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Graphic Design |OT| Be, INdesign

The design itself is just for a fictional company within a videogame universe, but can you guys tell me what you think this is supposed to read as? The top part, not "ZEALOT TECHNOLOGIES LTD."

19DBwrj.png


On a related note, can I get some feedback on this logo? It's likewise for a fictional company.

kCW8l7K.png


The weird barcode binary stuff at the bottom is actually a typeface, and I'm debating changing the "CORP" font. It's supposed to be pretty barebones, bold and condensed, but I didn't really know what to do with their little tic-tac-toe logo at the top, or if it's even worth keeping as part of the primary logo.
 

Duuke

Member
The design itself is just for a fictional company within a videogame universe, but can you guys tell me what you think this is supposed to read as? The top part, not "ZEALOT TECHNOLOGIES LTD."

On a related note, can I get some feedback on this logo? It's likewise for a fictional company.

The weird barcode binary stuff at the bottom is actually a typeface, and I'm debating changing the "CORP" font. It's supposed to be pretty barebones, bold and condensed, but I didn't really know what to do with their little tic-tac-toe logo at the top, or if it's even worth keeping as part of the primary logo.

The top logo read as Zealot Ech, but I'm dislexic when it comes to that stuff. If you're wondering if the center O reads well in the word I think it's fine.

As for the second logo, I like it a lot. I'd tighten up the kerning, and I removed the flaring leg of the R so it's in line with the light CORP 'R'. I feel like if the barcode is continuous, it doesn't break the visual flow so it's more minimal. The symbol is a good idea, even if it's not presented with the text it can stand on its own.

Overall good work.

fN01Asy.png


Oe4QwhE.png
 
The top logo read as Zealot Ech, but I'm dislexic when it comes to that stuff. If you're wondering if the center O reads well in the word I think it's fine.

As for the second logo, I like it a lot. I'd tighten up the kerning, and I removed the flaring leg of the R so it's in line with the light CORP 'R'. I feel like if the barcode is continuous, it doesn't break the visual flow so it's more minimal. The symbol is a good idea, even if it's not presented with the text it can stand on its own.

Overall good work.

fN01Asy.png


Oe4QwhE.png

Just making sure. I'm hoping people read it as Zealotech (pronounced "zella-tech") rather than Zeal Tech, mostly because of Chrono Trigger.

I can eliminate the spacing on the barcode considering its tagline is superfluous anyways. What's that last pic, exactly? Looks neat.
 
Working on another logo. This time, for the video game project itself:

i8qmqdKLDgOoj.png


It's meant to be evocative of all those neat little sprite-based logos on splash screens that compensated for being low-bit by being gradated to hell and came off more detailed as a result. It's a more iridescent take on Desert Chrome, basically. The "LIVECHAMBER" in white-cyan-red and the typeface are equal parts a shout-out to the original Alien logo and the 3D effect / chromatic aberration are reflecting that there are still hints of modern game design. It's a bit like TF2 meets Metroid Prime and Halo CE in that it's a more colorful, stylized class-based shooter.

The Project stylization isn't from a font, but it was vaguely based on Respire.
 
Oh man that chromatic aberration effect is playing havoc with my vision.

Noted. V2:

iKdNwSJKvittp.png


On top of the obvious legibility issues, the logo has to accomplish:

- Being a natural evolution of the monolithic, almost abstract text of the Halo logo
- Illustrate the four elements that govern most of the story and gameplay, hence the four gradients coming in from all cardinal directions on top of the backing black-white one
- Represent the underlying musical theme of the game. The O's accents are practically a CD!

The iridescence is also there because the game's pretty bent on covering all sides of the spectrum from story to gameplay, of which there are many. I'm usually a pretty minimalist guy, but didn't think the usual accents-with-a-texture thing a lot of video game logos do nowadays would cover it.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Noted. V2:

iKdNwSJKvittp.png


On top of the obvious legibility issues, the logo has to accomplish:

- Being a natural evolution of the monolithic, almost abstract text of the Halo logo
- Illustrate the four elements that govern most of the story and gameplay, hence the four gradients coming in from all cardinal directions on top of the backing black-white one
- Represent the underlying musical theme of the game. The O's accents are practically a CD!

