Last Friday (26th January) was my last DPers lesson and I will move on to Maths. Digital Perspectives has been all about using digital tools to create an original piece of art or creative piece in order to increase the benefit and enjoyment of ourselves and others. In the first unit, we learned about using Adobe Illustrator to create a logo for a client. The second was all about using a different tool called Adobe Photoshop to create a mandala for ourselves and the third unit as about learning the ways people have used digital tools in a negative way such as in advertising. However, also in the third unit, we learned how easy it is to manipulate photos as well.
FIRST UNIT:
Introduction:
In our first unit, we were required to use one of two different applications to make logos for a specific client. However, before we even started to make logos, we learned how to use both platforms. We started off with using Pages which was an easy application to use however, there were many drawbacks of using Pages such as the inability to type on a path and to find the right colour. Furthermore, we were then required to use Adobe Illustrator which is the industry standard. However, this application is very difficult to use as there are many menus to choose from. This unit was about learning how to use digital tools to create a logo for a client. It is also about being able to do service for a client and achieving (perhaps even failing) a product that includes most or all of the specifications the client asked for. We developed many skills and qualities along the way. All in all, we were required to create a logo for a client and we will either choose Adobe Illustrator or pages to create and design the logo.
Getting started:
Tutorial #1
In our first tutorial, we learned mostly about how to use pages as a page layout tool instead of a word processing tool. Although what we created was very simple, it wasn’t a very nice logo. Nevertheless, we learned how to create shapes and to use the bests fonts for the best occasions. We downloaded our school’s font (Bliss) and learned how we can manipulate text such as turning them sideways or increasing the spacing between each letter. I wasn’t surprised as these were skills I was already able to achieve. I was collaborative and a communicator as we needed to help each other to achieve the same goal.
Tutorial #2
In our second tutorial, we learn out the drawbacks of using Pages. This included the inability to colour with a specific colour in mind such as the UWC green. You could also not type on a path as you can see in the image to the left. In this tutorial, I develop my creative skills as I needed to figure out on my own to create the exact same logo. I was also a collaborator as we needed to help each other to achieve the same goal. Because of this, I was able to develop my communication skills
Tutorial #3
In our third tutorial, we learned to use the industry standard tool (Adobe Illustrator) to recreate the same logo as we did in the second tutorial. Here, we could add the specific colour we needed, in this case, the UWC green. We also learned to use the type on a path tool and learn most of the basic tools on this platform. Once again, I was a collaborator and developed my creative skills as I needed to figure out on my own to create the exact same logo as we did in the Pages application. Along the way, I developed my communications skills by collaborating so that we were all on task and helped each other when we needed help.
Tutorial # 4
In our fourth tutorial, we learned about using SVG files and how they were much cleaner than jpg or png files. I was very surprised at the SVG file was very clean and it was then I changed my opinion from using Pages as my tool for my logo to Adobe Illustrator. Furthermore, we learned how to use the pathfinder tool to create Grey Area logo. I was a lot more creative this time as I explored new tools on my own and communicated along the way.
Tutorial # 5
In our last and final tutorial, we learned how we could manipulate jpg and png files to turn them into clean, SVG files. This helped me to be really confident to make my choice to use Illustrator as my tool to design my logo as bottle turned from an ugly, pixelated png file, to a clean, graphic-looking SVG file. We also learned how to use the eraser tool to create that look as you can see in the image above. I was a collaborator as I was collaborating and communicating with others for help and advice. As you may have noticed, I have mainly developed my communication and collaboration skills as the tutorial stage was a very important and useful time to use these skills.
The Digital Application:
My options are either using Adobe Illustrator or Pages. I expect to use adobe illustrator as there are more menus and functions that I would like to use for my logo. This is because the type on a path tool and turning a png/jpg file into an SVG file are tools that I would like to use in my logo, therefore, I chose to use Adobe Illustrator. However, although this may be a great tool, I will need to use the internet and ask others in order to help me with the problems that I might have when using illustrator. I might need the Noun Project, google images Flat Icon to gather icons and images that I might need for the creation of my product.
The Client:
The client for this project will be the Urban Gardening Propagation here at UWCSEA East. However, the real clients are Adam Erickson and Adam Goldstein as they require the logo for that service group. This is a service group aimed at growing new plants from seeds or vegetative cuttings for use by academic classes, other college services and the facilities team. The students in the service group will then manage the propagation area of the 6th-floor rooftop garden. The service group is using the logo below, which is also the logo for the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening and an image of the clients (a little outdated):
Adam Goldstein (man to the left) is the teacher of High School Social Studies and is even a teacher for Global Perspectives. Adam Erickson (man to the right) is the head of Middle School Spanish and has worked with many environmental service groups here are at UWCSEA East.
