor points and right clicked and press ‘average’ which created the pointed effect. I then added a black background to create more contrast between the lines and to fully showcase the effect created.

I decided to create this letter logo in a line design as I felt the line letter effect was an effective use of the line tool, something which I didn’t previously know you could used to create an effect on letters. I also like the effect of the sharpened edges on the letters and felt they really contrasted the black background in my final design.

Design 3:

For my third logo I created a logo in which I manipulated to text into the shape of a circle. I first had to create numerous lines and created a circle over the lines. I then selected all lines and reflected the lines at a 135 degree angle and copied. I then copied the circle and made a smaller circle within the original. I then selected all objects and used the shape builder tool to select specific squares from the grid I created in order to draw the letters. Finally, I changed the fill and stroke colour to blue and use the selection tool to take my logo out of the grid I had to used to create it.

I decided to this logo in this chosen design as I liked the effect of using the shape builder tool to create the logo. The use of creating a grid meant I had freedom over the amount of squares I wanted to create in order to draw my letters. I felt that the oval shape of the logo created a clean and professional final logo.

Design Inspiration:

How To Draw Any Letters Logo In Polygon & Circle | Adobe Illustrator Tutorials | Graphic Hunters – This tutorial helped me create my logo. It was and effective tutorial to follow as it helped me learn I can create a custom grid and use it to draw letters within it using the shape builder tool

Adobe Illustrator 3D Text Effect Tutorial – This 3d text tutorial helped me create my logo. Prior to making the logo I was interested in creating 3d effects on illustrator so I decided to try and use the effect on my letter logo. It also helped me understand how to combine different colours in the 3d effect.

Create Simple Line Letter Logos with Illustrator – This tutorial helped me as i followed the simple line letter tutorial to create my line letters logo. I adapted the tutorial and used two letters instead of one one letter used in the tutorial. I also learned how to manipulate individual lines which helped me create the sharp edges on my logo design.

https://liamfoster.design/graphic-design-blog-inside/5-characteristics-of-great-logo-design – I also learnt more about logo design by reading the article.  It stated a logo should be 5 things: Simple, timeless, relevant, distinctive and memorable.  A logo should be simple as a simple logo is easy to remember and easy to recognise. In addition, a good logo will pass the test of time and the designer will not have tried to keep up with trends but instead have designed a logo which remains effective long after it’s been created. I also learnt that a logo should be relevant, in my case I wasn’t creating for logos for any specific business or purpose, however If I was to do so I would have to make sure that the design is relevant to the business and not just aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, a logo needs to be distinctive and memorable. It should be a logo that is not easily forgotten and when someone see’s it, it will be easily recognisable because it was made to be distinctive.

Whilst creating my letter logos I learnt how to use many different tools on Illustrator which I now know can be used to create effective designs. However my knowledge is still limited, and I want to learn more about the use of all the different tools provided in Illustrator. I aim to do this by reading design articles and also watching tutorials. I find watching tutorials extremly helpful as I am able to easily follow along and can visually see the steps needed to create a specific design.

Introduction:

One of my favourite things to do in graphic design and experiment with logos. However, I rarely use Adobe software to help with the process, so I thought it would be an ideal chance to learn some new techniques that would help develop my understanding of how professional logos are digitally created. I already possessed a basic knowledge of the way logos would be created using illustrator as I had done similar projects to this one before so would be looking for techniques that would push me to the next level. I didn’t however just want to find the hardest tutorial to follow as I knew that I won’t remember most of it as mainly every tool used would be new to me.

Design ideas and process:

My initial thoughts for a logo using the letters B and S were to utilize the empty space within the two letters. I wanted to try and fill this space by combining both letters and immediately came up with the idea of intertwining the S with the B. I realised early on that this would work well as the height of where the S is and its curves in comparison with the B meant that, with only a few small adjustments, I would be able to manipulate the S so that it could flow in and out of the B like a snake. For this, I would have to make sure that I picked the correct font as I needed enough empty space inside of the B so that the S could fit easily without it touching the edges. Therefore, the font I selected was Copperplate Gothic Light, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Firstly, I typed out the two letters and proceeded to ungroup them so I could move the S into position. I moved it so it was half-way onto the B, and I also made sure that the two small gaps that appear on the top portion of the S were the same size to keep visual consistency. Secondly, I made turned the letters white and duplicated them to make an offset path which would later act as the missing space in-between the letters once they interlink. Finally, I used the knife tool to cut portions of the B and arrange them Infront of the S so it looks like they are locked together and then to make the final image, I added a black background so all you can see of the lettering is the white parts. This was not that long of process as I found it easy to get to terms with all of the tools they had to offer; I will certainly be using tools like the knife tool again as it gave me freedom to manipulate certain parts of the letters and place them wherever I wanted.