The iridescence is also there because the game's pretty bent on covering all sides of the spectrum from story to gameplay, of which there are many. I'm usually a pretty minimalist guy, but didn't think the usual accents-with-a-texture thing a lot of video game logos do nowadays would cover it.


I desaturated your logo on the top just so my color coded crit lines would be more clear.

 
I desaturated your logo on the top just so my color coded crit lines would be more clear.

Just a couple things:

-O and E are thin because they're "mirrored" in terms of thickness; the O has a unique level of thickness to avoid being too simple, it results in the little CD thing, and it's also symbolic of the world in-game, which is triple-layered. The E is a homage to the SEGA logo.

-The random strokes are actually just two: the white is a 15px stroke, while the black is a 35px drop shadow that's lowered a little bit. I'll correct the sharpness issues because the drop shadow with a maximized spread doesn't use the same tracing algorithm as traditional stroking, but the black is meant to be more of a depth provider than a traditional outline.

Otherwise, I'll go ahead and make some changes.

EDIT: Wait a sec. When you say the curves should match each other, are you talking about the black stroke or the actual meat of the logo?
 
Looking for some advice from the community here, if anyone can help.

Over the past 12+ months, I've been involved in a series of comic reprints/mags about comics in the UK. It started with a project on the history of one comic, then a follow-up to that, and most recently three reprints of various comic strips from the '80s. I've now got at least three more in the pipeline with the person I'm working with, all roughly the same scale.

Breaking down the amount of work involved, it's something like this for the reprint collections:

  • Design of cover following rough outline provided to me. Often given one piece of key art and a title/strapline and left largely to my own devices. Will occasionally involve logo design.
  • Design and layout of interior pages (intro page, credits etc.)
  • Clean-up and layout of black & white scanned art supplied to me. Between 50-60 pages, typically.
  • Delivery of print-ready file, and in some cases a digital version too.
  • Misc. bits and pieces - promo sheets, teaser art etc. for promotion
For the mags about comic history, it's more like:
  • Design of cover following rough outline provided to me. Often given one piece of key art and a title/strapline and left largely to my own devices. Will occasionally involve logo design.
  • Design and layout of all interior pages, including incorporating scanned art and typesetting text articles, box-outs etc. etc. Typically 50-60 pages.
  • Clean-up and layout of black & white and colour scanned art supplied to me.
  • Delivery of print-ready file, and in some cases a digital version too.
  • Misc. bits and pieces - promo sheets, teaser art etc. for promotion
This started as a bit of a favour, as I know the guy and I have an interest in this stuff and was willing to do a freebie for the experience (I'm not qualified, but I would like to move into this field) and to help him out (he handles all printing costs, distribution etc. himself and these are very limited print runs of niche material). The thing is, the amount of work involved is quite substantial, and as these appear to be relatively successful (in that he's covering his costs and selling the entire run, not that he's making massive profits) I am getting more and more work from him. I now get a nominal fee per book, but it's not covering more than ~8-10 hours work at UK minimum wage.

Any tips on what a typical fee for that amount of work should be? I'm reluctant to push too hard, as I'm finding the experience hugely useful, and it helps me build a portfolio, but I'm aware of the amount of time it's taking up and that I'm probably hugely undervaluing my time.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Just a couple things:

-O and E are thin because they're "mirrored" in terms of thickness; the O has a unique level of thickness to avoid being too simple, it results in the little CD thing, and it's also symbolic of the world in-game, which is triple-layered. The E is a homage to the SEGA logo.

-The random strokes are actually just two: the white is a 15px stroke, while the black is a 35px drop shadow that's lowered a little bit. I'll correct the sharpness issues because the drop shadow with a maximized spread doesn't use the same tracing algorithm as traditional stroking, but the black is meant to be more of a depth provider than a traditional outline.

Otherwise, I'll go ahead and make some changes.

EDIT: Wait a sec. When you say the curves should match each other, are you talking about the black stroke or the actual meat of the logo?


This is 100% IMHO, and not anything formal, but I think you're going way too deep with the vague symbolism stuff. Things like adding in odd varied weights because there are multiple layers to the game start to stop sounding like really considered visual design and instead just post work rationale.

