Newbie looking for a lot of help, Web page logo's

[gaz9012]

Hey there people. have just stummbled upon this fantastic magical free place. Just what i need as am unemployed

 

I'm just about to embark on an e-commerce journy with absolutly no idea with what i am doing!! gulp.  I'm hopinh that all the lovely people in the world we help me out, big hugs to you all.

 

so... i know what i want to sell, yippeee, i know wherei am going to be hosting my website, double yippeee, i've no idea what payment process to use, but thats a different story.  What i would really love is for someone to helpme through my idea of my logo for my soon to be website.  I have done a little reading and looking about on the forum and i've just fried my brain. The DPI and resolution tut was a very good read and found it most helpfull.

 

so lovely people, anyone out there willing to give me a hand???

i've download and installed the latest Paint.net and nothing else, no addons what so ever yet.  I'm running windows 7 with all the latest updates on a tiny little samsung nc110 netbook. have no idea if you need to know this or not, but its out there now.

 

looking forward to chatting with you all.

keep smiling and the world weill be a happyer place

 

Gaz

[gaz9012]

thanks for the quick reply,

 

i'm still trying to find websites that grab my attention with there logo's

My business is dealing with ethical products, so it has to have a hippy feel to it, but also stay proffesional because i need to attract the so called middle class people who have the cash to make a choice about what they are buying raher than going for the chepaest option.

The wholesalers that i will be using have very very basic txt on there web sites, i was just hoping to be a lot more pro and as i have the time right now as i'm still not trading yet. 

i've been using a online logo thingy, and have come up with a few ideas, one being my name that is set under a group of people holding hands next to a tree, sounds odd, i know but it looks kind of cool. think "fair trade"

i was thinking of laying my name over a rainbow and cuting it out so the colours run through my name, if you get my meaning lol

 

Edit,

as i'm sitting hear reading and playing with stuff i've stummbled a little with what i am trying to do.

i've managed to import a image as my background, its very colourful.  so now, what i want to do is layer over some txt that is transparant with an edge, so i can see the colours through it, after that i want to cut/deleat the background so i am left with the colours from it filling the txt.

 

any help or guildence would be gratefull

Edited December 11, 2013 by gaz9012

[JulioCoolio]

Sounds like a pretty interesting project you've got on your hands! If you could post a picture or image of your idea we could probably help you out a bit better. I do like the idea you have of the text being transparent enough for the colors to bleed through!

[gaz9012]

Hi thanks,

well as i've been going through the site i have managed to do the txt using the alpha mask effect. am very pleased with the outcome, it looks cool, but now i am unsure if its a bit to flash for a ethical/eco/green website.  all the sites i have been looking at seem to go for more of an natural feel.

as for having a pic to post, have nothing at the mo, just whats in my head lol.

 

i'm still liking the idea of a small stick family holding hands standing next to a tree. the other logo thing i was using has it, i'll see if i can download and post it here to give you guys a better look.

 

first tim ein doing this, so please say if i done it wrong

 

Edited December 11, 2013 by gaz9012

[david.atwell]

Well, as a web developer by trade, I have to suggest a couple of things:

 

1. That you take a look online at some good resources like this or this before embarking on the process.  I think you've got the germ of a good idea here, but execution is a killer; the logo you've got is super complex and not very resizable, both of which are bad things in the long run.  Also, consider potential applications: since it's so wide, this logo would not go well on a social media page (most of which require square logos), for instance.

 

2. Paint.NET is probably not your best bet for logo design.  For a free program, I'd recommend Inkscape.  Logos should almost always be done in vector format for simplicity's sake.

 

Hope this helps.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

.... however if you continue to use the best free image editor then I advise you to WORK LARGE.  Really large.

 

Let's say you want your logo to be the size of a 6" x 4" photograph when printed at high quality (300DPI).  In order to do this your starting canvas should be 6" x 300 DPI = 1800 pixels by 4" x 300DPI = 1200 pixels.  

 

You can always downsize for smaller versions (business cards, letterheads, etc...,) 

 

Keep one perfect master copy in PDN format at full size in case you need to edit the logo at a later stage.

[gaz9012]

Thank you both for your comments. its nice to hear a web developer (by trade) thinks i have a good idea. my e-commerce site is only going to be a back up as i will also be doing markets all week, and its thoses customers that i am hoping will visit my web page.  the pic i uploaded isn't my design, it is a standard pic from a logo maker. its something that just caught my eye and i liked it. 

 

thats as big as it comes, i cant see any reason why i would need a bigger one for a later date, as it something that is only going to go on a web page, business cards and headed paper. i wont be getting my van sign written or having huge banners made up for the markets, but i do hear what your saying about having a square one for social media, but am sure i can do that on here.

 

my company name will go under my logo and only extends a small way past the length of it, with a small sub heading under that.

 

i've found a font i like, "bombing" but its not full, so i cant use the alpha mask on it to get the effect i want.

 

is there anyway i can fill the letters, so that when i alpha mask it i dont just get the letter outline?

 

also, the canvas size i am using at the moment is 800 by 300. from what you say this is far to small. my company name is only 6 letters long, do i really need to make it with a larger canvas? or is the larger canvas only for my logo?

 

i do need a little help with understanding sizes regarding websites. my wholesalers websites logos are not as big as the one in my post so i am guessing i will be shrinking it down when i comes to making my header

[Ego Eram Reputo]

also, the canvas size i am using at the moment is 800 by 300. from what you say this is far to small. my company name is only 6 letters long, do i really need to make it with a larger canvas? or is the larger canvas only for my logo?

