50 Meaningful and Creative Logos with Thoughts Behind Them
Michal KozakWhen it comes to describing what a good logo is, this old saying comes in handy: “A good logo is a dead logo”… Uhm, well, ok I’m just kidding :). Actually, it’s quite the opposite.
A good logo is a logo that lives.
The collection below features great, creative logos that have a message hidden. They try to convey that message through type, shape, negative space, and by triggering image and/or meaning associations in our minds. Enjoy!
Unique 3D Text – Xara 3D + Photoshop Tutorial
Dainis GraverisSo hello again! It’s time for my first tutorial I’ve ever been made. I actually hope You will enjoy this one, and that will encourage me to do some more. We will use Xara 3D to get 3D text effect, then export text to Photoshop and add some style there. If You haven’t got Xara 3D, You can download demo for free ( 15 days trial) and You can read my review about Xara and their pros and cons. And yeah, If You don’t want to download program I will give You *.psd file with text elements, so You can skip Xara part and get straight to Photoshop retouching part.
Before we start here is what we will be creating today:
1.Xara 3D tutorial part:
- Okay, let’s open Xara 3D programm. By default there will be “X3D Version 6″
- Click on the Text options, press CTRL+A to delete existing text and type T, choose font, You like and press OK.
- 1.2. Now we will change text a little bit -
- 1. Click on Text toolbar, to get off that rounded circle;
- 2.Click on Bold – to make text little bigger;
- 3.Click on Lightning to show lightning arrows;
- 4. Click on Bevel options to change default Bevel settings;
- 1.3.
- 1.3.1. Change bevel shape to rolled to add little bit emboss effect;
- 1.3.2.Click to Round to round corners a little bit;
- 1.3.3. Change depth to 10 – to soften a little emboss effect;
- 1.4. Okay, now we will play with lightning and 3D effects.
- 1.4.1. Click on Text as shown and move Your mouse cursor to add any 3D effect while it is exactly as You want;
- 1.4.2. Click on the arrows and move them around to get glossy view and better lightning, if needed;
- 1.5.Okay, We are done in XARA, now let’s export text to Photoshop:
- 1.5.1. Click File-Export or CTRL+SHIFT+E to get export view;
- 1.5.2. Choose where to save file,then do check everything like picture below, to add transparency choose *.png format and in the options click Transparent checkbox;
Do this with every letter, change 3D effects, maybe colors – play with options until You are satisfied. I got 4 png files at the end, one for every letter – T,Y,P,E.
2.Adobe Photoshop part
If You are starting just from now on – click here to get *.zip file with all 4 *.png files.
I will use many Photoshop keyboard shortcuts, if You want to learn about most useful ones, read my article – 48+ Greatest Adobe Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts.
1.step
- 1.1.Create a new document, call it TYPE, I used 1000×750 size.
- 1.2.Open T document in photoshop, press CTRL+A to select all, then CTRL+C, open Your TYPE document and press CTRL+V to drop it in the document;
- 1.3. resize text with CTRL+T and holding ALT+SHIFT to resize from center point and to resize it proportionally, rotate it to get better result;
- 1.4. Repeat those steps for all 4 text documents until You got result similar like mine:
2.step
Now lets create some background,click on background layer to make it active:
- 1. Press G to activate gradient editor;
- 2.Click on radial gradient;
- 3.And then double click on the gradient editor, to get gradient editor;
- 4.Choose Foreground to background;
- 5.Use color codes to get output as mine, copy those RGB codes and use them: #f8b1d7, #8871a1
Now click and pull Your mouse like in the picture to get same result:
3.step
Now let’s add shadow to create more realistic effect:
1. Select all four text layers – easy technique is to select first layer, hold SHIFT and select on last layer You want to select, then right click and press duplicate;
- 2. Now press CTRL+E to merge those layers into one, rename it – shadow and move it below all text layers.
- 3. Hit D to reset foreground/background color;
- 4.CTRL+CLICK on the shadow layer to select it, then press ALT+DELETE to fill it with black color;
- 5. Hit CTRL+D to deselect layer;
- 6.Go to Filter–>Blur–>Gaussian Blur and type 10 to radius pixels, hit OK;
- 7. Change opacity to ~40% to soften shadow;
4.step
I added more shadow to make it more realistic, You can skip this step if You want:
- 1.Click on Elliptical Marque tool and change feather to 50px;
- 2.Hit D to reset background/foreground color;
- 3. Click CTRL+SHIFT+N to create a new layer;
4.Click and drag marque tool below the letters, then change opacity to ~20-40%;
5. step
In this step we will add some colors to actual text, I took idea here actually from Nick Ainley’s work -
1.Double click on T text layer to get blending options:
Check everything as in the pictures below, to get different colors just play with gradient overlay:
- 2. Okay, now You have one text nicely colored. To copy layer style –> right click on the layer – click “copy layer style”;
- 3.Click on the other text layer – right click and “past layer style”, just change gradient overlay colors to get different results;
My result is like this:
6.step
Okay now lets add some more interesting background and styling:
- 1.Download those curvy line brushes – of course, better is to make those curves in Illustrator and then just import to Photoshop, but I will not bother You to do it now. I am sure You want to get faster to the final illustration.