I feel like this logo creates a great sense of movement due to its curved and interlinking lines, which in turn, gives it animalistic features. For example, the S that slithers in-between the lines of the B could easily represent a snake. This idea is enforced when coupled with the serif font as it not only gives a traditional look, but the ends of the letters a suggestive form of a head and tail. Therefore, I believe that this logo design could be developed even further by adding texture, like scales, to greater enforce the idea of a snake while also keeping to a minimalistic design which most logos today go for.

Conclusion:

As I am still relatively new to illustrator, I don’t want to be going straight into the deep end when it comes to learning new techniques and tools. However, something I would love to be able to learn next would be to create three-dimensional logos, as I feel like I have got to grips with a lot of the pen and shapes tools so in a two-dimensional level so would only be fitting to develop my skills further in this way. This being said, while I am always looking on ways I can improve my design, I still believe the final product I created has been executed to a professional level and would be suitable for any product or advertising logo.

Editing Letterforms

Design Process

For this task, I set myself a small set of vague briefs based on 3 companies, a children’s games company, a traditional accounting company and a modern design company. I did this with the purpose of developing a professional level process and practicing working to a brief like I would in the professional world.

Games Company

For the games company, I wanted to keep a playful fun feel. To do this, I had to alter letter forms and round the edges and corners of my fonts. The leaning letters also reinforces the idea of friendliness within the design.

Final design idea for the children’s games company

Accounting Company

The traditional accounting company needed a different feel. People look for an accounting company that they can trust to deal with their finances correctly. Therefore, a traditional and professional feel would be perfect for this company. I adjusted the width of the letterforms to increase the contrast and also used the J like a power in mathematics as another way of showing mathematical prowess.

Final idea for the traditional accounting business

Design Company

I began my process by researching design companies and the trends and styles their logos use. From my research, I found that design companies generally aim to represent their professionalism, skill and ability to keep up with trends within their logos. Companies that also typically aim to represent these things within their logos are technology and clothing companies.

Nasa logo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_Worm_logo.svg

386-3866441_under-armour-logo-png-transparent-logo-under-armour.png

As you can see in the examples above, many of the logo designs are mainly comprised of simple geometric shapes which can be seen for many of the logos you know and love. The use of sans-serif typefaces also can be seen which is common for companies attempting to give a modern feeling to their logos.

After researching I began sketching out potential ideas for my design whilst baring in mind the skills I would have to use within illustrator. I used sets of triangle rulers and a protractor to ensure I used the geometric shapes in my designs. I first sketched a set of concepts and then sketched out different variations of the concept I felt encapsulated the idea of a design company the best.

Original set of sketches                     Advanced sketches

Final sketch

Whilst creating the design in Illustrator, I adjusted the sketch to change the circle in the letter j into a square to become more uniform with the rest of the design.

Illustrator process of the creation of the design

Finally, I added some logo text and experimented with different colour schemes that could fit the aims of my design. I settled with the colour brown as it adds a sense of reliability to the design using colour psychology.

Colour experiments                                                  Final design

Software Tutorials

The first tutorial that I used for this task was https://youtu.be/ymBosZVeRc8. A video tutorial explaining the basics of using illustrators varying tools to create specifically letter logos. The video demonstrated how to use the shape builder which was extremely helpful within this project. The use of various geometric shapes to create the logos rather than using drawing skills has been demonstrated and spoken about as a common practice within Logo design therefore learning this skill was essential.

Another tutorial I found was not completely relevant to my work as I did not use any overlapping letters within my Logo designs. However, this video was my first time learning about how and why you should change text into outlines. It is one of the most essential pieces of information I learnt for this task.

Finally, the last skill I would like to improve is my ability to use the pen tool. I would like to improve this skill as it is another essential for logo design. It can broaden my range of plausible ideas as I will be confident in my ability to create any style of logo and will eventually lead to an improvement in logo concept and create a cleaner look.

Design Resources and Articles

In this post, I have mentioned various sources previously that have both inspired my designs as well as helped me learn essential components within logo design. Another article that I used was https://www.designweek.co.uk/page/2/?s=logo. This article explains many famous rebrands and logos and breaks down the reasoning for many different design decisions. For example, the recent Peugeot logo uses more “elegant” and “streamlined” elements to mark the brands “upmarket growth” as well as being an attempt to “keep pace with its products”. I used ideas like these in an attempt to help each logo feel like they belong within their each independent sectors.

