Chapter 7: Getting Your Ideas On-Screen
You may start the creative process with a sketch of the logo you’re designing, but a sketch is worthless to a client. Clients can’t use sketches as fully functioning logos. In order for a logo to meet all the criteria in Chapter 3, you have to draw the logo using vector graphics editing software, such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. (It doesn’t matter which program you use, as long as the software is able to produce vector-based images.)
A vector graphic is an image that is created using mathematically precise points joined by paths, which allows for the image to look exactly the same, regardless of its size. You can blow up a vector graphic to the size of a billboard and it won’t appear jaggy or pixilated. Logos need to be functional at a variety of sizes, so it’s essential that you create your logos as vector-compatible files.
In this chapter, I help you translate your original sketches from the sketchpad onto the screen.
Note: This chapter is written specifically for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, but you can use other vector graphics editing programs with similar features to achieve the same results. The key is to draw with vectors as opposed to pixels.
Preparing the File
The hardest part of logo design is thinking of a suitable solution. The second hardest part is execution. Maybe you think your sketch could compete with the Nike Swoosh, but if you can’t translate that sketch into something your client can use, it won’t ...
