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[Kikarian]

Good clients are priceless. That dentist noticed an awful, awful robot image in the corner of one of my pasteboards. I liked the idea, but didn't really think to develop it. To his credit, he thought it could be interesting and asked if I'd develop it further if he threw some more money at me. Now I can't decide which I like more. (probably still the owl--I think it's funny)

I prefer the Owl more. Adds a bit of Humor to the logo!

Does anyone else watch youtube videos of Speed arts and wonder how un-original they tend to be. There's only a small few that come with creative ideas. Others tend to be a photo manipulation of a mountain etc...

 

[noah111]

^The owl one is definitely more clever and puts a smile on my face!

Anyway, this doesn't really count but I made this iOS GAF app icon;

since I was annoyed with the old one which didn't fit on my home screen too well. But thanks to Gromph it's now the default icon for desktop-gaf. (!)

Creating a simple and personal logo is so hard Especially when my initials are ugly (HN)

Have you tried messing around with these type of styles?

Albeit those are probably far too simple, but you get the overlap idea.

 

[Kikarian]

^The owl one is definitely more clever and puts a smile on my face!

Anyway, this doesn't really count but I made this iOS GAF app icon;

Such a clean Icon!

 

[Devolution]

Creating a simple and personal logo is so hard Especially when my initials are ugly (HN)

What? There are at least parallel lines and such you can work with. Try D and M.

 

[Kikarian]

What? There are at least parallel lines and such you can work with. Try D and M.

That's nothing. S and P

 

[RDreamer]

HN is easy

I thought my initials were kind of difficult: TK

 

[Devolution]

That's nothing. S and P

S and P? You can interlock the S into the negative space inside of the P.

 

[mescalineeyes]

or you could just stop doing corny ass shit like that.

 

[Devolution]

or you could just stop doing corny ass shit like that.

/shrug, it's still something to do given the shape of the S

With a DM it's just fucking lame. The lower case is better. I sometimes add another d to make it symmetrical, never been content with it though.

 

[mescalineeyes]

/shrug, it's still something to do given the shape of the S

With a DM it's just fucking lame. The lower case is better. I sometimes add another d to make it symmetrical, never been content with it though.

I wasn't addressing you, Devo, just anyone in general making logos out of their initials

... or maybe I am just jealous because LK sucks.

 

[noah111]

That's nothing. S and P

Yeah that's pretty bad, but S can always find a way. N and C sucks.

 

[Devolution]

I wasn't addressing you, Devo, just anyone in general making logos out of their initials

... or maybe I am just jealous because LK sucks.

Hahaha. LK is an interesting one. You could nest the K in the L but eh.

 

[RDreamer]

I need to redo my own brand at some point, but I'm kind of attached to it even though it's kind of unwieldy:

 

[layzie1989]

http://dribbble.com/shots/749522-Disembodied-head?list=popular&offset=659\

i've become a fan of logo marks like this that utilize a shape and switch the insides. It's really great to be able to use a logo like this in many different ways.

 

[noah111]

I wasn't addressing you, Devo, just anyone in general making logos out of their initials

I'd agree, at least with more plain text. If you do initial logos I guess you're best bet is to try to make some kind of imagery out of it as much as you can. This was my avatar a way back;

Tried having another crack at the NC but ended up saying fuck it. :lol

Hahaha. LK is an interesting one. You could nest the K in the L but eh.

Yeah, pretty much the only thing you can do with the plain text. I mean, it doesn't look bad, just mundane as hell.

 

[Devolution]

For a while I just had dm but I felt it was too reminiscent of depeche mode, and I'm not depeche mode.

 

[mescalineeyes]

I'd agree, at least with more plain text. If you do initial logos I guess you're best bet is to try to make some kind of imagery out of it as much as you can. This was my avatar a way back;

Tried having another crack at the NC but ended up saying fuck it. :lol


Yeah, pretty much the only thing you can do with the plain text. I mean, it doesn't look bad, just mundane as hell.

haha, I have a pretty good idea actually, but I have a strict "no opening Photoshop on weekends" rule. also I have a "don't do stuff you think is corny" rule but that one never pans out.

your way back avatar just looks like a monochrome NeoGAF logo.

 

[noah111]

^People keep saying that, but I swear it was made it (in jhs) before I was even aware of GAF (or maybe before the gaf logo existed?), haha.

Oh and that rule sucks.

 

[RayStorm]

Back to the topic of difficult initials, what would you do with RA?

 

[SteeloDMZ]

Another one I just finished for a friend's copywriting business...

Mik, do you have a link to your portfolio? I'd like to check it to get some inspiration. Your stuff is really good.

 

[Kikarian]

Back to the topic of difficult initials, what would you do with RA?

Use the bottom two lines on the R to make the A.

 

[mik]

Mik, do you have a link to your portfolio? I'd like to check it to get some inspiration. Your stuff is really good.