If it's something that no one in a thousand years will understand to be representative, then it's not really communicative, and as such, isn't really design. Design is about communication, you want to use the look of this logo to tell me about your product. I get the retro gradient, and I see the sci-fi fantasy letterforms, and they're all informing me about the type of game I'm gonna play before I play it.

But the really vague stuff like the multi-layered thickness, and the gradients coming from all directions because the game is multi-directional or whatever stuff is stretching a bit thin.

And by matching the curves, I mean, you're creating odd points of tension where the R and P intersect, and the O and J, due to there being two different curves that define the outside of the P and J vs what is cutting in to the R and J.

I've used your original version as the basis for this example, because it's easier to show what I'm talking about because it's clear you made this one first and then slid the letters out.


You should have the P cut in to the R as if there was an invisible natural extension of that curve of the P that was cutting it out. Almost like the letters are meant to fit together.


I apologize for the crappy editing. I’m doing this on a laptop with just a trackpad.

And yes, the terrible form of all my notes, incl. the papyrus, is meant as a joke, haha.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Looking for some advice from the community here, if anyone can help.

This sounds like something that started out as a passion project that you were glad to help a dude out with, but has grown in to actual work now, and as such you should be compensated. You got their work up and running and getting noticed, now they should pay you fair.

At very least, you should be getting paid minimum wage based on the hours you work.

Other than that though, it's really up to you and what you think your time is worth vs how much the experience and portfolio building is helping you.

Outside of min wage laws, there's nothing formal at all where "magazine layouts are typically worth X and cleaning up scans is worth Y" especially because the quality of the work could vary so much.

As an unrelated example: typically motion design pays better than print, but I know a really great print designer who charges a WAYY higher dayrate than say your average motion designer who's working on stuff for broadcast or something, because he's really fucking good and worth every penny.

So (and I know this doesn't help you in the specific way you were hoping), if this guy is getting a return on his investment in printing and production and you have gone past the passion project phase and in to it just being real work, then he should be paying you in such a way that you both think is fair for the work you're putting in. There's no more that we can tell you other than that unfortunately.
 
Snipped great advice

No problem at all - I'd say that's about the best advice I could have hoped for, and your example makes a good point.

I've just wrapped on two reprint volumes for him, and I know he's going back to print with a small second run of one I did for him before, so I think what I'm going to do is see what reception they get and then use the space before another one comes along to have a chat with him about moving towards a fee that better reflects the time and work involved. As I said, this is an interest of mine and it's leading to extra work from other people, so I'm prepared to take a bit of a hit in terms of what I'm getting for the sake of the exposure and experience, but I think the balance needs adjusted a bit now.
 

DrewM1788

Member
Design-GAF,

I see you all pick apart professional logos often and usually for the better, so I'm thinking you guys could help me out or at least give some advice. A group of friends and I do a gaming dedicated talk show on Twitch every Sunday. In the beginning I put together a quick logo. I'm pretty artistic, but have no graphic design experience. This is what I came up with last year:

XJj4gLR.png


So it's been about 7 months or so since we've started. We have a pretty decent following now and my team thinks we need a better logo. I've started trying to come up with some ideas. I want it to scream gaming of course, but then I also want it to look professional. Here is my current effort:

0KvTtrV.png


So I'm ready for you guys to rip my work to shreds, photoshop it, whatever. I'd love any input from you guys from general idea to typography to colors. Anything. Thanks in advance, GAF.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Design-GAF,

I see you all pick apart professional logos often and usually for the better, so I'm thinking you guys could help me out or at least give some advice. A group of friends and I do a gaming dedicated talk show on Twitch every Sunday. In the beginning I put together a quick logo. I'm pretty artistic, but have no graphic design experience. This is what I came up with last year:

XJj4gLR.png


So it's been about 7 months or so since we've started. We have a pretty decent following now and my team thinks we need a better logo. I've started trying to come up with some ideas. I want it to scream gaming of course, but then I also want it to look professional. Here is my current effort:

0KvTtrV.png


So I'm ready for you guys to rip my work to shreds, photoshop it, whatever. I'd love any input from you guys from general idea to typography to colors. Anything. Thanks in advance, GAF.


