A liitle look at logos...

So, another quarter has begun at school, and I'm embroiled in one of the busiest, most convoluted classes yet, in my quest for a Graphic Design degree. However, it's been instructional, to say the least. I thought I'd share a little on logo design with you all, so you can get an idea of what kind of over thinking conceptual design goes into all the logos and branding you get bombarded with every time you watch a commercial, or see an ad.

  

Review of logo design

Graphic Design Solutions

4^th edition – chapter 10

Visual identity helps to build a unique presence to a brand in the market place and create a sense of trust in the public. It's a visual and verbal package, including design specifications and use of things like logos, letterhead, business cards, and even websites. Together these form the brand identity.

There are many reasons to start a branding project:

Launching a new company, service, group, or product.

Changing a company name.

Updating a visual identity to new market trends.

Redesigning a brand for a new audience or demographic.

When companies merge.

And, when adopting integrated consistency across a company; global, or otherwise.

A visual identity should be recognizable, memorable, distinctive, sustainable, and flexible.

That is, it should be easy to recognize, include interesting and unusual design properties, be unique among its competitors, remain relevant for years in a market, and be able to grow and adapt to fit various media and possible new directions the brand or service might take.

Most visual identities start with a logo. “A logo is a point of entry to the brand.” - Milton Glaser

A logo is the single graphic design application that will be part of every other design application; also called the symbol, mark, brandmark, logotype, or trademark. It should be an immediately recognizable symbol of what the group, brand, or even individual stands for, or provides. It should represent the brand's image and quality.

There are several kinds of logos:

Logotype – the name spelled out in unique typography or lettering.

Lettermark – creating the logo out of a name initials.

Symbol – Can be representable, abstract, or nonobjective.

Character icon – a caricature that gives a “face” to the brand

Combination mark – a blending of words and symbols.

Emblem – like a combination mark, but never separated.

Conceptual design for a logo can often start with a brand brief; a document that spells out the nature of the brand – defining the essence of, direction of, or strategy of the concept, product, service, etc.

A successful designer will be able to condense the essence of that brief into s simple, recognizable point that can be used for years, if not longer, and be able to serve as an integral part of the visual identity of that brand.

A great place to start conceptualizing is with the brand name; which often, itself, can provide clues to how to attack the visualizing process. Often the name can inspire a visual cue, or, itself, become a key component in creating a logo.

In designing a logo, keep in mind it should both separate it from its competitors in its market, and do so with a high degree of impact.

A logo will be used in many applications; such as posters, CDs, packaging, and so forth. Therefor it's very important that it can stand alone as a conceptual piece.

In creating a logo, there are a few forms to consider; Self contained – where all elements of the design are inclosed within a boarder, Breaking the unit – where parts of the design may cross a boarder but still maintain the over all form and design, and Free form – where the logo is, itself, a shape, and isn't contained by an particular boarder, save its own.

In designing a logo, keep in mind that what works for one identity might not exactly work for another. Certain fonts, styles, and shapes convey a different meaning that may compliment, say, an insurance company, but not an amusement park.

There are some fundamental ways to conceive how you could depict shapes and volumes in a logo:

Elemental form – flat lines and tones used to reduce complexity to simple shapes

High contrast – using hard separation of light and shadow to suggest form

Linear – using line in design as a main descriptive shape

Volumetric – using gradation in tone to suggest volume (illusion of 3D)

Texture or Patter – using elements like cross hatching, pantone, or smudging to create form and depth

Along with these techniques, utilizing various line weights and styles can help to depict a whole range of media and materials; such as wood cuts, fabric, cut or torn paper, brush paintings, and so on. Also, logos can come in a variety of shapes; open, closed, silhouettes, etc. Using beveled edges, spirals, and shadows can help imply the illusion of three dimensional form.

Finally, be careful in selecting font types in your creation; avoid bias in choosing your font in favor of something that directly relates more to the over all design and intent of the logo. In choosing a font type, make sure that it is legible and that it's form is not only unique, but also reflects the identity of the brand. It should work well in a range of sizes, as well as in both black and white, and color. Keep a limit to how many type faces you use in a deign; remember that less can be more, in terms of design unity. The type face should be flexible and work within a range of type elements, such as numbers and bullets.

And remember, your font type should compliment your design, not just merely mirror it.

First look and first post of 2013!

Well, now, looks like we've all managed to survive the Mayan apocalypse just fine...

Okay, well, almost all of us, I suppose...

Anyway, if you've been reading the comics over at Neverland Transit Authority - and really, why would you be here if you already weren't - then you know that I've got some pretty hefty plans for 2013. And what better time then now to unviel the first product of those illustrious plans, right here, right now.

