19 replies to this topic

[Bkag]

Ok so i need to make a logo for people (they want them) so i have done a draft but im not really "feelin it". So what do i need to do, i cant think of much, i was thinking mabe having a subtle gradient as the background and still have the light effect. Anyway here it is



If anybody wants i can send you the edit file (a .xcf file) so you can have a crack at it if you want

Edited by Bkag, 30 September 2006 - 03:36 PM.

[BuffaloHelp]

I think your logo design is fine and unique. How about updating the font a little bit?

If you do not have different font styles you can browse through free unique fonts here: http://www.dafont.com

[Plenoptic]

I think the logo looks fine the way it is as well but at the bottom it looks a little distorted as if you started something and tried to erase it but didn't erase it completly. It could just be the image in firefox. If you don't see what I mean I can point it out to you. Other than that it looks pretty spiffy. Like Buffalo said though I would experiment with text. It really just takes a lot of experimenting like with different colors and what not like a lighter blue or a green and just decide which looks best or you can have them choose.

[Bkag]

Thanks for the replies, i see the distortion at the bottom and have fixed that problem now. Thanks Buffalo for that link, i have been using "1001 free fonts" which is not organised well at all and the link you gave me is much better!

What type of font do you think will go with the logo? Something out of the ordinary but still not playaround *if you get what i mean*

[truefusion]

What program did you use to make it, so i can know what tools you're capable of using?

I suggest, make the blue color into a lighter blue (the kind that has a little green and white in it). Also, vertically and horizontally center the text. I think the text "Forum.co.uk" could be shrunked a bit, so it doesn't touch the bottom and the top of the black pill. Or, after vertically and horizontally centering the text, just make the pill box a bit bigger so the text doesn't touch the bottom and top of the black pill. The text seems OK to me. Just maybe fix the white stroke around the text "RC".

[MikeyUchiha]

It is the lighting trust me. Change it towards the lower left or move the text up.

[Bkag]

I am using GIMP, i will try with a lighter blue today, i can't seem to find a text that works, i think what i want is a very big bold text like this



I will also experment with the light postion

Edited by Bkag, 01 October 2006 - 09:41 AM.

[garbage]

Take offense if youd like but personally I think that logo looks like crap. If i was the group getting ready to use it I would be emabrrased

the racing stripes you tried to make or lines on the right arent even smooth they are all jaggered.. the FORUM.CO.UK text is way to big for the area you posted that in.. there is nothing nice about the RC text either.. I say trash that and start all over.. it usually helps whn you draw something on paper and then if you have the skils to do it you skan it and redraw it thru illustrator..

[Bkag]

I take no offence whatsoever, this is just a preliminary, it is far from being ready to use, before i actually started using it i would be smoothing out the edges etc.

I have done another, i havnt changed the text yet (except for making the "forum.co.uk" smaller) but have changed the light angle, lightened up the blue and used a smooth, pretty much unnoticable gradient.

[truefusion]

Although, the four lines on the right are jagged, it is impossible to make them unjagged without a high resolution. Like Garbage said, it would require a vector-based program to do so. If you need a free vector-based program, i'd recommend Inkscape. Their goal is like the GIMP to Photoshop: To create a free alternative to Illustrator, etc.

Oh, forgot to mention: The edited one is looking better.

[Bkag]

Thanks, how do vector drawings differ from normal drawings, i think that you define the shape, so that however scaled up or down it is it still isnt distorted ?

[truefusion]

Yeah, vector images do not lose quality when scaled or whatever, unlike rastor images. When you zoom into a vector image, you do not see pixels, it's just one smooth line all-round. But if you save a vector image as a rastor image (JPEG, JPG, GIF, BMP, etc) it'll lose quality.

[Bkag]

Ok thanks, i have downloaded and installed inkscape and am going to start playing around, are there any tutorial sites?

[truefusion]

Bkag, on Oct 1 2006, 10:50 AM, said:

Ok thanks, i have downloaded and installed inkscape and am going to start playing around, are there any tutorial sites?

Here's a few: http://www.pixel2lif...rials/inkscape/

For the meantime, these are the only ones i am aware of.

[Bkag]

On Inkscape, i cant figure out how to:

Once i have done two shapes, i want to do some lines on the shape which is on the top layer, however i want the lines to finish right at the boundry of the second shape which is the second layer, how can i do this ?

Ps A very good program, thanks

[truefusion]

Bkag, on Oct 1 2006, 12:49 PM, said:

Once i have done two shapes, i want to do some lines on the shape which is on the top layer, however i want the lines to finish right at the boundry of the second shape which is the second layer, how can i do this ?

On the menu on the left, use the tool that's made for bezier curves and straight lines. Shortcut should be Shift+F6. Then on the layer (or new layer) click on the edge of the boundary, then click on the other side of the edge where you want it to reach to, then click on the square that's at the start of the line. If you want to increase the thickness of the line, select the line with move tool (F1). Then go to Object > Fill and Stroke. On the "Stroke Style" tab, just increase the width.

If this is not what you're asking for, then i misunderstood.

[Bkag]

This is the problem[attachment=419:attachment][attachment=420:attachment]

[truefusion]

Bkag, on Oct 1 2006, 04:10 PM, said:

This is the problem attachment attachment

I figured much, easy to fix. The border, have it set as the uppermost layer. And have the lines in the layer below that one, and make sure the lines pass the border just a bit. That way the border overlaps the edge of the lines.

[biscuitrat]

Oh come on, True! You can do better than that. Combine the skill you use in your sigs into this logo!

Things I dislike:
The gradient colors
The lighting effects
THE FONTS
The colors overall
The shape

Since most websites won't want to change their entire color scheme to fit one logo anywhere, work with what they have. Most websites also use a shape for their logo, sometimes having text, sometimes not.

An easy to make logos is make a block or circle of a solid color and take an eraser and erase parts of it at random. You can end up with some pretty unique things. Or, if you're skilled in manipulating shapes, you can try to make something. Most logos are very simple to create, because the harder and more complicated a logo is, the harder it is to place it on things. Therefore, the simple shapes idea often works best because it creates a modern appeal and people are more likely to remember a shape relating to a site than they are a huge complicated logo. It's more pleasant. In addition, make use of colors! The more vivid a logo is, the more people will remember it.

In addition, if you're going to add text, add it NEAR the logo...not necessarily on it. It takes the appeal from both the text and the background, as you've displayed. Don't use default Photoshop filters unless you feel you can benefit from them, but play around with all forms of brushing and effects. If you continue to constrain yourself as to what a logo SHOULD be, you won't end up with that image. If you give yourself free reign and check it every once in a while, you should be able to come up with something fantabulous.

Examples to illustrate my point:


Note how you can make use of text and glamour at the same time! Best of luck

[Bkag]

Ok, ill try that too, the reason i started with the text on the logo is that these stickers are for the bodys of peoples rc cars, so you cant really take up too much space. But ill give it a go!

Trufusion, ill have to re do the boarder because what i have right now is a full oval and not just a boarder, but that can easly be done (hopefully)