Latin Ascent Typography

This poster by Dado Queiroz, advertising his workshop for ‘the new literate’ for Brasil’s Ideafixa was, amazingly, created fully 2D.

This simple yet complex letterform by Jackson Alves was, coincidentally, created at the same Letaria workshop that Dado Queiroz (see above) taught at.

…and again! I’ll have to book myself a place on Dado Queiroz’s workshop. Tipografia bonito from Juliano Domingues.

Ultra-impactful signwriting by Nomad Ink for Curitiba-based restaurant Wonka Bar. Though zany, control has been maintained over the composition.

Website Design

I urge you all to peruse the website of children’s clothes and accessories shop Família Ovo, designed by Pernambuco-based studio Mooz. A perfect response to a brief for a shop of Família Ovo’s kind.

Graphic Design

Though much of the work displayed here is of a more unexpected flavour to typical ‘European’ design, Brasilian designers are capable of delivering clean, well-ordered logotypes with the best of ‘em. These are by Dado Queiroz.

A road sign-based response to a brief for a documentary about Curitiba’s new BRT (Bus Rapid Transport) system by design studio Nomad Ink. These signs are titles for the documentary—if anyone can find it online let me know!

Built Environment

In the hands of a lesser studio it could so easily have gone garish. Staggering, yet unobtrusive, environmental design for Brasilian beauty centre Set by Mooz.

Branding

Another from Mooz, this time identity and website for men’s fashion website Neonico. Note the triptych of explosive effects on the last characters of the logotypes.

These few images, which demonstrate bundles of imagination, are part of an extensive branding project by Rodrigo Bellão for iPhone game developer 99ft Jetpack’s first game, Box n’ Bug.

Illustration

Illustration with type for a T-shirt design by Rafael Nascimento. No matter how far you travel, it seems homages to Helvetica and all things Swiss are never far away.

Beautiful vector illustration on the theme of gay rights for Metropole magazine by (again) Rafael Nascimento.

In Sum

This’ll be one of the easiest summaries I’ve ever written and not much need be said, other than keep an eye on the blue green & yellow nation. With work of this calibre across the full gamut of creative industries Brasil’s reputation as a nation of great football may soon be eclipsed by its growing reputation in the creative fields. And to that I say “Saude!”

Indeed we are. Described as a logo development side project for Brasilian band Área Restrita, Murilo Grafics gets the balance between elegance and Photoshop effects just right.

Author: Bradley Hotson for The Graphic Design School The Graphic Design School offers vocational training graphic design courses. Delivery is online, affordable and open to students all over the world to study in the comfort of their own home.

Neon Signs

Neon, Advertising & Vice

One message strongly signified by neon advertising seems to be vice. The enthusiasm shown by those in the alcohol, tobacco, gambling and sex trades for embracing neon to advertise their wares, services and establishments has been substantial, forming for many an indelible connection between neon signage and decadent commodities. The inherently bright and showy properties of neon make it an ideal choice for the cheerful yet pushy style so often adopted by vice-based industries, and by extension those simply selling cigarettes and Budweiser beer. So whilst there is nothing intrinsically trashy or risqué about neon, the sober and the luxurious sections of the business and cultural communities seem largely to have made their minds up, and decided it’s not for them. One recent exception has been London’s Wellcome Trust who engaged the services of London-based graphic design studio Graphic Thought Facility to create a “series of neon artworks based on the scientific models that represent the structures of proteins used in the treatment of HIV, obesity, malaria and cancer.” Images may be found here.

The connection between neon and the advertising of vice is undeniable. Peddlers of alcohol, tobacco, gambling and sex are well aware of neon’s attention-grabbing and brash potential. Image © Cheryl Goodwin.

Certain brands have subsumed neon into the fabric of their DNA. The flickering neon Budweiser sign has attained cultural familiarity through cinema and our own experience. Image © David Morton.

Electrifying in blue, and perfect to sit over the door of a nightclub. Image © Ian Muttoo.

As with vice, neon advertising has strong connections with the body modification industry. Image © Marc Weinreich.

I Never Knew That…

When used in tubes for signs, neon produces a distinctive red-orange light. It’s the other noble gases which when used emit the greens, blues and other hues commonly seen in signage, though all are commonly referred to as ‘neon’ signs. Neon signs are expensive to produce, the high costs due to the rarity of neon, and not the liquifaction process involved in their production.