So, without further ado, I give you the cover for this year's first print release of Galactic Gun: The Adventures of Justin Bailey in Pocket Full of Posies!

 

Master lay out: read reverse - front is to the right, back on the left

 There's an extensive amount of clean up involved with the old pages. To create, or preserve, continuity I will be having to redraw bits of frames, whole frames, or - in some cases - entire pages. In all likelyhood I will end up redrawing the entire story. if that happens, it'll convert into the 6 inch by 8 inch page format I've been running with since Bookmarks.

Next will come the more interesting phase. While clean up and reworking begins, I'll be shopping around looking for a publishing house. If I can't get anywhere with that, by March, then it looks like NTA Comics will be launching a KickStarter to get the funding it'll take to make this a reality.

Obviously there'll be more news coming, so keep your eyes open, dear readers. And, as always, thank you for your patronage! Your ridership means so much to all of us at Neverland Transit Authority!

A lyrical drift on a Myan end...

Restless and lonely at the end of the world

Where storm's rage is it's only herald

Clouds gather as they say the end is near

Madmen kissed by passions of crazy fear

A trembling in my uprooted soul

Stirring frustrations left never consoled

Wind whipped cries the night air makes

Sing a song of the spirit's secret aches

City lights shimmer against frosted night

Those seeking comfort in sin's delicious bite

They'll press on for what all they do seek

Everybody knows not just the flesh that's weak

Can't I just reach out for only a touch

But then would that ever be just enough

My senses are hungry, screaming to be fed

Taken down any dark path they could be led

Some say there's a great war coming at the end

Where mighty nations surely crumple and bend

Look, they cry, to the wisdom of another age

The gift of foresight from the tireless sage

And somehow it's gotten so far from here to there

Where city's people play out on their end game scare

New dawn is coming, first hoped for light

Surely we all know it's not our final night

Storms will pass as they will go

A course of secret only they will know

But longing still stirs trapped deep in me

At the end of the world, restless and lonely

Take It from Me

Hey, there, look in her eyes;
Deeper than deep, her world on the rise.
Smile and a laugh, a voice and a tune,
And I'm off like a shot, no I'm not immune.

'Cause she does what she please and take it from me;
there's no turning back, her course set, on track.
In the palm of her hand, all she commands.
Her will is her force, she'll never quit;
And I'm working so hard to keep up with her.
Take it from me, she'll be what she'll be.
A fire from a spark to light up the dark.
She's who they'll want, you can take that from me.

Hey, there, it's the touch of her hand,
A kiss on the cheek that makes me grow weak.
When she's open with me, those stories she'll tell.
Take it from me, I've known her quite well.
And when sleep finally comes late in the night
I'll hold her real close and everything's right.
And I'll treasure this for all that I can.
'Cause take it from me, it's just not to be.

For it's "So long, there's places to be."
She'll never stop, you can take that from me.
Her battles she fought and treasures she's sought
Someone else gets to see, they're not for me.
All that I give, and all that I've got;
Just not enough, there's more that she wants.
My fire from her spark, how she lit up my dark.
But will she ever know, when I had to let her go,
That in the palm of her hand my heart she'd command?
It's where I wanted to be, you can take that from me.

Hey, there, when you look in her eyes,
See what I see? Her world on the rise.

Hey, there, well I want you to know
She's so special, you see.
And you can't take that from me...

___________________________________________________________________________________

Love, loss, and what inspirations remain in the heart of the left behind. While this isn't exactly what I wanted to be for the first release of lyrics for National Railway Sound Project, it is, never the less, what got polished off, first. It's not a sad song, so much as a song of hopeful longing.

Maybe you know what it's talking about...?

Like litte mud huts...

Adobe's In Design, Photoshop, and rat bastard wayward child, Illustrator.

Ah, the Adobe creative suite. if you do pretty much anything with creating graphics, layouts, or design, there's a good chance you've used an Adobe product at one time, or another. Or, in some cases, yelled at it in late night fits of last minute deadlines and homework.

Or, is it just me?

Anyway, Adobe was founded in 1982 by by John Warnock and Charles Geschke; who left Xerox in order to develop their Postscript page description language. After Postscript, they went on to market fonts which they released in a proprietary format called, simply enough, Type 1; a single byte font format which eventually went public. eventually Type 1 would fall to Apple's True Type font.

In the mid 80's - during the great video game and garage start up age - Adobe threw their hat into the graphics creating ring with Illustrator, to compete with Apple's QuickDraw. Illustrator used a Bezier curve, which gave greater accuracy to shape rendering and allowed for greater scalability.

