Logo Resolution

Well, actually, to "vectorize" the CMN logo would be a relatively small file size. That's one of the benefits of creating vector graphics when building logos and such. The file size is very small, but very powerful, and infinitely scalable.

And Nathan, it is wise to begin with the vector format for logos. it ensures that you can do quite a bit with not a lot of file.

Play with Illustrators gradients and special effects. There's a host of things you can do with it now. I would build it there, and then if you simply need a gif or a bitmap, you can easily create it.

For my website, doycave.com, I created the banner in Illustrator and then saved for web. The same is true for all the other elements of the site.

Also, in the Xchange, my "Life" logo was created in Illustrator. Doing it that way made it really easy to create any kind of file. You don't "have" to create a simple file in Illustrator. I've seen beautiful art deco renderings of cityscapes and islands and people that rivaled paint or raster graphics. You just have to keep experimenting with the tools.

Thanks, too, Phugger, for the object lesson. Very cool to see the development of an identity over time. Did you download that?

[mschutz]

Good to see that great discussions never die, they just hibernate!

I'll chime in to agree with Nathan and and Doy - starting off in vector is just smart. I've had to recreate logos that were built as raster images, and that's not fun. Much better to work the other way.

Re: "vectorizing" the CMN logo and simplification - one of the principles of good logo design is that it works in a variety of settings - not only on a computer screen, but also in print, at various sizes, in colour and in black and white, etc. So I wouldn't want to vectorize that exact version of the CMN logo, with the patterns and textures and stuff. I'd build a simpler vector version with flat colours, etc. (It really wouldn't take that long to do.) Then depending on the intended output, I'd change it to add fills and patterns, etc. That exact version of the logo wouldn't work really well as a black and white printout, but that's not a bad thing, because (and I may be putting words in Tim's mouth here, sorry if I am, Tim!) Tim wouldn't use that exact version on a black and white printout. It would lose some of its punch that it has. A cleaner, simpler version would still retain its identity as the CMN logo, but would look a lot better on a black/white print version.

I also think it's interesting how the Bell logo has changed. One further thought on that is that our society has changed from a word-based society to image-based. Last year I was part of a workshop on postmoderism, and we looked at a truck ad from the 1950's, 1970's and from a couple years ago. It was striking how much copy text the older versions had, and how the recent ad was mostly image, with only one or two very short text phrases. So I think the simplification of the Bell logo is a classic example of that shift in mindset as well. It's all image-based now.

m.

Just FYI, I did the logo in Photoshop (of course) at 300dpi. Since the text and other layers are vector graphics I can resize it to whatever size I need. For the web, I just used "Save for web", resized it and saved as a .png, which maintains a nice transparency against a blue background (a gif looked terrible). So, as a .psd (Photoshop) file, I can also simplify the logo, change layer styles, etc. to fit the application. I don't know if that fits in this thread, but that's the background story on the CMN logo

One great aspect of Photoshop 6 and following is that you can create Photoshop pdf's, which are created from psd's. I do this a lot for advertisements and the like. The great upside is that the text layers can be rendered as vector graphic outlines, which is great for newspaper print (which can make halftones look dotty).

So, Tim, are the text effects layer styles?

Originally posted by doycaveiii


So, Tim, are the text effects layer styles?

Yup -- so if I need a simple logo for a newspaper I can ditch all of the beveling, etc. and go with solid black or a stroke (outline) for the text. The little sparkle things are just a small star brush.

[[Admin] PHugger]

Very cool Tim - so I guess Nathan is correct and deserves a pat on the back!


(I'd do something fun with your avatar, but I sense your fear......)


Good call,
PCH

I haven't actually been following this thread very closely, so I'm not really sure what the original question was . I was just letting you know how the logo was created and how I can manipulate it by keeping the .psd file. Anyway, haven't you done enough PS manipulation to me already?

[[Admin] PHugger]

I was talking about messing with Nathan - I'm getting tired of you.....(c8

He's so scared he doesn't even have a wussy avatar like Craig!



Best regards,
PCH