It's an improvement in that it's definitely more interesting. A few notes:

– give it some space to breathe. It's hugging the edges of that background really tight, makes it feel claustrophobic. If you make it smaller, it'll feel more elegant and considered.

– your perspective grid looks off, especially on the plus sign. Not sure exactly what it is. You're also really losing the "UP" a lot because it scales down in perspective. The gag to get the +1 is nice, but maybe if you used a longer lens, you wouldn't get so much of the logo receding in to the background. Isometric might actually look nice too, since this is a graphic treatment.

– All of the type is pixelated, built on squares and right angles, except for the up arrow and the 1. If you could get them both to realistically be made within the grid of the pixels, it'd be ideal and feel more clever naturally fitting in, rather than forced in.

– Try 3 tone lighting. So you have the brightest tone for the front face, mid town for top, and dark for side. Will help you differentiate and feel the 3d shape more. Like this:


– THE right now is receiving a ton of significance due to it being so huge and the first thing. Maybe try little "the" big "LEVEL UP SHOW

– This is totally just IMHO, but the default radial gradient feels very web 2.0.. while I know a flat color might just be web 3.0 :p, I still think it might look nicer. That or maybe try a more interesting look for the background, maybe like a real seamless is lit a little uneven? Just anything so it doesn't look like a straight from the can perfect radial gradient.

Maybe you could put it sitting on the ground, rather than floating in space. then it could have a nice seamless behind it and a really soft cast shadow on the floor? Just an idea.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Minor change for legibility's sake:

i4DQ1fMBaDeZV.png


Oh no no no, don't do that. There are very few cases you wanna stroke type, and absolutely zero cases you wanna stroke type using the default photoshop effect.

You have two simpler options:
- move PLC-00 to the center to just be a 3rd line under the title
- lighten the area under PLC-00 with a levels adjustment and feathered mask


Or really, I dunno how attached you are to that exact bg image, but if you just raise the gamma across the board it becomes a lot more readable already:

 
Oh no no no, don't do that. There are very few cases you wanna stroke type, and absolutely zero cases you wanna stroke type using the default photoshop effect.

You have two simpler options:
- move PLC-00 to the center to just be a 3rd line under the title
- lighten the area under PLC-00 with a levels adjustment and feathered mask


Or really, I dunno how attached you are to that exact bg image, but if you just raise the gamma across the board it becomes a lot more readable already:

Not completely attached, but it's a pretty cumbersome mixed-media thing that's undergone a lot of post-processing. Tried messing with some color levels, layer opacity filters and more text outlines:

inUu0oZSEA2wy.png


Added a more ghostly / icy pixellation effect around the typography. Also particularly added some extra red FX under the PLC-00 for readability's sake since it's in the darkest area. The frosted pixels look a little better at native res, which is up on my Bandcamp page now for testing purposes. I think I'm gonna keep it like this because my deadline for the album is fast-approaching and I'm content with readability in this case. Thanks for the help!
 

Horse Detective

Why the long case?
As a designer, would it be considered a bad characteristic to want to convince a client to simplify their ideas? I am working with someone right now who seems to have a good idea of what they want, but we have gone through multiple revisions with no real sign that we are heading in a positive direction. I also get pressured on my time to show new work, despite this cutting into more straightforward things.
 

MrGerbils

Member
As a designer, would it be considered a bad characteristic to want to convince a client to simplify their ideas? I am working with someone right now who seems to have a good idea of what they want, but we have gone through multiple revisions with no real sign that we are heading in a positive direction. I also get pressured on my time to show new work, despite this cutting into more straightforward things.

No, that would not be considered bad; it'd actually be quite good. Your job as a designer is in simple and clear communication. If they're looking to complicate things, you need to guide them in the right direction. They hired you for your opinion, experience, and knowledge.. not just to push around pixels/vertices in PS/AI.
 

Horse Detective

Why the long case?
No, that would not be considered bad; it'd actually be quite good. Your job as a designer is in simple and clear communication. If they're looking to complicate things, you need to guide them in the right direction. They hired you for your opinion, experience, and knowledge.. not just to push around pixels/vertices in PS/AI.