However, in 1989, Adobe released probably their greatest achievement; they gave the world Photoshop. And, with that, ushered in a new golden age for amateur and professional  photographers the world over. And, of course, it wouldn't take us comic book folks long to figure out how to put it to good use, either.

Adobe, which takes its name from the Adobe Creek in Los Altos, Ca - which ran behind Warnock and Geschke's house, has been responsible for many standards in graphic and interactive design, as well as web standards, like the Portable Document Format (PDF) and Acrobat reader. And, even though making a few mistakes in trying to predict the trends in persona and business computing, as managed to stay both profitable and relevant in the field of graphic and interactive design. Slowly, over the years, they've been able to buy out and absorb other competitors in their respective fields to become the giant they are, today.

Today their product line includes layout software, like In Design, replacing PageMaker, and acquired Macromedia in 2005; expanding their reach into video production with Premiere, Director, and other editing programs.

Today, based out of San Jose, Ca (With offices also in San Francisco.), Adobe controls the lion's share of the graphic software and design market. They have grown from a mere handful of fonts into the main power behind desk top publishing and marketing; as well as small and large studio house production, and have a net worth of close to $9bil.

First Look: 2013 Intergalactic Pub Crawl Team badge

There are many kinds of badges we wear, earn, or carry through life. But for a select few, there is only one badge they look forward to renewing every year; joining an exclusive club of interplanetary connoisseurs.

That's right, with the end of the year quickly approaching, it's time, once again, to unveil next year's Intergalactic Pub Crawl Team badge...

It takes a special breed of  tried and true drinkers to proudly display this badge of honor, telling all the civilized worlds (And some not so) that they've earned their bar creds in some of the most exotic watering holes in the galaxy.

The new button will be available starting at the end of December, and only while supplies last. Watch for special announcements on where to get yours...

Maybe it's that it's a time in Graphic Design that I can actually wrap my head around because it's so close, in history. Or, perhaps, it's more that I really like and relate to the imagery. Or, more to it, that it's in line with what I think of when I think of “Graphic Design”. Maybe it's a little of all these things.

Whatever it is, all I do know is – I many not now (Graphic) arts, but I know what I like. And what do I like?

Revivalism.

And, more specifically, some of the more nostalgic throw backs to the early and mid twentieth century. This trend has been enjoying a real mainstay in American commercial culture and, I feel, is pretty much here to stay. And that's okay with me.

And, apparently, with many others, too. When Charles S. Anderson left the Duffy Design Group in 1989 to found his own firm – Charles S. Anderson Design, Co. - he had set out to give his images “a tangible and inherit artistic value.” In the wake of the Post Modernist movement, Charles saw a new age of design; “One not based on sterile minimalism... but is rich cultural vocabulary and personal experience.” Anderson, himself, had been inspired growing up in Boone, Iowa and the old 40's style graphics that littered the town.

Anderson's own vision of this design ethic can be easily seen in his work. Pulling from the over sized graphic of comics (Oh, come on, you know I'd find a way to get comics in here, right?) and the old throw back look of pulp, to the graphics of post industrialism. The firm looks to merge the visceral with the visual; working to create an identity that's “anything but boring.”

The thing about this revivalism is how it can draw off the cultural mythos to synthesize a tangible experience for its audience; whether or not that audience has any real experience with the particular period being aped by the design. From the “retro Mickey” designs of the new Disney merchandise line, to mason jars full of spaghetti sauce, there's a connection we, as the viewer – and shopper – draw from these images.

Perhaps it's because there's so much of our society's history in these textural properties. Coming from the turn of the 20^th century design was looking into the blending of the ornate and the functional; becoming both characteristic and still functional. It was the age of the durable, long lasting. Yet, at the same time, had the flourishes of style that made it more personable.

These designs, also, harken back to a prosperous, feel good time in American mythology. The second big boom in American, the post Word War 2 era, saw the invention and use of may stylized forms of design that have, much like other things from their time, been built to last. Although, in today's society, these images can carry new iconic representation.

From country images, to swing era design, and the modern streamlining of trains (If you seriously didn't think I was gonna sneak a train reference in, too, you haven't been paying attention.), there's a comfortable feel behind revivalism, or “retro”, as we often call it. A touchstone to the past, when things were better, had more class, and were built to last. The things we'd like to see in our culture, products, and communications, today.

Maybe it's best summed up by a quote that's used on the Andserson website; "The further backward you can look, the further forward you are likely to see." - Churchill

The more we go forawrd, the more we're likely to look back for comfort and identity. And, really, is that such a bad thing?