During daylight hours, the neon sign drops back into the landscape, becoming a mere painted sign with a tubular exo-skeleton. Image © Patrick Boury.

David Warwick likes “the incongruously jaunty type” of this neon sign. Nothing murky about the establishment though; The Dungeon is a London-based art gallery.

Though often typographic, sometimes an illustrative sign crops up to amuse and delight. Image © Gerard Donnelly.

It’s the roman and Asiatic-type neon signs that have filtered through to our consciousness, but cyrillic and other-writing people make them too. Image © Dit is Suzanne.

Neon’s Influence on Future Noir

Whilst commonplace in our cities, it might also be useful to look at how a commodity like neon can have an influence on style and subculture. Neon has featured heavily in the work of film directors looking to project a dystopian vision of the future, signifying the particular un-organic look its fluorescence communicates. Throughout Blade Runner, Deckard, the detective who inhabits Ridley Scott’s Los Angeles of 2019, weaves his way through a neon-soaked cityscape. Here, neon signs advertise every kind of ware—legitimate and shady—in roman and Asian type of bright reds, greens and blues, as crowds hurry through fierce rain with neon-handled umbrellas. Scott’s idea of a future Los Angeles was based less on the LA of the time and more on Tokyo, itself a futuristic city teeming with neon.

Neon features heavily in science fiction filmmakers’ work, perhaps most notably in Ridley Scott’s 1982 future noir thriller Blade Runner, who’s 2019-set Los Angeles resembles a neon-drenched rain-swept Tokyo, itself a kind of future-city.

In Sum

A writer whose name escapes me once divided historians up between what he called parachutists and truffle hunters, meaning those who are driven by the broad sweeps of history and those who find meaning in the unexpected nuggets of stories often related by ordinary people. As designers we need to be both. We shouldn’t ignore the wider world around us—to take an interest in global trends will help improve our work as well as our character. At the same time we must nurture and cultivate a keen sense for the miniature of life, to zoom in to the detail of the everyday, pick an attribute of the environment and link it back to a wider cultural context. Neon signage is one such attribute, and there are countless others out there to explore. Ernesto Rogers (I don’t forget everyone’s name) once claimed that if you examine a spoon carefully you can understand enough about the society that made it to visualise how they would design a city. Whilst possibly stretching things with this assertion I believe he was on the right path. You will be too if you develop the visual awareness explained above, striding towards signs reading ‘Awards’ ‘Recognition’ and ‘Success’, in neon naturally!

“The baths are no longer there, but the sign was restored in a recent conversion of the building into flats” explains Herschell Hershey. Gorgeous.

It All Starts With a Great Idea

By clearly visualizing who your client is and with some forethought, research and planning, the end result should be an appropriate symbol that immediately identifies the company, and clearly communicates the product or service. This is absolutely key to a successful logo design and should always be foremost in your mind while conceptualizing your design.

When you have your concept, start sketching it out to quickly come up with ways you can execute the idea. Starting in black and white can help ensure that your design is clear, legible and reproducible without any distracting features. Adding great color, style characteristics, or subtle effects will help make your design unique to stand out amongst the competition. Add some type to bring some context to your design and choose a font that compliments the symbol and communicates clearly. To ensure a successful logo remember to keep your design, Simple, Memorable, Timeless, Versatile, and Appropriate.

Reproducibility

The excessive use of detail in this logo will seriously compromise its ability to be reproduced. Fine details like the sharp pointed tail and thin lines will disappear when printed at smaller sizes and the small white shapes will fill in losing their definition. Outlined type with extreme gradients will print poorly as well, making the type hard to read at any size. On the right, the elephant is drawn with bold shapes, leaving ample white space in between for definition. Just the right amount of detail is used to help convey the idea and the solid flat colors used will ensure that this design will reproduce great with pretty well any process. I wouldn’t recommend using multiple colors like this in the type all the time but in this case it works to make it fun and exciting.

Color Palette

The sample on the left is using far too many colors than is necessary, making it very busy and more difficult to define the individual objects. The use of fluorescent and uncomplimentary colors makes the overall composition unappealing and less attractive. Using default colors straight from the swatch palette and plain black for the type make the design much less sophisticated than it could be. The sample on the right utilizes a beautiful main palette of custom mixed complimentary colors of orange, green and brown. They all work together in harmony to bring the cute kitties to life while adding a warm and cozy feeling. The use of dark brown for the type keeps it complimentary to the graphic and maintains a good contrast necessary for legibility. Using the same orange that’s in the kitties for the “petcare” type offers additional visual interest and helps separate it from the main type. This helps give the eye a break and enhances legibility as well.