The Link (UWCSEA Learning Programme):
Which of the elements of the Learning Programme does this project link with? Why?
This will link to the Service element as this group is a service group aimed at making UWCSEA East a more environmental and sustainable school.
The Specification:
The specifications were not explicitly but this logo will be similar to the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening as the Propagation is a subgroup.
Specification:
The final logo:
There were now explicit specifications for this logo but the logo should contain some of these elements:
- A symbol or icon that represents a city or to describe the word “urban”.
- A symbol or icon that represents some kind of seed/sprout or plant.
- This logo will be similar to the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening.
- It needs to have the words “UWCSEA East Urban Gardening”
Designing the Logo:
Stage 1
Here I have not done too much although it may look like it. I have used icons from the Flat Icon page and the Noun Project to gather ideas about a logo. Later on in the process, I gathered a lot of icons to gather ideas and it kept growing along the way as you can see to the right. Furthermore, I have created really quickly, a logo similar to the one the Urban Gardening Propagation group have right now. I have used the type on a path tool and learned a new tool called the shape builder tool to colour in empty space with a body around it. I have developed my creative skills as I have started to gather ideas about the product.
Stage 2
In this stage, I have taken the same exact logo and tweaked it a bit. I got rid of the hand with the sprout and made the colour contrast better. I also discovered this new tool where I could add artboards so from now on, all the other logos will be on another artboard. Throughout these stages, I have been creative, resilient in the fact that I kept going and tried new things when other thing failed and a self-manager where I managed my time well to get the things done.
Stage 3
In stage three I have created a new artboard and decided to make the logo cleaner. Now, the two symbols are really clear and I used the gradient tool to create the effect on the background that you can see to the left. I explored icons on Flat Icon and The Noun Project to gather more ideas and wanted the sprout to provide an emphasis and really exaggerate what the service groups are the amount. It is mainly about gardening, especially growing new plants with seeds so this icon is great for the logo. The buildings on the background show that are urban. There is no border but it may be too complicated as there are many colours. As always I was a self-manager, creative and resilient. However, I think that the hand needs some fixing as it does not fit well into the background.
Stage 4
Here I went off tangent. I tried a very different approach and decided to add an image of what the groups are doing. I tested a lot of different tools and it was pretty complicated. I was creative because I decided to try an unconventional approach. Firstly, I used the image trace tool to make the image look graphic and but a circle with a border to a part of the image I wanted to use. I tried many tools such as the pathfinder tool but it did not work and I assume it was because I was not confident in using the tool. Therefore, I used the erase tool which took a long time and ultimately it became this logo. As you may have seen, all the logos have the name of the group around a circle and it is because it is supposed to be similar to the other logo I mentioned before (UWCSEA East Urban Gardening). However, I might try something new. Below is a link to a video I made showing the problem I had. This is why I was very resilient in stage 4 and self-aware of my choices.
——————Link to Video—————–
Stage 5
This is one of the logos that are bad. However, the reason that I think it is because I had a hard time to make the hands work on the logo and gave up on it. I was self-aware that I need to start with a new logo. What I reflected and learned from this logo, is that using too many elements to fit with specifications may ruin the logo. The logo is supposed to be very similar to UWCSEA East Urban Gardening however, I also learned that I should not use too many colours. Although you cannot see, there used to be many colours and it did not look great. I even learned that sometimes you get bad ideas and you should scrap them, however, I have chosen to show you one of many bad ideas. This is how I was self-aware.
Stage 6
This logo is similar to stage 3 but this was more to test my skills and to gain new knowledge. I tried different icons and even a border but it is not the best logo I have created. As you may have noticed, all my logos have the text on the outside of a circle. The reason that I haven’t experimented with where the text would be is that the specifications say that it should be similar to the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening logo. However, I feel bad that I have been creative with my text and it seems to be that I am using way too many colours. I have self-reflected on my logo and realized that I should experiment with text and use a lot fewer colours. However, as you will see in the final stage, there is no evidence of this experimentation. In addition to that, I would like it to be a logo in which you would know instantly where the logo is from. I have been creative with my design and self-managed by time.