Project failed, at least my role did. I like to think I am at a point now where anything can be solved through communication. I was hired to redesign a logo into a complex shield and stamp design, but my client couldn't seem to find satisfaction in the formatting of the stamp info. My shield design was kept, which is cool, but he wanted to add extravagance to the work, with contours and shadowing. I can't explain my problem, because while I know I am fully capable of creating those effects, I can't ever see it as looking right with the overall flat design.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Project failed, at least my role did. I like to think I am at a point now where anything can be solved through communication. I was hired to redesign a logo into a complex shield and stamp design, but my client couldn't seem to find satisfaction in the formatting of the stamp info. My shield design was kept, which is cool, but he wanted to add extravagance to the work, with contours and shadowing. I can't explain my problem, because while I know I am fully capable of creating those effects, I can't ever see it as looking right with the overall flat design.


In situations like this sometimes it's useful to show them lots of scrap as reference for what works well on other logos and what looks bad elsewhere.

You could also mock up their logo in various use cases where the extravagance would make it look the worst (small sizes, black and white, etc) and show it both with and without frills.

Not completely attached, but it's a pretty cumbersome mixed-media thing that's undergone a lot of post-processing. Tried messing with some color levels, layer opacity filters and more text outlines:

inUu0oZSEA2wy.png


Added a more ghostly / icy pixellation effect around the typography. Also particularly added some extra red FX under the PLC-00 for readability's sake since it's in the darkest area. The frosted pixels look a little better at native res, which is up on my Bandcamp page now for testing purposes. I think I'm gonna keep it like this because my deadline for the album is fast-approaching and I'm content with readability in this case. Thanks for the help!

The issue here is that you're using a variety of distortion techniques within one image. You should focus on simplicity in communication, even when you're trying to show complicated glitched out graphics.

In this piece you have one sort of artifacting compression for the background image, a different pixelated effect for the fireball element in the center, then you're introducing a new wavy distortion for the stroke on the type.. all sitting under perfectly clean and pristine type. The overall design would be much more cohesive if you had designed each element all together, and then applied your distortion on top of it all as one unified element.
 

Divius

Member

Looking for some feedback on this logo thingie I'm making for a friend of mine; Mostly in regards to color, as I am satisfied with the shape of it, but anything is welcome. I'm not sure what triangles I should color darker and which ones lighter to create the 'diamond/ruby' effect I am looking for. I'm quite glad with the gradient in the large area but unsure if I want to use more gradients or if it can be accomplished by using solids only.

If I am going with this gradient I should probably use some darker tints towards the left bottom, but I don't want to use too many different shades of green.

(The color pallet itself is temporary atm, needs finetuning obviously.)
 

MrGerbils

Member
Looking for some feedback on this logo thingie I'm making for a friend of mine; Mostly in regards to color, as I am satisfied with the shape of it, but anything is welcome. I'm not sure what triangles I should color darker and which ones lighter to create the 'diamond/ruby' effect I am looking for. I'm quite glad with the gradient in the large area but unsure if I want to use more gradients or if it can be accomplished by using solids only.

If I am going with this gradient I should probably use some darker tints towards the left bottom, but I don't want to use too many different shades of green.

(The color pallet itself is temporary atm, needs finetuning obviously.)


I'd look up as many nicely lit photographs of emeralds/diamonds as you can find as reference. My gut instinct says that you shouldn't have it perfectly symmetrical, but have it lit from a direction.

Some light references.
01
02
03
etc.

Also look at some people that do the low poly illustration look to see how they sweep their gradients. Here my gut would tell me that you want the gradients to sweep each whole shape, rather than be centered as a thinner strip in the middle. Also, don't be afraid to shift hue on some gradients too. Little bits that lean more yellow, etc.

Some examples:

 

Captain Pants

Killed by a goddamned Dredgeling
This is a long shot, since I can't imagine it is a font any designer is using regularly. I've got to match an old competitor's engraving on a new project, and since they aren't around anymore, I have no good way of figuring out what font this is. Whatthefont failed me. I'd be thrilled if anyone here has a suggestion. The closest I've gotten is Balzano, but it isn't the same.

edit: Nevermind, I found it! Lydian MT
 

Odinson

Member
Do we have a Motion Graphic Design GAF? I've been following this topic for quite a while, and it'd be great to have a similar resource for animators and motion designers

I'd be interested in a motion graphics OT as well. I'm learning cinema 4D right now and working on increasing my knowledge of After Effects.
 

