The graphic design thread

[KidCactus]

I assume I'm not the only one here that loves playing around with Photoshop?

Last week I started going through some tutorials for doing illustrations, and I must say even though I've used Photoshop for years, there's tons of new things I've picked up just by following step by step instructions.

Today I made an iPhone 4 from scratch, but not using any tutorial, and I must say I'm very pleased with the result:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6750559/iphone.jpg

The psd file if anyone is interested to see how it's made:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6750559/iphone.psd

So, anyone else that has anything to post? :)

[biosc1]

Well done. Did you use a mouse or did you use a tablet/pen?

[KidCactus]

Did you use a mouse or did you use a tablet/pen?
Mouse. I do have a tablet, a Wacom Cintiq, but I never use it. For things like this, a pen really isn't an advantage.

[KidCactus]

This thread really took off, blasting through teh Internet... Oh well. My latest creation, the Mac mini's little brother:

http://wearegamers.se/images/mac_nano.png

Download .psd file (http://wearegamers.se/images/mac_nano.psd)

[KidCactus]

Just playing around with shadows and gradients:

http://kidcactus.com/images/m_button.jpg

[Bandango]

You're a lot better at this than all the people in the photoshop class I took two years ago :)

[KidCactus]

Thanks. :) I just wish I could do things with more irregular shapes, instead of these basic ones.

[KidCactus]

My Denon receiver, all done by hand in Photoshop (except the audio format logos and the text in the display):

http://wearegamers.se/images/receiver2.jpg

And the .psd file, which ended up with more than 100 layers:

http://wearegamers.se/images/receiver.psd

[Thanasimos]

The archery club needed a poster and a logo. Since I'm a music minor and once took a course in charcoal drawing, I'm the closest thing we have to an arts major (or artist in general); the task fell to me. I put a few hours in yesterday and came up with this:

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7358/archeryplotterpostersma.png

That poster will be run off on a plotter. The intended size is 55"*34", but I rendered a smaller one for you guys. . . 16500*10200 px is a touch big for a forum!

And the logo for our website:

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7189/archerybullet.png

I'll admit I was just phoning the logo in. I wanted to make overt references to the hammer and sickle -- a golden bow and arrow on a red field, arranged at just the right angle, etc. The club disagreed. I broke and did this instead.

[Serapth]

Like the design and full image, hate the logo.

Personally, I would take the guy completely out of the logo and change the font.

[Bone]

The poster image looks stylish! But the logo comes off as a stop or warning sign, and the archer's silhouette only fights against the lettering of the logo without adding anything. The RPI in a circle itself doesn't do a whole lot for me. I'd drop the circle and come up with a handmade font for RPI or just a better off-the-shelf font, and if you can find a way to incorporate the archer or something similar into the logo that allows the image and font to work together, more power to you.

[burger]

Awesome stuff...I wish I could watch you make them so I could have a clue as to where to begin.


EDIT - after looking through the layers in your PSD I've already increased my photoshop skills 10x. Some of these layers are very subtle uses of techniques I already know but are VERY effective.

Good stuff man!

[Thanasimos]

All the criticism of the logo is fair and accurate. I suppose that's what I get for phoning it in. That said, the RPI in a circle trick is rather necessary -- we are a school club and we are about to form an intercollegiate competitive team, and it is the school's logo.* I will probably have to come up with something else. I don't know if anybody in the club will notice, but if the poor quality is that apparent to you CoGgers I'll assume it would turn a few passersby off as well. It has been suggested to me that the entire "(RPI) Archery" thing be the logo, and that is something fairly tempting to me, as it allows me to continue phoning in the logo while perhaps increasing the quality thereof.

Anyhow, I recently put some time in and did this too, for B-size (11"*17") paper:
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8342/archerybzombpoc100dpi.png

Needless to say it supports slogans, and many slogans can be put in that place. Five or six have already been crafted per member suggestion; however I picked the one most likely to recruit fellow gamers to post on a gaming website! I don't feel 100% done with this design, but I haven't done anything to it in a few days, so I guess I must be. I suspect I'll return to it at some point before winter break is over.


*Not exactly; the school has several, but it's the only logo that isn't a coat of arms, though.

[Bone]

Yep, it looks better when you don't see a red line outlining the white circle, definitely loses that road sign look.

If you don't have much leeway with the RPI logo, I'd just de-emphasize it like you have in the poster above. RPI's branding is already in place, your task is to include it and work around it but not make it the main focus, which is Archery.

What if you placed a simple arrow shaft through the center of the word Archery with fletching to the right of the "Y" and the arrowhead implied buried in the "RPI" circle (implied but not actually piercing/fighting with the RPI)?

[TheEpicOfTyler]

I don't care for the fonts used on Two Words: Zombie Apocalypse. They stick out, and don't really fit.

I'm also not crazy about the image of the guy with the bow. At that level of detail it takes a little while to realize what's happening in the image. It looks like a blob shooting an arrow.

The movement of the design has your eyes going to the right side of the image where there is nothing to look at. The lines in the bow and weight of the colors naturally draw your eyes away from all the information on the flyer.

Your goal in a design, particularly something like this, should be to not only attract the eyes of whomever will see it, but should be a showcase for the information.

I actually like everything in the lower left of the image. The typography and layout, but I have to force myself to look at it.

I think that ultimately the issue is the negative space surrounding the bow and the man. It is messy and disturbs the flow.

