Making a Logo - 3D -and not an artist...thoughts, opinions

[turboglenn]

Well, here it is 4 AM and i'm watching adult swim about passing out on the couch while skecthing logos in my day planner after getting tomorrow planned and before my "last smoke" of the night i decdide to go grab about a 1/3rd of a sheet of 20 gauge sheet and sketch one of them out to be plasma cut, have a few things lettered into it and made 3 dimensional I will probably just do 1-2 inch wide strips and then either make a back or leave it open, then i'm going to put some lights in it so the lettering shows out (and i'll add some rivet effects and so forth)

Now mind you I'm NOT artistic AT ALL, I can barely draw stick figures. I lay things out with compasses, squares and straight edge rulers : But i've been wanting to come up with some sort of 3d logo with the letters inter-woven so to speak, so I'm open to submissions and suggestions.

My plans are as stated and come tomorrow morning when i wake up and check my posts as i get ready for the day i will probably do the cutting then as long as there's no major objections to the look... I know it's not the best, but it's what i could come up with and the only other technical one i like i can scan in a sketch of but the letters are rotated 90* from one another on the same axis and i can't find a way to "join" them into one shape without over running one letter and making it look too large. Mind you, this is wha ti'll use as a logo if i like it after hanging it in the garage/shop for a while and see what some customers think or if they notice it.... They all like the neon "open" sign i got a lont time ago though, so maybe this one will catch some eyes when it's done.


The picture only came out good once out of about 6 tries and the only half decent ones had to be at an angle, so that's why the picture is not square to the camera for the best view (or if some one wanted to import, clean it up and send it back)

 

[slim2005]

I like it. Not bad for not being artistic. I would make sure there is a way to tell that u want a "G" there. Like maybe make half of the right side of the G and the top of the T 2 different colors. just to differentiate (spelling?) letters.

 

[->PrOjEcTGS<-]

Just like Slim said I did a quick paint sketch of it and slightly separated the T from the G at the bottom. Then you can make the T and G two different colors.

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[SpeedAddict62]

Yeah that is what I think as well. When I first looked at your picture, all I could see was the G with a funny thing on the top but after reading the other replies I saw the TG. Other than that, looks good!

 

[turboglenn]

Thanks fellas, I think I will go with the split letter design like above, NOw i just have to figure out how to print it out large enough that I can use several sections of paper that all match up to make a template i can cut out and use to follow for making clean cuts since i don't have the most steady hands due to spinal injuries. That's why you'll always see me with something to rest my arm on while welding so i cna get nice even beads.

Once i get it to the 3rd dimension and add depth to it, the split area between the T and G will look really cool. I just ahven't figuured out what kind of weld i'm going to use to put it all together. I mean TIG would be obvious, But im thinking that to solver solder or braze it might add a nice touch with the discoloration from the heated zone. But keeping the warpage down is going to be hard either way since it's such thin sheet.

 

[95GreenGSX]

Hey how'd this work out? Any current progress pics?
I was bored and decided to make some on the computer really fast. You prob already started making some but w/e. Also T's and G's are pretty hard to fit together.
They were taken with my iphone camera earlier(which sucks). It would almost be cool if you had a full name or TG (turboglenn) assuming.

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[turboglenn]

^^ I like the second one a lot, but the thin lettering might be hard to work with when it comes to boxing it in and putting some lights in it. I want the piece to be rahter decorative when finished and placed next to my open sign, that's the main reason i'm looking to light the fixture from inside once completed.

I haven't started anything yet becuase the wifey is due home tomorrow and although we've had a few issues lately I'm trying to make everything nice and comfortable for her when she gets here, so i've been working on the house more than anything, and probably will until late tonight. But when i do sit down to lay the next one or two sketches out i will surely put your second one down on sheet and see if i can scale it to where i can use it.

RIght now i'm between the one that was first posted by projectGS and your 2nd one. I'll throw some pics up wheni get them sketched and maybe even cut. I'm still caught up on what process to use on boxing the letters in after i get the mainshape cut anyway, so i've got a bit to put things together.

 

[95GreenGSX]

I'll put some more up tonight. I see hundreds of fonts all day. I got a couple of good ones in mind

 

[turboglenn]

I'll put some more up tonight. I see hundreds of fonts all day. I got a couple of good ones in mind

Hey thanks! I just got a minute to get back to the PC since posting earlier, and my days are just busy as hell and with the woman coming home tomorrow morning I don't have much time left to play with fonts and such as i'm working on getting the house so clean that she will feel like she's in heaven after living in a barracks the last 7 months or so.

ONly got a few things left then if time permits in the morning i MIGHT be able to cut one of these out!!!!!!! But, I can't screw it up because i don't have a lot of sheet to play with and metal isn't getting any cheaper now days (this summer it dropped huge once and then has been rising again since) PLus most of what i do have is either stainless or Aluminum and gets expensive when you start wasting large chunks of it at a time.

Thanks again, and i'm open to suggestions, art offerings from anyone willing to put it out there for me to use for free.

 

[95GreenGSX]

Here is a couple more I made at work today while i was bored. The first one would be nice if you made it out of metal. 2nd and 3rd I was just bored.
Again taken with my iPhone so bare with the quality

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[turboglenn]

The first one's easily do-able in metal, and is another good submission, but however, I would really like to have some shirts with that alst one on them, but that might seem a little concieted to jsut ahve aa shirt with my nick-name & screen name on it

 

[Bubbs Malone]

I think you came up with a winner, I like the original...

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Here's a little Photoshop inspiration for ya.

 

[Calan]

A few things to think about when creating a logo and branding:

1. It needs to translate easily to other media. You want something that looks as good on a small business card as it does in 3 foot tall 3D sign letters.

2. Stay away from fades and blended colors if possible. It looks good on paper, but doesn't translate well to other media

3. Keep it simple and recognizable.

4. Once you decide on a design, stick with it. People will learn to recognize it and know what it stands for..resist the temptation to change it for "something better".

 

[fhudsonjr]

TG, i could tell your design was...TG
They all look good. If you wanted to stay close your design, I'd go w/Bubbs,.

 

[Bubbs Malone]

A few things to think about when creating a logo and branding:

1. It needs to translate easily to other media. You want something that looks as good on a small business card as it does in 3 foot tall 3D sign letters.

2. Stay away from fades and blended colors if possible. It looks good on paper, but doesn't translate well to other media

3. Keep it simple and recognizable.

4. Once you decide on a design, stick with it. People will learn to recognize it and know what it stands for..resist the temptation to change it for "something better".

About #2, It all depends on how creative your print vendors are.

 

[Calan]

About #2, It all depends on how creative your print vendors are.

Not what I meant...I'm talking about transfering a flat 2d design to a sheet of metal or plastic. In other words, anything that you CAN'T print on

 

[Bubbs Malone]

I think I get your meaning calan, don't over-complicate the design.

 

[Bubbs Malone]

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to kill the thread, how is it coming turboglenn?

 

[turboglenn]

OH no one killed the thread... My woman is here and things are going badly, no matter what i do it's wrong, so i'm walking on eggshells for 11 days until she leaves again...don't think i'll get much done before then...but if tomorrow works out and i make the money i want to with this part i'm going to be up all night making for the person's "emergency' I should be able to start cutting something out soon

 

[turboglenn]

Here's a small one that for the most part was freehand cut and then just cleaned up and painted. The curves were all freehand, and the small area of straight lines was done with a guide (striaght edge clamped to work)