Sure. And, thanks.

http://michaelphillips.carbonmade.com/

 

[Kikarian]

Sure. And, thanks.

http://michaelphillips.carbonmade.com/

Nice Layout!

 

[Enzon]

Hey, first post here

So where do you guys find inspiration? I'm not a graphic designer but i'm in advertising and sometimes i have to do some basic design tasks, ocasionally i feel really uninspired because i don't have a lot of design references (like blogs). So, do you have any links that i could use for that? maybe some good looking free fonts? (i loved the fonts on the previous page, thanks for that)

 

[RayStorm]

Use the bottom two lines on the R to make the A.

But wouldn't that make the R seem more important than the A?

 

[Battlezone]

Hey, first post here

So where do you guys find inspiration? I'm not a graphic designer but i'm in advertising and sometimes i have to do some basic design tasks, ocasionally i feel really uninspired because i don't have a lot of design references (like blogs). So, do you have any links that i could use for that? maybe some good looking free fonts? (i loved the fonts on the previous page, thanks for that)

I use Dribbble, Behance Network, and believe it or not, Pinterest. Pinterest has a bit of a rep for being a chick thing, but there's a ton of designers who post stuff on there, and if you follow the right people, it becomes a pretty good stream of inspiration. If you just follow everyone it suggests, it'll be all necklaces, shoes, and shirtless pics of Channing Tatum.

 

[Kikarian]

But wouldn't that make the R seem more important than the A?

No, not really. If you use two different color types, it should be fine.

 

[Hieberrr]

What? There are at least parallel lines and such you can work with. Try D and M.

That's exactly what I drew up before, but it was hard to concentrate on it on a coloured background. I opted to scrap that idea because I felt like when you look at it, your eyes would go back and forth between the H and N instead of looking at both as one unit.

 

[SJRB]

I've been trying to educate myself with graphic design. I always had a nack for it even though I didn't realise it until some teacher at school told me I spent more time on the design and layout of papers than I did on the actual content.

Unfortunately by the time I realised this it was way too late to switch towards a graphics design-oriented education.

So it's pretty much a hobby of mine. I'm probably a novice at Photoshop but obviously there's much to learn. Like the logos and whatnot in the posts above me - how did you guys make those? I tried creating vectors and whatnot in PS but it's pretty hard. Am I even using the right program or is everyone using Illustrator?

Also - is a tablet necessary?

 

[phillipgessert]

I've been trying to educate myself with graphic design. I always had a nack for it even though I didn't realise it until some teacher at school told me I spent more time on the design and layout of papers than I did on the actual content.

Unfortunately by the time I realised this it was way too late to switch towards a graphics design-oriented education.

So it's pretty much a hobby of mine. I'm probably a novice at Photoshop but obviously there's much to learn. Like the logos and whatnot in the posts above me - how did you guys make those? I tried creating vectors and whatnot in PS but it's pretty hard. Am I even using the right program or is everyone using Illustrator?

Also - is a tablet necessary?

Illustrator is the right program for it. For now anyway. And a tablet is only necessary if your work requires it, and you prefer drawing with a pencil instead of with a bar of soap.

 

[RDreamer]

I've been trying to educate myself with graphic design. I always had a nack for it even though I didn't realise it until some teacher at school told me I spent more time on the design and layout of papers than I did on the actual content.

Unfortunately by the time I realised this it was way too late to switch towards a graphics design-oriented education.

So it's pretty much a hobby of mine. I'm probably a novice at Photoshop but obviously there's much to learn. Like the logos and whatnot in the posts above me - how did you guys make those? I tried creating vectors and whatnot in PS but it's pretty hard. Am I even using the right program or is everyone using Illustrator?

Also - is a tablet necessary?

If you want to make vectors Illustrator is pretty mandatory.

A tablet isn't necessary for a lot of things, but I do find that there are times when I really wouldn't be able to do something specific without it. They're also really not that expensive, so you should probably get one just in case.

 

[mik]

Illustrator is best for creating vector art--even though InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator are coming closer and closer in terms of the features they offer for drawing and painting. Their discrete strengths still remain at this point. Illustrator = vector art, InDesign = page layout, Photoshop = photo/pixel-based images.

 

[RDreamer]

Illustrator is best for creating vector art--even though InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator are coming closer and closer in terms of the features they offer for drawing and painting. Their discrete strengths still remain at this point. Illustrator = vector art, InDesign = page layout, Photoshop = photo/pixel-based images.

Personally for me it's:

Illustrator = Vector Art and 1 page layouts
InDesign = multiple page layouts like books
Photoshop = photo/pixel-based images and quick, smaller web-only projects


Also, anyone here use Quark at all? I never learned it in college, because they stopped teaching it years before I went there (Quark stopped giving good discounts). I've got an internship/ temporary job now that uses it, and it's been interesting. Not an awful program, but it has some really bad quirks that I really hate. For one it seems like there's no way to actually lock a selection so that it cannot be selected anymore (makes it easier to select things and move them around). It's especially annoying for me because I think the lock selection shortcut is my most used one in Illustrator, lol.

