Ch5 Pg1: Step 3 (Patreon)
Content
Step 1: Game Plan
Okay, so I know I need a cool looking logo. I know it needs to be a phoenix. I know it needs to look regal and act as a seal. So from the get go I have a general idea of what I want and how I want it to feel. So that's good.
(If you've read the sketch comics, you already know Hym. He's very important.)
Step 2: Copy
4 years of college and thousands of dollars in tuition have taught me the most effective way to make a cool logo is just google the crap out of that concept and look at what has worked for other people.
So after a quick google image search for "flame logo" I immediately have some shapes and ideas that I'm tinkering with. I'm not tracing, I'm mimicking shapes and tweaking them into new shapes that I like. I don't google "phoenix logo" because I want to at least be a little original in my solution.
Step 3: Copy (: The Sequel)
Get frustrated and give up on the "flame logo" route and just google "phoenix logos."
Step 4: Tweak the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Out of It
Immediately I find a logo that I like I begin to create my own versions inspired by the shapes in the original. (Remember, kids: good artists copy, great artists steal.)
Step 5: The Digital Transition
Scan that final sketch you really like and do what you can to convert it into pixels and vectors. Scan your image into Photoshop so that you can easily trace over and recreate the shape, export that bad boy as a transparent PNG, and then move that image over to Illustrator to Live-Trace or hand vector that baby. I'm going to do what I can to make the phoenix's head look more centered above the tail/body - right now it looks a little asymmetrical, and that's the opposite of what I want for this insignia.
This will be your final product!
At this point, I'm choosing to end this tutorial/process/explanation because everything is going to get really technical and boring - it all involves anchors and points and how to get an organic shape in Illustrator and that might be boring.
Unless you guys actually want to see the rest. I'm here to please.