Typophile

Process of new logo, Blackletter

j_polo9

New Logo!:

update: swashes?...

I am creating a new logo for my company, Norcal designs (www.norcaldesigns.com), and decided to post my work from concept to finish up here for helpful advice and critiques. NorCal Designs is a graphic design company and I create any kind of corporate collateral (business cards, letter heads, company logo work, etc.) but I specialize in website design & creation for small businesses.

This is the first piece of concept work for my new logo based on Emigre’s Sabbath Black. I am not sure on the look and feel that I want to achieve yet so hopefully it will develop along the way.

Below is my sketched out version of the lettering as well as the traced paths in illustrator (which took forever) and the result. At the very bottom is Emigre’s Sabbath Black to show you my starting point.

I am looking for ideas on where to take this, interesting blackletter variations I can try adding, any ideas on improvement. It is very unfinished both in the concept and lettering. for now...

‹ Logotype for a media firm using custom type Desperately need help with type ›
rlynch

Can you give background on what you (or your company) do? It’s difficult to critique it without understanding its purpose. What is it supposed to represent?

Ross

Lex Kominek

Is this a motorcycle or tattoo shop? If not, then I’d rethink the logo.

Some letters are too thick (’N’) and some are too thin (’r’). Why is the ’i’ so ornate and composed of two strokes? The ’g’ is hard to read, but that could be caused by the crazy ’i’.

- Lex

EDIT: Also the ’l’ needs at least a bit of an ascender. It looks more like an ’i’ than your ’i’ does.

j_polo9

Blackletter does have the stigma of gang affiliation, I wonder if there are any interesting uses of blackletter that do not portray motorcycle or tattoo shops at all. Any ideas?

I will switch the I back to lowercase and even out the strokes. I am still researching different blackletter ideas for the next version.

Thanks!

j_polo9

Round 2... I have been looking and sketching for the past few days and came up with a new design mostly based on Tex and Blackswirl and Black Sabbath:

I was much happier with the sketch than with my illustrator version but I cannot figure out why exactly. I will be tweaking the illustrator version but I would love advice on how I can improve on this!

Thanks!
-Jesse

j_polo9

bit of an update, edited & cleaned up some letters, also I wanted to see what it is like with less swashes:

I don’t think i dislike the swashes i just think i need to refine them (a lot) until they look the way i want. What do you think?

j_polo9

Captured from web.archive.org on 11 Oct 2008. view this capture