The Making of a Quilters Logo PART III

So, I got a lovely email from Chrissie and Roger with some comments and ideas about the logo and the changes they would like to see.


I liked what they had to say.  It would be cool to have the fabric color in the log cabin patch be patterned like cloth.... but I don't have the fabric to scan and it would take me an incredible amount of time to add art to each of the colors.  Then, when the logo is reduced for business cards the image would get muddy. They also wanted the 'blocks' larger and some of them reversed. They noted that the quilt inside of the 'Q' looked more like a plaid... they were right.


Therefore I opted to give it more of a 'heavy' texture in Photoshop.  That will disappear too.. but it will look very cool in the poster.


I also took it upon myself to give the 'Q' more height....in hindsight I saw that the sketch had a taller letter. I think this will be good and allow room for the sepia-toned covered wagon that will go in the center. Then later after the show is cast we will have the actor's images inserted for the rest of the collateral that will be passed around.


So, here is the first one with the lighter cloth-like 'texture'.  The Q still needs some tweaking... later.

We'll see what they have to say.... I am kind of fond of the changes they made.


The color of the thread will be the main text color... Either Teal, dark brown and/or deep red.
The second logo shown below is with the thicker texture.  The only problem with these 'textures' is that they get really muddy when reduced.


That said, I can always use the logo withOUT texture. That would be successful when the work calls for a major reduction in size.  So, for now, I am building it for the poster....




Okay, another 4 hours gone.


Again, 'nuff for today.

The Making of a Quilters Logo PART II

Part II

So I took a day off yesterday, finished some beading and then went to the movies with a dear artist friend and saw the chick flick "Letters to Juliette"... the scenery was fantastic. Liked the movie - tho the ending was a bit corny.  Makes one want to run, not walk, over to Tuscany and see the sights, drink the wine, taste the cheese and look at all the pretty young men.  She came over to my cottage and we had wine and dinner and talked girl talk and yapped  about the differences between men and women and if we even wanted to have the angst, heartache, exhilaration and joy of dating again.... but, hey, that is another blog.

This morning I got rejuvenated with my exercise program and decided to jump right back into the designing of the logo for my dear friend and director of the show, Chrissie Addison.  She and her artist husband, Roger Filippelli, worked out a sketch of what they wanted and, with some input by me, we came up with a general outline for the poster, business cards and all around collateral for the musical QUILTERS. 

I know, I know the show isn't starting until the Winter of 2011, but publicity has already been flowing into the media. We need fliers for audition notices, business cards for the staff and actors, hand-outs for the actors to share with the production dates and most importantly the posters to hang in businesses prior to and during the show.

So you can see by the sketch we have a great idea forming. Then they said for me to go forth and create.  How cool is that?

....But have the logo done by the first of June.  Well, that's not happening.  I do have a pretty good start on it and should have it done by the 8th. Who knows, if she likes it ... then it is done... the logo that is.

In the PART I blog I wrote about how I searched online and found the Log Cabin quilt pattern and incorporated Chrissie's colors she chose. Today was a loooooong process of finding the right Q font to use, change it, arrange the log cabin blocks, add the needle and thread and then go into Photoshop and fill the Q with the 'Log Cabin quilt'.  The following image is of the InDesign work that I did.

The next image is what I have come up with so far. I sure hope she likes it... Lots of time and work.  Everyone thinks that graphics are easy with Photoshopping and all. But, it DOES take time.The cmyk info is on the page and on all the paint chips from the store.  I need to always have the color formulas down pat. I did the same with the Log Cabin block too. Those hues were blended by me to match the color scheme of Chrissie's. All the main text in the work will be in the burgundy color of the thread.

Okay, 'nuff for today.

The Making of a Quilters Logo PART I

About a month or so ago, a dear friend asked me to work on her production for 2011. Not as an actor (drat) but as the graphic artist to create the collateral for the show.

Anything to be part of a musical production.

Quilters is a lovely musical about a woman, her girls and how they survived and lived on the prairie during the opening up of America. It has the different quilt patches brought out by each one as they sing and talk of they life they are living. At the end of the show a large quilt is raised and it is comprised of all the 'life' patches of the family.

Our community is very involved. The quilting guilds are donating fabric some of which is really old material... some of the cloth is from the actual era that the show is portraying. Others will be making the quilts for the actors to use.  It is an exciting production to be involved with, even though it is only as a graphic artist.  Sigh.

Okay. If I can stay on top of this blog series I will be taking you through the process of getting a logo made, the poster started, the business cards created and then fliers or postcards to be handed out by the actors, crew and production staff.... should be interesting.

We met a while ago and they gave me their inspiration for the collateral that I will be creating. I was delighted that they gave me some creative license.  I asked for:

• 
  
  Deadlines
• 
  
  Color choices for the logo and poster background
• 
  
  How many items are to be produced by me
• 
  
  What quilt pattern was to be the background for the logo

I had a sweet packed of color swatches from The Home Depot delivered to me and today I started.  They chose the log cabin pattern and I googled and binged until I found a free pdf outline of the log cabin design. I placed it into Photoshop and did my best to eye up the colors that the director chose.  As you see above.

Now on to InDesign to work on the next step.....