Stage 7
With stage 7 I first tried to combine the hand from stage 6 and the logo from stage 3 but I didn’t really like it. Therefore, I looked at Flat Icon to find a better hand with a sprout. As you can see to the left, the hand seemingly comes out from the border. This is why I have been creative and resilient in the fact that I tried many different ways to achieve this logo. I believe that this will be my final logo. This logo is definitely a great logo and in a way, it is quite simplistic. But once again, I haven’t experimented with any text or used a lot fewer colours. The reason that I haven’t done so is that I had just created this logo and many of my peers thought it was great so I chose it, therefore making me develop my collaborative skills. I communicated with them and they decided that this was the best logo and self-managed my time to complete this logo.I really wanted to finish the logo and decided that this will be my final. Even though I have been creative, I haven’t really learnt from my mistakes and I still feel like there is no sense of creativity. However, in spite of this nagging feeling, it is still a great logo in the way that it really captures what the service group is all about in every aspect.
Here is a collage of just some of my logos so you can see the progression over time. Not all of my logos are there because I created new logos on top of old ones that I thought wasn’t good. But, you can see some of the bad ones to the left. As you can see, there are some elements of creativity but there is a lot of colours involved and practically all the logos have “UWCSEA East Urban Gardening Propagation” around a circle which proves some lack of creativity with the text.
The final Logo
The final Logo: As it would appear on a t-shirt
Although the image below is a bit blurry, the logo itself is easy to recognize and looks great on a t-shirt. I do not think it is too detailed but it isn’t too simple either. I believe that it looks great on a t-shirt.
Success of product
My final design did meet all the specifications required. Although not quite similar to the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening logo, there are elements in both that are very similar. Here are the specifications below:
- A symbol or icon that represents a city or to describe the word “urban”: On my final logo, I have two buildings which definitely represent the word “urban” or city. The buildings really make you think of a city. This is why it meets this requirement
- A symbol or icon that represents some kind of seed/sprout or plant: The hand holding the sprout represents a plant which is the focus of this group. The sprout gives the impression of growing new plants and growing seeds.
- This logo will be similar to the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening: This logo has some elements that make it similar. For example, the text is around a circle, buildings in the background and an icon of some sort of plants such as a tree or the sprout of a plant. However, it could have looked more like the UWCSEA East Urban Gardening logo with more similar elements.
- It needs to have the words, “UWCSEA East Urban Gardening Propagation”: The logo has these exact words around itself.
As you can see, I have basically met all the requirements but could have improved on the third requirement. However, although it was a good logo, there were too many uses of colours and I would have liked to experiment with the text. On the logo, I can count approximately 20 different colours, most of the colours are just shades of different colours. But even then there were 7 different standard colours including green, blue, white, black, gray, light and dark brown. In order to improve, I should think critically about my colour choice. Furthermore, all my logos had no sense of creativity when it comes to the text. All logos have its text around it make it have a lack of creativity. What I should have done is an experiment with my logos in how the text could have been implemented into the logo.
Evaluation of application used
The application that I used, which I mentioned before, is Adobe Illustrator which is the industry standard. Because of this, it was very difficult to use as there were many menus and tools to choose from. However, through this design process, I was able to learn a lot of new things. For instance, although before this design process of the creation of the logo I knew about PNG and JPG files, I did not know the difference and how clean an SVG file can be. I have tried turning PNG/JPG files into SVG files using adobe illustrator. Moreover, I have learnt a variety of new tools. For example, I learned how to use the eraser tool to erase around a circle, even if it was difficult. Despite the difficulty, I learned there was a similar way to doing so (even though in some circumstances it did not work) by using the pathfinder tool. This surprised me because this was an excellent tool to have Furthermore, I learned how to use the gradient tool to achieve that colour on my final logo and even how to change colours to achieve the exact colours in my mind. Likewise, I used the shape-builder tool to create colours for shapes that weren’t even there. Before knowing that this tool existed, I thought that Adobe Illustrator might have that kind of tool and it did, which was a pleasant surprise. I even learned how to use the artboard menu and other menus which were another success of Adobe Illustrator. As you can see, these were the successes as there were so many tools and menus that I could do. Finally, Adobe Illustrator allowed me to create a creative and wonderful logo.
However, in spite of the successes, there were many limitations. Even though the successes were that there were so many menus and logos that were helpful, they were very difficult to find and there were so many to choose from. For example, it was very difficult to erase around a circle and I needed to be very precise to do so. I could have used the pathfinder tool, but there were too many layers causing it to malfunction. This is a limitation of Adobe Illustrator and generally, the other limitations are mainly the difficulty to find and use the thousands of menus and tools this platform has. If one were to create a logo with complicated elements or one who wants to be very creative, Adobe Illustrator is a very good application to use. However, if it is a simple creation, then Pages will do. This means that Adobe Illustrator can be difficult to use, but there is a lot of potentials involved.
Thank you for learning about my logo design creation.
Creative Commons of only the final product:
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