History of the logo
Iteration 1
Designers always show their final work and none of their iterations. Iterations reveal how the final result came from a simple sketch or experimentation. In my case, this came from a picture of myself holding a skull, whilst wearing a dressing gown to simulate the texture of robes. The figure represents Thanatos at work painting a pig skull.
Iteration 2
A key stage in designing is experimentation. I tried out many different ways of creating a logo, of which having fun is an important part.
Iteration 3
I added a window for dramatic effect, though there is a fine line between the right level of detail and overwhelming the eye.
Iteration 4
This would make a cool poster, though as a logo design there is too much going on.
Iteration 5
I have a photographer friend, Bruce Hunter (@_aiffnl_), who told me that monochrome is better at picking up depth and changes in light. A monochromatic logo can be great, although in this world of colour, it would be lost amongst the bright signs.
Iteration 6
Gradients are a wonderful thing. They can be subtle or extreme like this one. One of my favourite things about designing is the ability to go crazy with weird gradients. The 'Handpainted Skulls Real Bones' is about my hobby of painting skulls.
Iteration 7
This is the poster I submitted for my A Level. I didn't look at it again until I was at university, and like when you look back at your past work and realise just how bad or boring it looks, I felt that it was dull. 'Thanatos & Co' was too static and hardly attention-grabbing. Thus, I chose to redo it.
Where to start...
The figure of Thanatos wouldn't fit in a small print area, so I removed him.
Iteration 8
Time to go analogue. I appreciate doing work by hand, especially when you've sat at a computer all day and you're all stiff. I was working on a university project about typography, which involved looking at graffiti-style writing. The characters at the bottom of the image were created spontaneously with quick strokes of my brush pen.
Iteration 9
Having changed the letterforms with graffiti-inspired tails and extensions, it brought more energy to the logo. I still felt that it was boring though... and how to explain the presence of the symbols which I had no reason to include...?
Iteration 10
An important thing I learned while on my graphic design course: authenticity is not about making something entirely new from scratch, but making and breaking what we already have to create something new. I applied this learning, quite literally, by breaking up my favourite of the symbols and making a hybrid.
Iteration 11
Here we are, the culmination of the design process. The colours and 3D element are inspired by the 80s as I like the graphics of that era. The films and music too, for which era can boast both Terminator and A-ha's Take on me, of which the music video appeals to me as a graphics student? I hope you enjoyed this explanation of my design process. Many people believe designing is purely computer-based. In fact, it's a large jump between paper and screen. Sometimes designers go back to paper, then jump back to the screen with fresh inspiration.