I just typed in "best flyer designs" on Google for these, but I just wanted examples of what I mean.

http://twistedsifter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/the-best-club-flyer-design-ever-by-propaganda.jpg

The lines created by the color contrast, and the shapes all bring your eyes to the information on the flyer.

http://designyoutrust.com/wp-content/uploads6/zaum_brown_cd_flyer_1.jpg

This one pulls your eyes straight to the web address.

http://thingsconnected.typepad.com/things_connected/images/2007/08/23/flyer2.jpg

That doesn't mean you have to put all your information right in the middle of the image either. The first thing you see here, is "cause for drinks" obviously, but the simple combination of the negative space at the bottom and the white lines underlining each of the large words pulls your eyes to the other information.

This is a lot longer than I intended. :o

I am a former design student, sorry. I hope I don't sound super negative either, like I said I like parts of it, it just doesn't flow like you should want it to.

[AntonThaGreat]

As long as were on the topic of flyers, I did this for a friend a little while back:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/AntTripz/boatparty_front.jpg

This is probably the only thing I've done in recent memory that wasn't commissioned; which is quite sad.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/AntTripz/inspiration.jpg

And some logos:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/AntTripz/Schenerman---Logo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/AntTripz/Fliers/Michael-Lupolver-Law---Logo.jpg

[KidCactus]

Two new logos I've made — the Inkfish one is for our label and the Sekt (Swedish spelling of sect) one is for our show on Proton Radio:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6750559/inkfish_logo_1000x1000.png

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6750559/sekt_poison_logo_1000x1000.png

[Thanasimos]

I really like the first one. The second one is nice, but I can't get past the shape of the flask; Erlenmeyer flasks typically have flat bottoms, because if you're going to put chemicals in something you probably prefer it doesn't fall over easily.

[KidCactus]

I really like the first one. The second one is nice, but I can't get past the shape of the flask; Erlenmeyer flasks typically have flat bottoms, because if you're going to put chemicals in something you probably prefer it doesn't fall over easily.
Thanks for the feedback, that's a very good point and I think I'll actually redo it to make the bottom flatter. :)

[KidCactus]

A revised version, less wobble clown:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6750559/sekt_poison_logo_flat_1000x1000.png

Again, thanks for pointing it out!

[KidCactus]

Knife, soup and BBQ sauce in the shower, and scissors vs. news paper = cover for an upcoming release on Beatport:

http://wearegamers.se/images/killing_laura_palmer.jpg

[Ink Asylum]

Nice. It'd be pretty cool if you could make the letters look like they were lying on the floor, too.

[KidCactus]

Nice. It'd be pretty cool if you could make the letters look like they were lying on the floor, too.
Yeah, it would have been, but the letters was an afterthought. :(

[Ink Asylum]

You could distort the angle of the text in Photoshop, using either the Distort or Perspective tools.

Also, if Inkfish is the name of the band, and Killing Laura Palmer is the title of the album, I'd recommend making that more clear in some way. A bit more separation between the lines, due to the uneven nature of the font, could be all it needs.

[KidCactus]

Thanks for the input, I think your ideas made it a lot better. :)

http://wearegamers.se/images/killing_laura_2.jpg

[Ink Asylum]

Loads better! That looks awesome. Well done!

[biosc1]

I have an urge to watch Twin Peaks now...

[KidCactus]

An iPhone 5 mockup I've made:

http://wearegamers.se/images/iphone5.jpg

http://wearegamers.se/images/iphone5-vit.jpg

[Serapth]

Semi relevent thread so I'll shill. I am currently tracking black Friday/Cyber Monday (http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2011/11/25/Wow-it%E2%80%99s-good-deal-time-if-you-are-an-artist!.aspx) deals of relevence to game developers and frankly most are for artists.



Of note, 60% off corel products
30% off Adobe products
60% off SmithMicro products like Manga and Anime Studio
Poser 9 on Amazon for 75% off

Oh and a screen capture thingy for PS3 and 360.

I love consumerism... :)

[KidCactus]

A PS3 I just made from scratch in Photoshop:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6447770665_f56bb70947_b.jpg

Mine's better than Sony's, it's got USB 3 ports. :cool:

[KidCactus]

Playing around with layer blending in Photoshop and made an abstract exploding supernova:

http://wearegamers.se/images/supernova.jpg

[nabokovfan87]

I need someone who can do some artwork to contact me ASAP. I am working on something for IGC 5 year anniv. Please email me if you are available. email: nabokovfan87@gmail.com

Thanks,
-nabokovfan87

[biosc1]

Strange question: I'm having a mental block today and can't for the life of me figure out how to make something like this without the hard edges/border. I just want to burn a hole in the canvas to have some text show through. Irregular shape, etc...I think my main problem is that I don't even know the term to search for (burn? dodge?)

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4293/15761128.png

[Spectre-7]

I've re-read that a few times now, and I'm not quite following what it is you're trying to do. Sorry. :(

[biosc1]

I've re-read that a few times now, and I'm not quite following what it is you're trying to do. Sorry. :(

Maybe that's my problem! ;)

Basically, I have a hard-edged logo that has an almost glowy inner ellipse where the logo will be, but it isn't a perfect ellipse...it's almost like an over-exposed photo.

I know it's something to do with masks, erasing parts that you want to shine through, etc...but I'm just brain-farting it so badly that I can't seem to get what I'm looking for.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8024/24719191.gif

[BrassGecko]

I know it's something to do with masks, erasing parts that you want to shine through, etc...but I'm just brain-farting it so badly that I can't seem to get what I'm looking for.

You're basically there, I think searching "layer masks" should give you what you want.

[biosc1]

This is why I usually pay people to do this sort of stuff ;)