Simple is good right?

The left example is very simple in its execution, using only basic square and circle shapes. The placement of all of the objects has left the overall composition looking static and boring while the plain black type is under considered, effectively ensuring that this logo generates about as much excitement as flossing your teeth. The example on the right however, has cleverly used positive and negative space to create the plate. The entire logo is comprised of only four shapes by creating two simple arcs to help define the plate and by letting the cutlery bleed off the bottom edge. The combination of these design choices and using Tragan for the font, give it a simple, classic, stylish feel appropriate for this audience.

Choosing a Typeface

Hard to read? It sure is! Skinny outlines, drop shadows and other effects used on type all work against keeping it clear and legible. The “Tiederhouse” text is too tightly kerned while the “Attorney ay law” type has far too much letter spacing. The type is placed too close to the graphic without enough breathing room and the tagline is much too small in proportion. The “Tiederhouse” text uses the font “Hobo” which is a 70’s style font not at all appropriate for a professional law office. The sample on the right uses a much more professional and appropriate looking serif font with spacing and shapes that seem to mimic the construction of the symbol. It’s clear, easy to read and is just the right amount of distance from the torch device. Making the line between the text gold colored would have been a nice touch.

To read the whole article and image credits please see istock

To feast your eyes on a collection of logo designs and galleries see HERE

Reviews

“I’m going to buy a handful of copies and every time I start a new identity design I will supply the client with this book as a cornerstone of education and communication on the topic. If you like the idea of having a smoother client-designer relationship, you’d be smart to do the same.”

Christopher W. Taylor, Amazon.com

“A great read for both designers and clients, as it shares valuable insights and discusses the importance of brand identity all the way down to the process from start to finish.”

Brian Hoff, The Design Cubicle

“A very useful resource for designers who want to specialize in logo design.”

Fabio Sasso, Abduzeedo

“A must-read for anyone who wants to make their living in the graphic design industry, especially those who want to specialize in the fiercely competitive logo design niche.”

Steve Douglas, The Logo Factory

From Pencil to PDF: sub-headings

• Mind-mapping
• The fundamental necessity of the sketchpad
• The Tenth Commandment
• Pinning the map
• Internationally recognized
• No set time
• Dress for success
• Black and white before color
• Where Photoshop comes into play
• The pen is mightier than the mouse

Read more comments and contributions on David Airey’s website

Download the free PDF from David Aireys site by clicking on the link below

To read more about the process of mind mapping in design see another super blog article HERE

]]> http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog/graphic-design/logo-design-love/feed/ 2 http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog/graphic-design/logo-trends-and-galleries/ http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog/graphic-design/logo-trends-and-galleries/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:31:49 +0000 admin http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog/graphic-design/logo-trends-and-galleries/

The Graphic Design School has reviewed and chosen the best logo trends and galleries of 2009. We would love your feedback… Do you think that 6 months into the year they still apply? Can you find any other trends that have emerged?

Logo Lounge

Gossamer

Circulate

Dandelion

Recycle

Sequential

Mosaic

Flip Flop

Doily

Monologue

Encrust

Texting

Candy Stripes

Vari Dot

Concealed

Photo Fill

Logo Trends for 2009 from Logo Orange

Logo Orange

Puzzle Patterns

Street Art

80’s Geometry Lesson

Typographic Logos

Pictograms

Classic Modernism

Arabesque

Tactile Logos

Psychedelic Pop Backgrounds

Origami

Logo Trends for 2009 from Abduzeedo

Abduzeedo

Amazing One Element Logos

Logo Trends for 2009 from Graphic Design Blog

Graphic Design Blog

Classic Modernism

Typographic Logos

Psychedelic Pop Backgrounds

Puzzle Patterns

Arabesque

Pictograms

Tactile

80’s Geometry

Origami

Street Art

Arguments Against Trends in Logos

Not all designers believe that trends in logo design are such a good thing… checkout these three articles.

Im Just Creative

Im Just Creative

David Airey

David Airey

Design Bay

Design Bay

Logo Galleries

Logo Designer Blog

Logo Designer Blog

Logo Faves

Logo Faves

Creattica

Creattica

Creative Pro

Creative Pro

Brand New

Brand New/UnderConsideration

Logo Pond

Logo Pond

Logo Bee

Logo Bee