- 2. Load brushes into just by double clicking and find them clicking F5 – to get brushes panel.
- 3.Click CTRL+SHIFT+N to create new layer and move it to top of all layers.
- 4. I used white background color.
- 5. Now change opacity to ~60-70% and click E, to grab eraser tool and erase few places to get effect that those lines are rambling through the letters:
Do this in big zoom ( click ALT+ Mousewheel to zoom in/out), so You can erase lines more precise:
Repeat those steps, add some blending options to get Your own unique results!
This is my final result:
If You couldn’t do something, check out my *.psd file – click here to download.
If You couldn’t do anything – please ask, I will be here to help You!
Creating an Interactive Travel Map using the Google Maps API
Irina BorozanThis is my third tutorial on the Google Maps API v3. I’m going to show you how to use some other google maps features by building an interactive travel map. Everyone will be able to add new locations on the map and view the locations added by others. We will also be using MySQL databases to store the values of different locations so let’s get started.
20+ Brilliant and Advanced jQuery Effects
Siva KumarEvery new technology has its own comparisons with its competitors as jQuery is closely compared with Flash. Flash was the technology used by many web designers a while ago, but now its the turn of jQuery to add the special effects or interactivity to a website. jQuery makes it easier to create sophisticated custom effects and animations compared to Flash and also jQuery takes a lead when it comes to SEO.
Getting Started: Exceptionally Great Beginner Photoshop Tutorials
Taimur AsgharAdobe Photoshop is most powerful image editing software, having great variety of tools to do your desired actions in order to create astonishing graphics and making image look better. Photoshop has major market share in the class of image editing softwares. Although it is the best software available but it is not easy to learn, it can take a heck of time and guidance to learn its basics. If you want to learn Photoshop or you are just getting started with it then you found the right place. In this roundup we have compiled a list of absolute basic Photoshop tutorials for getting started with Photoshop.
Minimize Freelance Stress the Easy and Clever Way
Hilde TorbjornsenAre you working as a freelancer? Do you constantly feel the pressure and stress of running your own business? In this article we’ll have a look at how this stress can be made easier to handle for you by following a few simple tips. You probably know a few of these from before, but are you able to remember them when it counts?
Creating A Custom HTML and CSS Framework for Rapid Development
Kevin StanleyIn this article I will go over creating a custom framework to have and use for your own projects. This to me has been one of the best resources to me in creating websites for clients. I found just like everyone else that after doing so many web pages you hit the point of realizing you keep typing the same things over and over. To try and cut down on some of the time it was taking me just to get started on a project I decided to make my own “framework” that I would use as a basic starting point. I have found this to be a great way to carry around my framework with me anywhere I go on my USB memory stick, and to be able to start a project much faster than I normally would have. Since most of my programming is done with just a basic text editor, this has worked out really well for me.
40+ Truly Functional And Free 3 Column WordPress Themes
WordPress is the biggest publishing platform, one reason of its popularity is the availability of high-quality, flexible and creative themes, making your website really bewitching. Selection of a well-designed theme is a critical part for starting a website or a blog and if you are still confused which theme you should use in your next blog then you found the right place today. Today we have collected 40+ Excellent, Truly Functional And Free 3 Column WordPress Themes. Three column themes can be very handy if you have a lot of content to express, they make everything look clear and don’t let your blog get too cluttered.
Upcoming and OnGoing Web Design Trends of 2010
Ari SuardiyantiTrend is a set of rules we somehow follow, not as something we designers obey. It is more like a guidance to help us set new ideas whenever we create a design. In the web design industry, we realized that the trend changes rapidly. Not only to accomplish the aesthetically feel, the user interface plays another great role as well.
Although the year of 2010 will be over in 3 more months, the revolutions in web design this year have led designers to achieve extra ordinaries web designs, while continuing to set the unlimited parameters of it.
Bringing Out Your Inner Beast with 75 Awesome Animal Theme Logos
From Lacoste to Puma, animal logos are quite popular. The great variety that can be accomplished by using different types of animals, different colors and so on, makes this a very fun and creative side-niche in logo design. This time we’ve hand-picked 75 of the coolest ones we found over at Logopond. We hope these can amaze and inspire!