 

i do need a little help with understanding sizes regarding websites. my wholesalers websites logos are not as big as the one in my post so i am guessing i will be shrinking it down when i comes to making my header

 

Always work larger then downsize by an even multiple of 2 (1/2, 1/4, 1/8 size).  That way you get the clearest image following the resize.  Making images smaller is infinitely easier than trying to enlarge an image and dealing with the jagged edges that result.  For e.g. enlarge your 800 x 300 canvas by 400% .  Yucky, yes?

 

My general process for website images:  

 

1. Make the image 2x or 4x larger than that desired for the final image.  

 

2. Save it as a PDN image (vs. re-editing).  Put the word "Master" in the file name so you can ID it easily

 

3. Resize the image to your final dimensions.  Remember to use an even multiple of 2 as the reduction factor.

 

4. If the image is slightly blurry following the resize, try using Effect > Photo > Sharpen with a value of 1 to sharpen it up again.

 

5. Use Save As... to save it to a different  file name and format.  If you're trying to optimize the file size for minimum size (always a good idea) then try using the OptiPNG plugin to squish it further than the standard PNG format.

[gaz9012]

Thanks, i have read a lot on here about working large so i do understand why. i just personnaly dont think it is something i need to worry to much about considering the logo i might be using and my text.  i can understand using it a lot more if i was to have a lot more detail on my logo. thanks for replying though, much appreciated.

 

am still a little stuck with the font i want to use? any ideas? or should i start anouther thread reharding that?

[Ego Eram Reputo]

That's a design issue. You want a font that is the same flavor as your business.

Use something with a freehand look for a less formal look.

Use a serif font to exude security and authority (like a bank).

San-Serif if you want a clean crisp look (BoltBait quite likes Verdana).

I'd argue that the font you use on your website should gel nicely with your logo and vice versa. So bear this in mind when deciding.

You can read extensively on the subject of typography here: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/typography/

[gaz9012]

I really appreciate your advice on the font i should be using.  i had a looking at a few and thought that "San-Serif statment shadow" worked well, as the third letter is slightly raised higher than the others. your thoughts on this a welcome.

 

what i was thinking, i'd like a diaganol green crayon effect on the font, as if a kid had coloured it in. do you think this would work, and if so can i do that with this program.  i've been trying to find a image that i could upload to work from, but all i can find are copywritting/watermarked with a low resolution.

 

i'll add the two fonts i like and see what you all thin

 

 

Edited December 12, 2013 by gaz9012

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I like the shape of the second one. The non-uniform letters give it a comic/fun/relaxed style. The other fonts are rigid by comparison.

Personally I dislike the rainbow coloring. It's too busy. I'd pick just a couple of colors - perhaps the Z in a disparate color to make it stand out from the rest and make it a shade larger than the other letters.

(All this is just my opinion of course. You're the designer & owner I recently closed my web design business - so perhaps my ideas are not very popular )

[gaz9012]

Again i thank you for your comments. dispite you folding your company, i like to listen to everyone and anyone and take it on board.  i want people to give me there thoughts and critasisums, unless its about my spelling lo

 

i've just started a post in the gallery section showing what i've come up with for part of my logo/name.  just so you know, the company isn't called GAZYOU,  but the first three letters are GAZ followed by three other letters, i dont have the domin name yet so being a little secret squirel about it lol

 

the problem i have with that font, is i dont know how to fill it, as its just an outlone font. i think you said previously that the font was a design issue as i did comment about it earlyer in my post.

 

also, how would i make the Z just slightly bigger, if i try and do it when typing it out it makes everything bigger.

 

thanks for your help.  once my business is up and running, i wont forget about this place £$£$

[JulioCoolio]

(All this is just my opinion of course. You're the designer & owner I recently closed my web design business - so perhaps my ideas are not very popular )

 

I think anyone's ideas are great EER, especially since you owned a web design business so you know a lot and can teach us all a lot of cool stuff I'll bet!  

 

With making the Z slightly bigger, I would add a new layer, and put the letter Z in that new layer in a slightly bigger font.

Edited December 12, 2013 by JulioCoolio

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I mostly use www.daFont.com to find new fonts.  Once loaded into your system they become usable from inside Paint.NET just like any other font.

 

Use the TEXT tool to control the size - and as JulioCoolio said - place the larger letter on it's own layer.

 

As the font letters are hollow you should be able to fill them with the Paint Bucket

[gaz9012]

Happy New Year to everyone,

 

after a nice little holiday i am back. Am looking forward to getting my head into my logo again.

 

I feel that i need to start all over again though, i cant remember a single thing from where i left of, i cant even find the tut's thati used before, sooo frustrating.  looks likei need to do all that reading again, i think book marking the tuts this time may be a good idea lol.

 

looking forward to sharing my work and getting feedback again
 

[gaz9012]

Hi people, just want to say sorry for my double post, just wasn't thinking, wont happen again guys and gals.

I've been playing about again and am hoping for some feed back on colors i am using

 

http://s260.photobucket.com/user/gaz9012/media/gaznik4.jpg.html

 

http://s260.photobucket.com/user/gaz9012/media/gaznik3.jpg.html

 

http://s260.photobucket.com/user/gaz9012/media/gaznik2.jpg.html

 

http://s260.photobucket.com/user/gaz9012/media/gaznik1.jpg.html

 

http://s260.photobucket.com/user/gaz9012/media/gaznik.jpg.html

Edited January 9, 2014 by pdnnoob
Please keep your images under the size limit (800 pixels in either direction)

[david.atwell]

gaz9012,

 

I think this is actually starting to skew better toward an Image Hospital question.  Post your images and your question here for some better feedback; this forum is really more for technical questions about the program.

 

I'll lock this thread for now.  Good luck!