I also used the book Logo Design Love by David Airey which helped me understand brand identities and how logos should embody them. This helped me understand the above article and how the small elements of a logo that could be seen as unintentional or just unimportant can reshape a brand and the effect the logo gives on the viewer.

Learning Throughout the Module

I improved many skills during this module. Firstly, I improved my ability to use many different pieces of software a lot more efficiently as well as learning how to use different features within these softwares. This has overall improved me as a designer as it has allowed me to explore more interesting and thought provoking concepts whilst being confident that I can transform my ideas into professional standard designs.

Secondly, and most importantly, I have improved my process as a designer. The design process is unique to each designer and is the building block of your work. During this module, I have tapered my design process into a more efficient and effective method to ensure I produce my highest level of work. This improvement will be extremely beneficial for my time at the university as well as even going as far as benefiting my career.

Exploring Illustrator

For this, I wanted to learn something completely new that I haven’t attempted before as I had experience with using illustrator for the film poster project and the pictogram project as well as some other things. I chose the creating a letter logo task because I felt this would be a good opportunity to enhance my typography skills whilst also improving my knowledge and illustrator.

Design ideas and design process

I started by drawing out a lot of sketches and rough drawings to help me brainstorm. I also played around with different ways of arranging the letters, before settling on the main idea.

Initially I was really interested in a monogram inspired logo design and I tried this out in illustrator. I wanted a traditional logo and for that I used a serif typeface to achieve the look I wanted. I originally used the font Bressay Devanagari. I tried a solid version with this font, but it felt too cluttered. I changed the font to Superclarendon and recreated the design thought this was successful but when I showed this design to others, the ‘G’ wasn’t easily identifiable to them. Because of this I tried a completely different design.

I felt the hexagon was somewhat successful, but I kept working on it as I didn’t feel having the ‘A’ facing the wrong way was any good, but I couldn’t work out how to turn the ‘A’ around and have it still look legible, so I changed to a circle. I followed a tutorial on setting letters within a shape and also learnt how to use the shape builder tool in illustrator. I made some sketches as well to work out how my particular letters would look within the shape. I chose to do a hexagon shape to better follow the tutorial.

The circle was very successful but I felt the hexagon looked better so I experimented with the guidelines from the video so that the ‘A’ would fit in better.

Process Images

Software tutorials

I was somewhat new to using illustrator for text related designs, so I used tutorials to help me understand how to warp and edit letters, add multiple strokes to letters. for this task I learn how to shape letters into an actual shape and how to use the shape builder tool with guidelines. I followed a YouTube tutorial as well as many articles. The YouTube tutorial was very helpful as a visual guide helped me to understand exactly what I had to do to create the logo that I needed. Due to a visual guide, I was then able to adapt the skill I had learned to fit my own logo and create different shapes as well as different styles of letters which allowed me to have a variety of options that I could choose from as my final design.

Another tutorial that was very helpful for me was on how to reshape a path using the direct selection tool. This tutorial was very helpful for me the monogram letter logos I had to create smooth lines for the ‘S’ and ‘G’ and then fit the two letters together in a smooth manner.

Additional tutorial – https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/using/puppet-warp.html

Resources for research and inspiration

The additional resources that I found were the YouTube tutorial on creating Latin logo within a shape and the Adobe articles on using the direct selection tool as well as on puppet warp. these tutorials help me develop my design ideas as they allowed me to bring my design ideas to life as I originally wasn’t sure how to fit letters smoothly within a shape as well as how to fit letters within each other and not make them look like they’ve just been placed on but instead drawn as one.

I would still like to improve on my use of the shape builder tool because I’ve only used it in one way instead of experimenting with different ideas. Although, I was able to create a successful and legible design, I wish that I took the time to experiment and explore with the shape builder tool more as I feel it would have allowed me to create a more creative and unique design.

Additional tutorial

• https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/using/puppet-warp.html
• https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/using/tool-techniques/direct-selection-tool.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDNZURvGs9E

Learning across the module

The software skills and design skills I’ve learned across the module in Photoshop are how to transform images by using layers, the adjustment panel, removing backgrounds in Photoshop and moving them into new/separate layers as well as learning to use the magnetic lasso tool.

The software skills and design skills I’ve learned across the module in Illustrator are how to use the pathfinder tool and warping tools, in particular, how to use the puppet warp tool as well as the direct selection tool. Furthermore, I have also learnt how to use the shape builder tool.

The software skills and design skills I’ve learned across the module in Indesign are how to use the table function and table styles and use of paragraph rules and tabs.