(Another) First Look! NTA Comics' "The Runner"

In the not too distant future, where megalopolis is stacked atop megalopolis, Mannie Rodriguez - working for Personal Allied Couriers - takes a delivery for his friend as a favor.

But, when his friend winds up dead, and Mannie's on the run for his life, he finds himself caught up in a mad dash to make - what might be - his final delviery of the night.

The Runner is a small pet project I've had on the back, back, back, back burner for a couple years, now. But, it was this movie poster project for my Studio 2 class at school that's brought it back to the forefront, and into the 2013 schedule.

True to its name, and the source that spawned it, The Runner will feature a whirlwind of action and excitment; with my usual touch of commentary and introspection, to boot.

Look for it this coming Summer from Neverland Transit Authority!

Choo-choos, funnies, and brews ~ or~ Loves and logos

Logos are pretty much nothing more than a nice, fancy stick on badge saying...

The idea behind them is, basically, to give some sort of cohesive identity to a group, company, or institution; much the same way the heralds did for guilds, clans, and families back in antiquity. Since their basic inception, until now, there's been a few rules and guidelines that have been established on how they are used; from the concept of building them to scale, to how to apply them in layouts and branding. And all that's fine and dandy, but what we really want to know is how they are applied where it really counts...

Trains and comics! (I mean, really, it's me; what did you expect?)

Christian Annyas, designer and blogger, is quick to point out that the first railroads were pretty much established nearly fifty years before the first logo was trademarked. And in an age when stationary and such were created by printers, not designers, it would be common for railway logos to reuse the exact same elements; generally cut from the same block forms.

As technology grew, and schools of design took hold in America, so, to, did the ornate nature and complexity of the train logo change and grow; though,for the most part, still staying bold, iconic, and simple. In 1954 the New Haven Railroad did a major overhaul and upgrade of their entire system. And, along with that, tried to create a whole new corporate identity for themselves. From train exteriors to passenger interiors, stationary, all the way down to matchbooks, everything was treated to the brown, white, and orange color shcemeing, along with the bold "N" over "H". Until this point, pretty much every railroad company was using a more drab earth tone scheme; so this really popped.

They even got an HO scale corp. identity... how cute!

Along those same lines, the Canadian Railway revamped its logo in 1960 with a very stylized typographical look that, in turn, influenced the rest of the 1960's logo designs with its creation of a moniker out of its initials. CSX Transportation would take this one step further in 1986 when it took both iconic logo design and typography and created probably the most tell tale logo for any rail system. One that is, in fact, still used today, some twenty six years later.

These fine examples of train logo design, however, don't really tell you how influential they are. Well, not as much as how other industries have capitalized on them for their own branding. From restaurants to online learning sites, the train logo has pretty much aided many other companies in their own corporate identity. Generally they borrow the themes of power, fire, steam and mobility, tapping into the nostalgia of the once great rail lines and the promise of modernization and connectivity that the locomotive brought to the industrial world.



Comics, too, have made great use of the logo to create a sense of identity to sell each of the particular brands of titles. Most notably, DC Comics went through a revamp of their classic logo just recently. In doing so, the opted for a the page peel back, like an invite to readers to see what's inside. Marvel has capitalized for decades on the big "M" in all its various branding. Smaller houses have also put their own persona spin on logos for branding; making good use of the way a logo can set up a personality to a company "face".

 



 

And where does that leave your truly, as both a lover of trains and comics? Well, see for yourself as I have put together two of my great loves as I venture out into the world of comic book creation with the logos I use for Neverland Transit Authority...

Heck, I've even got my own train ticket!

So... what was that first registered logo, you may be wondering...? Well, as sure as I love comics and trains, it was for another great love of mine... BEER!

Yes, the first registered logo was for Bass Brewery in 1876. So, to commemorate, I leave you with a collection of old beer logos; of which I have enjoyed many...

Not you, PBR; you're hipster swill. You go home!

Yeah, that's the Ticket!

So, as life gets back to normal... What ever that means for your dear old Conductor... the old creative steam gets to flowing from the boiler, again. And then new things get born for NTA Comics. Tonight's newest addition? This...

Yep, looks like we have our very first official train ticket. Well, to be honest, this is a rough that was originally intended as part of an outfit for the Great Dickens Christmas Fair happening at the Cow Palace in San Francisco; which runs from Thanksgiving weekend until December 23rd.

So, while this version will be nicely tucked into my bowler's hat band, a truly official ticket will be available shortly after the new year. Hopefully it'll be more than just a silly souvenir. More than likely I'll use it as part of a convention promo, when I can start doing comic conventions, again.

Then I can go around yelling "TICKETS PLEASE!" like a good Conductor is supposed to...