 

[mik]

I'm glad Quark died. It used to be the industry standard when I started out, and I always, always hated it. InDesign is much more flexible and designer-friendly.

 

[Devolution]

A tablet is great if you want hand drawn flourishes or hand written type for a more personal logo.

 

[Battlezone]

Yeah, I started my career in a publishing company, and it was amazing how much simpler our workflow got once we dropped Quark and migrated to InDesign. The first couple versions were kinda janky, but it got slick and elegant really quick.

 

[Birbo]

I use Quark on a daily basis at my job. Been meaning to teach myself InDesign at some point, but still haven't gotten around to it. Anyone familiar with both programs care to give me some good specific reasons why I should switch?

On a similar note, can working in layout give me any tips on easy ways to format large chunks of text? I produce a seasonal brochure and get text from multiple people. I spend a good portion of my time applying various style sheets to small chunks of information. Every listing of information has 4 parts with 4 different style sheets. If I could automate the process somehow, that would free up so much time for me.

 

[Buckethead]

Since there's usually a good web-design crossover in here...

What's a good e-commerce solution?

I have virtually no experience in this area and a client wants it done.

Probably won't be too extensive. Just need pages to change dynamically based off of inventory.

 

[cbox]

Since there's usually a good web-design crossover in here...

What's a good e-commerce solution?

I have virtually no experience in this area and a client wants it done.

Probably won't be too extensive. Just need pages to change dynamically based off of inventory.

I used bigcartel with one of my clients. With the pro version, they allow you to inject your own html and css so you can really customize the store.

 

[Buckethead]

I used bigcartel with one of my clients. With the pro version, they allow you to inject your own html and css so you can really customize the store.

Ok cool thanks, looks good on a quick peek. I'll look into it more later.

 

[RichieS99]

Gentlemen, I have a quick question. Is there any good books on 3D drawing?

 

[BertramCooper]

Also, anyone here use Quark at all? I never learned it in college, because they stopped teaching it years before I went there (Quark stopped giving good discounts). I've got an internship/ temporary job now that uses it, and it's been interesting. Not an awful program, but it has some really bad quirks that I really hate. For one it seems like there's no way to actually lock a selection so that it cannot be selected anymore (makes it easier to select things and move them around). It's especially annoying for me because I think the lock selection shortcut is my most used one in Illustrator, lol.

I'm glad Quark died. It used to be the industry standard when I started out, and I always, always hated it. InDesign is much more flexible and designer-friendly.

Yeah, I started my career in a publishing company, and it was amazing how much simpler our workflow got once we dropped Quark and migrated to InDesign. The first couple versions were kinda janky, but it got slick and elegant really quick.

My new employer tends to be pretty set in its ways - I'm 25 and the next youngest member of my department just turned 40 - and they still use Quark for everything. Everyone has InDesign, but they've been using Quark for so long that they've never even really tried InDesign.

So while I can do most of my work in InDesign, I'll occasionally have to handle Quark files and it kind of drives me nuts. Before coming here, I hadn't used Quark in ages and I've had to re-teach myself a few things. I'm planning to subtly push the department toward InDesign. They use CS products for everything else, so it doesn't really make sense that they're not using InDesign.

It's a minor complaint from an otherwise awesome job.

 

[Eight Diagram Bat Fighter]

Logo I made for Capcom, designed to represent elements of the Street Fighter brand, including SF2, Alpha, and SF4, As well as a Japanese ball top fight stick for the "i".

 

[Dead Prince]

needs more misspelling.

 

[dangrib]

I just launched my new gaming apparel store Versus Mode. Would love to know what everyone thinks!

Check it out at www.versusmode.co

 

[Hazaro]

I like them!
Is my feedback helping?

 

[mescalineeyes]

bluerei, I don't think those logos could be any better. Fantastic work!

edit: actually, the "reflection" on the stick looks kinda, odd, but other than that...

 

[scorcho]

I just launched my new gaming apparel store Versus Mode. Would love to know what everyone thinks!

Check it out at www.versusmode.co

i like the design, except how the header background loads in last, which causes the header to flash after every page load in Chrome. instead of loading an image, you can recreate it all those soft shadows and ever slight gradient(s) with CSS.

if you don't want to make a direct replacement of the header background image in CSS because you find CSS gradients a hassle to maintain (they are), at least emulate the colors so the transition isn't so jarring.

 

[Buckethead]

Anyone do any digital painting?

How do you do it?
-High opacity/low opacity?
- Color blending?

I'm trying to improve.

 

[.GqueB.]

I just launched my new gaming apparel store Versus Mode. Would love to know what everyone thinks!

Check it out at www.versusmode.co

I really think that banner should "do" something. Right now, it just kind of cycles through a bunch of random designs and it's taking up a lot of real estate for something that doesn't actually function. At the very least have it link out to whatever design you are referencing.