Design ideas and design processes:

Design 1

For my first logo design, I wanted to experiment with using shapes and practise using the path finder tool. As i wanted to create a simplistic first design, i started by choosing a thin typeface. This worked really well in the end because it meant that the logo didn’t look too cluttered. I then used the path finder tool which gave the logo its circular shape, i created this by first drawing the circle using the ‘shape’ tool then i used the ‘type on the path tool’ type tool. This was good for adding further information it didn’t take the attention away from the letter initials. The use of a more decorative serif font for the text within the path tool worked for the same reason and by mixing it with a simpler font help convey the different elements of design.

Design 2

In contrast to my first design, i wanted to create a more flamboyant logo that reflects the creativity of the brand. Even though the ‘L’ comes after the ‘N’ i decided to place the ‘N’ almost inside the other letter as it made the logo come together and it worked well with the shape that each letter provides. I then experimented with colour and filling in the initials. To go along side with the positioning of the initials, i filled the ‘N’  because it is the first initial of my name so it stands out more. I then tried to figure out where to out the word ‘design’, i started by placing it above the ‘N’ and below the ‘L’ but i thought that it it fit the logo well by going into the ‘L’.

Design 3

For my final design, in some ways i’ve combined elements from both of the previous designs. I mixed two different typefaces for the main initials, the ‘N’ matching my first design and the ‘L’ from my second design to again visually present the creativity of the brand. As well as to make the logo more visually interesting for viewers. I gave the ‘L’ the letter the font with the most curves because it create a mirror between the ‘N’ and ‘DESIGNS’.

Design ideas and design process

At the beginning of my design process watching tutorials and exploring different levels of design were extremely helpful. However, the first of my designs that were created was not carefully thought about. Upon opening Illustrator, I went straight into it, without any inspiration at all. I mainly wanted to test out the certain tools that I had learned through watching tutorials and apply them to my design. The first tool learnt was called ‘type on path’. This was the tool that I had used for most of my three logos, and it helped them to have a clean and professional look. Despite my hatred for my first design, it really helped me to develop and think carefully about what I wanted to design next.

My second design was a lot more successful and thought out. It was inspired by the KA drinks logo because the colours and typefaces that it had used really stuck out and caught my attention. This was the effect that I felt all logos needed to have. They needed to be eye-catching and interest the viewer when looking at it. This helped to develop my understanding even further and made my second design a more successful one. Instead of using the ‘type on path tool’, I used illustrations and large type instead. I drew a simple sun design and large type to create a simple and minimalistic design. However, despite its minimalism it still makes an impact.

My final design was definitely my favourite. Initially I wanted to design and draw a crescent moon logo, in contrast to my second one. However, while designing, it miraculously turned into a banana, due to elements that changed its appearance. Instead of starting my logo again, I wanted to just go with it and see how my design would progress further. Even though it didn’t go how I originally planned, I definitely think it was my most effective and interesting creation.

Software tutorials

When learning how to use certain tools and looking for inspiration, the tutorials provided were extremely helpful. The adobe ones were mainly my favourite, purely because of how simple and easy they were to follow. Step-by-step tutorials are usually the ones I go for because I feel more comfortable when I see how things are done visually and what it takes to progress designs further. This tutorial: https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/using/creating-text.html was the first one I had watched. It taught me how to use the ‘type on path’ tool, which assisted me in all of my designs. When starting the task, it was a little scary since I didn’t know my way around the software, things can seem quite daunting. However, when tutorials like this are made, it helped me to become more comfortable as well as understand more and apply it to my designs. By learning these skills, it will not only benefit me with this project, but with many more to come.

The next tutorial: https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/how-to/change-font-typeface.html was a step-by-step written tutorial. This taught me how I can use the ‘selection’ tool to adjust type and create a unique typographic design. In all honesty, I really do wish I had used this effect in at least one of my three designs, but I think I got carried away with using the ‘type on path’ tool. Through learning this skill, it inspired me to design a more creative and colourful logo, hence why my second design was so different from my first. Other tutorials such as: https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/how-to/combine-simple-shapes-to-make-complex-shapes.html also taught me new skills. The ‘shape builder’ tool taught me how to combine shapes easier and more effectively. Again, I wish I had used more of these skills in my designs, but they have definitely made me more comfortable with the software and understand more when creating simple designs.

Design resources and articles

My design resources were mainly an article that I had found, and the KA drinks logo that I used for inspiration. The KA drinks were fairly simple, the designers had used a bright colour for the main text and a tropical background to make the name stand out. The sense of hierarchy and importance helped me to develop my own designs and think about the different levels within my design.

