In other news...

If you have been keeping up w/my life, (which incidentally I'm not even doing!!! ) lol I am almost done taking a business course in logo design and I challenged myself by picking my own shop to make a logo for. Did I mention that I HATE making things for myself and I wish I'd known this beforehand. Please take a look at the final draft that I am currently using for PW Ads.
Pretty snazzy, eh? I've started making all of my own clip art and I incorporated this into my new logo. I learned a lot in my new class;

1. I don't EVER want to work in corporate America.2. People on Etsy have very different logos than people off Etsy.
3. I need to rush out and buy a different design program than Adobe Photoshop if I want a serious career in this field.
4. I need a new computer, (see above).
5. Online classes rock! It's the only way I'll ever go back to school.
What next? I'm thinking about taking a legalities class so I can waste my time spouting off copyright info. and getting angry w/people for violating other people's rights. Just kidding, I hate that cr*p! Just think this would be an interesting class and help me write my TOU's and sign over rights to other people for graphics, logos, etc. Learning is fun! Boy, never thought I'd say that☺

T♥

Owls are overtaking my graphic design shop!

I have become obsessed with making owl banners because there are so many, many, ways to incorporate these little cuties into my designs.

I am currently restraining myself from making anymore until some are adopted and go on to better homes.

I am also working really hard to study for this logo class and at the same time learn some advanced Photoshop tricks. I just made a mock logo for my shops in order to practice. Here's the jewelry one...

 

I might be offering some free logo design services in the near future to build up my portfolio. So I will definitely keep everyone posted and announce it here, my other blog Jewelry by Tara Biz, and of course on the Etsy forums.

T♥

What makes a Logo a GOOD Logo?

Welcome to my Thursday info. for Graphic Designers. Since I don't do regular features you can just expect sporadic PIF's, Tutorials, and general info. from both of my blogs. I do run an artist feature daily on my jewelry blog.

Jewelry by Tara Blog

So today's scoop is actually from a class I am taking called Logo Design. I have been asked to create logos a lot in the past year and I haven't had any formal training in it. I wanted to offer my online/offline clients a profession logo, presentation, and collaborative experience. So here's my first of many to come info. session on Logo Design.

What makes a good logo?

The following are 10 things that can make a logo more memorable and visually appealing.

1. Uniqueness of logo. Your logo should stand out as an individual in a sea of other logos.

2. Sophistication. The logo should not only have a professional appearance, but avoid inappropriate images, fonts, etc. It should also clearly communicate it's message without overstimulating with too much design/imagery.

3. Conceptual Design. Using parts of the actual logo to express ideas, words, numbers, as a concept. I.E. Jewelry by Tara = Jewelry♦Tara Not the best example and not my actual logo, but the concept is replacing the by w/the diamond for jewelry. Another example would be to take the name Purple velvet and I have obviously replaced the black in purple w/purple.

4. Logo Relevancy. What makes a logo most relevant is to incorporate company imagery that is easily recognizable into the design. When adding a design to a logo you must really think ahead. Will this company only be making X 10 years from now? Or should I go with a broader design to incorporate possible product changes.

5. Versatility. So important! The logo you design should be able to be incorporated into any type of advertising the company desires. Banners, stationary, etc. A flexible size and distinguishable font are very necessary to design. Some letters and images will become illegible when applied to different sizes and components.

6. Cohesiveness. Good logos should not require a frame around them, but should stand alone in their design. No to say there aren't some fantastic logos that do have this type of imagery, but they have been well incorporated into the overall effect and do not detract from the logo itself. The shapes should not appear too detached from each other either and not appear disjointed. Reducing the spaces between fonts is a good way of bringing your logo into a more cohesive position.

7. Attractiveness. This is totally subjective of course but there are some points that hold true to all design. See 1-7 and 8-10.

8. Memorability. What makes a logo memorable? Logos that are simple in their design but not in their concept. They read easily what the brand is and reinforce your product image.

9. How to make your logo endure the test of time. Don't fall for trends that make your logo appear dated, assume that your client will be using this design for the rest of the company's life.

10. Secondary characteristics of a good logo. The ability to animate your logo and using multicultural imagery. Multicultural meaning images that can be seen on the worldwide web and are easily understood by sight if not by language. I.E. Symbols such as arrows, hands, etc. and/or images like faces, or trees.

Okay, so that's my 10 for today and I'm sure there will be a lot more info. to come. I'm actually finding this reading part of my class more interesting than I thought I would. Who knew so much went into good logo design? Please do not undervalue your fellow graphic designer's work by calling banners, and premade logos LOGO DESIGN. A true logo design is unique only to that particular company. Otherwise it's just a general advertisement for your company and why have a company ad when you can have a stand out company brand? What I'm trying to point out with all this is that logo design is intense and therefore costs more. Which essentially gives you more over time.

T♥