MrGerbils

Member
Do we have a Motion Graphic Design GAF? I've been following this topic for quite a while, and it'd be great to have a similar resource for animators and motion designers



A sacrificial pumpkin encircled by a cult of dead leaves, I think!

I'd be interested in a motion graphics OT as well. I'm learning cinema 4D right now and working on increasing my knowledge of After Effects.


We probably don't have the audience big enough to support it living on it's own. I think I'm already like 50% of the replies here :p. But you're in luck, because I'm a motion designer! So I'd be glad to discuss that topic too.

Motion design definitely falls in to the parent category of graphic design, so should be appropriate to discuss here. A mod or whoever started the OP can correct me if I'm wrong.

I've worked in print/branding and a tiny bit in packaging and some other crap, but have always had a focus on motion, and am currently a senior art director working on the west coast. I've worked on projects big and small, ranging from local companies to blockbuster movies, and I fucking love motion design.

If you guys/gals have any questions I'd be glad to answer them.
 

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
A year or so ago i made my first guitar effect pedal:



Now i need two more and made this so far.
(I used various images of the net, vectored them and changed them to my liking)
d28197-1418803183.png

One is a simple patchbay the other a bank up switch with seven led's. What do you guys think? Any Ideas to improve these designs?

I still think that the cross on the yellow one clashes with the style of the snake but i have no idea if that is really the case or how to fix it...

I made the logo hard to read on purpose.
 

MrGerbils

Member
A year or so ago i made my first guitar effect pedal:



Now i need two more and made this so far.
(I used various images of the net, vectored them and changed them to my liking)
d28197-1418803183.png


One is a simple patchbay the other a bank up switch with seven led's. What do you guys think? Any Ideas to improve these designs?

I still think that the cross on the yellow one clashes with the style of the snake but i have no idea if that is really the case or how to fix it...

I made the logo hard to read on purpose.


I think both of them are really pushing the boundaries of the framing way too tight. The little splooges on the skull look really weird and out of place. Are they meant to be maggots? If so, why don't they have the same line work as the other elements? That said, a lot of the line work looks janky like it's just been run through AI live trace (esp on the snake, which does not line up to the bold and clean boundaries on the cross). The purple circle elements look really out of place (are these meant to be cutouts where actual physical knobs will be poking through? If not, you should probably consider where those will come out in the design).

Lastly, "I made the logo hard to read on purpose." is the laziest excuse in the world :p.


That all said, these look fitting for a guitar effect pedal where outsider art is sorta the style I'd expect to see. Like if you were a prop designer making guitar pedals for a movie about a touring indie band, and this is what you had them using, it'd be on point. But if you were looking to sell these as high end considered design, they're nice concept sketches but need a lot of refinement before a final.
 

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
Thank you for the critic MrGerbills.

The yellow one:

- yeah, these are going to be seven purple LED's that indicate if the pedal in on or off. No further knobs needed.
- I ditched the snake and corrected the framing somewhat.


The orange one:

- These are indeed supposed to be maggots :D The whole idea was a bright colored / 80s heavy metal style combo.
-Since i actually did let inkscape trace various pictures, the linework is inconsistent. I'll see what i can do. Giving the maggots black outlines is already working a lot imo - nice.

edit:
well, GAP design strikes back :D
a6f107-1418908312.png


I feel the two fit together now.
 

belushy

Banned
Pretty nervous to post something in here. I'm a bit afraid of criticism, but if it can help me improve, I guess I need to dive in to it. Anywhere, here is a logo to a game I may or may not make in the future.

I need help, because it just feels super plain to me, but that is what I want from it. It just feels too plain. I feel like it needs a bit of stylization but I can't really think of what. Drop shadow, different colors... The red squares in the middle of the O and in front of the "cell" (game title is meant to be read as code.CELL) will probably be changed at some point. Anyway, please go easy. <3

 
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