On the other hand, the article helped me to understand the significance of a logo and the meaning of what it stands for. The article I had used: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-design-a-logo/ was written by Michelle Grano. Her article stated so many different aspects and features that really made me think about my own design. From identifying what a logo is, to mentioning different fonts, design tools, emblems, symbols and so much more, her article was thorough in describing what logos are and the effects they can make on people. Not only did I gain knowledge and understating from this, but I applied the same comprehension to my own designs.

Learning across the module

Throughout the module I have definitely learned and achieved a wide range of knowledge. I have gained much more confidence and become a lot more comfortable with using the various different softwares. Compared to my quiz from last term, I have improved my skills a consistent amount and applied them to all my projects, not just this module. Software skills such as the ‘type on path’ tool, ‘selection’ tool, ‘shape builder’ tool and ‘type’ tool have all helped me to broaden my understanding of certain effects and also how to use them effectively.

My design skills have also improved vastly. From knowing how to develop certain designs and have a level of significance behind them. I have learnt that research really helps when going through the design process. It has helped to inspire me and spark ideas when I didn’t have any, and also helped me to understand the meanings behind certain designs as well as how they can affect people when they look at them. As a whole, both my software skills and my design skills have improved considerably, and I will continue to use the knowledge I have gained throughout my various other projects.

Design Ideas and Design Process

Design Idea 1

For my first design I decided to start off with the basics of Illustrator due to not having much experience using the software. Using the distort envelope tool, I was able to warp my initials to take the shape of an ellipsis. Once this had been done I wanted to experiment further with the design as it looked too simplistic. Using the direct selection tool, I was able to pull and push corners to manipulate the text.

Design Idea 2

My second design I decided to again use a tool that would allow for text to be wrapped around a shape, which I did for my name on the left of the circle. After this I simply placed my initials in the middle of the circle, again I have used the direct selection tool to be able to pull on the corners of the letters to create a more abstract looking final product.

Design Idea 3

For my final design, I wanted to create a 3D looking design I believe I have achieved quite well. I could have probably used perspective grid tool to aid me in creating this design, however I opted to use the polygon tool to create my grid lines, but I will get onto that a bit later on in this blog post.

 Software Tutorials

To start I decided to use a ‘YouTube Tutorial’ to get me started in letter manipulation when using Adobe Illustrator. The tutorial showed me how to use the envelope distort tool to be able to transform my initials into different shapes such as an ellipsis or a triangle. This tutorial helped me figure out and experiment when using the direct selection tool as well as the distort envelope tool. For my second tutorial I followed an ‘Adobe Tutorial’ that explained how to create your own monogram. This tutorial helped me develop my text skills further as it showed me how to place text around a path. I followed this up by deleting a certain area on said path to create a gap for my text to sit nicely between it. The final software tutorial which is a ‘YouTube’ one I found myself shows me how to create a cube using custom letters, in this case it was my initials. This tutorial was extremely useful as it showed me how to create guidelines using shapes that I have drawn myself, the ability to create guidelines using my own drawn shapes was a new skill to me but I managed to grasp the concept rather quickly. For further development I would like to be able to create more realistic looking design this was due to me being unhappy with some of the elements on the final design such as the C, as it is not quite fully 3D.

 Design Resources and Articles

When searching for design resources and articles on logo design – which this Illustrator task essentially was – I started by searching through and reading on some different articles that were online and I stumbled upon this article. The article itself pretty much runs through the steps needed to be able to create a successful logo, although parts of the article may not apply to me directly as it goes through the entire process but I can still take away certain aspects from it.  The second article that I looked at was an ‘‘Adobe Tutorial’ that again looked at the essentials when it comes to designing a logo. The article took real life objects and turned them into illustrations which I could have used to influence some of my design choices.

Learning Across the Module

Using the quiz results from this term I definitely retained some skills and learnt some new ones along the way. My quiz results are very similar from last one but I believe my overall knowledge on certain topics has improved overall as I did guess some of the answers when completing the quiz back in the first term. To improve on my quiz results I need to look into the technicalities of certain software, an example of this is questions on the best dpi’s to be using on certain files.

The software tutorials that I have used throughout the module were very helpful as they acted as guides for taking me through the use of certain tools. Throughout the module I have learnt many skills, these include advanced work with the pen tool in Illustrator, being able to edit photos to a high level in Photoshop and formatting texts at a professional standard in InDesign. Skills that I would like to develop further are being able to work with curved lines at an effective standard and the ability to transform images in Photoshop with ease and efficiency.