Mark's New Logo

I'm going to write on this new logo I made mark and research for it trends style reasoning studies and more, but for tonight I simply must get some sleep. Here I've been trying to research a much larger audience, and collect more info.- I'm back and eager to share some of what I know.

I almost always start with the client and the audience when beginning a design. What sort of style does the client have and what are they selling to who, everyone is selling something even if it's not tangible items. If my client is conservative but their selling to a younger generation I appeal to the younger generation, if it's a conservative product I work with that. When ever your looking to promote any sort of service of products one should always try to get the concept of it's use across and getting idea across isn't always easy people don't want to be bothered with new or different, so it's a good idea to repeat it's use or value several times or in a way that is bold enough to catch the eye, your only given a few seconds of time to get you point across and ask the viewer to read into more on the subject. Some times I see signs that say the companies name and a generic logo like the liberty bell, without some sort of tag line this makes no sense to possible customers, you can do this if your walmart or target but I would suggest even supermarkets state their purpose, locals know strangers don't and even locals maybe more inclined to shopping when hungry if food is stated under the name on the sign, like impulse buying. Relevance is an ultra important aspect too, you wouldn't want a puppy dog to represent a big tough law firm maybe a bull dog but even that is unprofessional, you want to show corporate tough business very simple and dry is the best for this sort image text and slight graphics.

Research well if your reading this from youtube you already know I sometimes use my YT account as a survey group, hey it's free and gives a lot of data what better use for millions of home movies, lol. I suppose any sort of Internet site could work, but it needs to touch large amounts of people you aren't close to, YT posts on google and has alot of interaction between strangers it gets the word out better than owning your own site. So I always do some sort of research, I'll usually serf the web looking for images of say packaging that have similar products and are successful sellers, some artists look down on following trends and want total original work those artists are broke comforted only by their own lonely ideas. It works like this you can be totally original completely ahead of your time but if it's not what the market wants right now and what they are accustomed to seeing it won't sell. While I'm not saying to steal ideas or copyrighted materials, I often try to think about what I want the package to look like before seeing the other examples I'll sketch something out then look at the competition, then if I use something off their designs it's a style maybe I repeat gradients in my work if they have it in theirs or a style bold blocks of color to frame a picture or the current trends of swirls and blotches of splattered paint. While I was taught in school to think outside the box a term I find annoying, I find it far more challenging to think inside the box and keep up with the current trends, I came from a family of artists doing your own thing the abnormal thing was encouraged unless it was a normal thing, so I find it quite pleasing to create useful art that is appreciated and takes the contribution of more than my own ideas to create and is for more than just my own desires to express my feelings and thoughts, it's something for everyone. This is one subject I find that the videos of you tube often lose sight of the greater significance of the art form their trying to display, the social scene or volggers have very little purpose other than boosting their own ratings most don't even try to experiment to create any plots or better their own video production, I understand the passion of wanting to express one's thoughts and feelings, but it seems idle when there is no progression of talent or thought processes, when you do only for yourself your the only one your impressing.

So then we come to studies, in the art world the fine art world you see the artist drawling sketch after sketch of a hand to be incorporated into the final piece of art work that is of a full figure, this maybe confusing to anyone that's never painted. Studies are practice to learn any thing and do it right one needs not only the knowledge of how to draw but practice even masters have not mastered every inch just like one needs an image to work off of a model a photo, they also need to see some preliminary work, guide lines measurements perspective it's very challenging to take a 3d world and flatten it to 2d in a believable representation. When I'm illustrating I can't just open a computer screen and draw a believable face from start to finish, first off the control of a mouse is very different even my wacome tablet does not act in the same way a pencil or pen would work and I can produce several sketches that give rough outlines of layout in seconds with a pencil where a computer takes much longer to give the full concept of piece of work which brings me to brainstorming. I personally can't understand people that have only one idea at a time for any given problem, (unless it's political), I come up with several different solutions for any concept, while my focus may seem distracted this gives me so much more to choose from so that I can weed out the bad ideas which aren't always bad just not suitable for the need at hand. Throwing out unsuitable ideas or designs is very important in the learning process for example in my drawing classes I had many drawings that graded quite well, while a lesser artist (and I don't assume I'm the best) might hang something their proud of on the wall of their home, I throw out most of my work it's the practice I need not the work there are greater things to come if I work hard enough. I see from you tube a great many videos where people experiment and I do this myself to learn more if you watch my vids you'll see I've incorporated a new or different style effect concept or plot to each of my videos. This is for practice, I have tons of footage that I burn to disk and put away with no further use because it doesn't have a useful enough reason, I even have plenty of plots and stories I don't use because they aren't of enough value. It's good to get rid of the bad to use only the useful the quality of your work is admired when you show your best work, when showing the practice work most people can't understand it's value and it lessens your public image. Most of youtube is made up of studies practice work tests (whether people know that their testing the market or not), it's amateur hour but I rarely see progress or purpose special effects are fun and catch the attention of viewers but without a plot to explain what your doing some where else or why your flying or who or why your fighting with a light saber you've just tested the technical side of video. Video by far is one of the most complex mediums first the visual then sound lights plot music levels edits cuts timing purpose explaining with visuals a thousand pictures a minute a mood and more and it all needs to come together in a harmony that makes it look effortless it needs to evoke the thoughts and images that one experiences in everyday life, if I'm thinking of driving I look at my car keys if I'm scared of driving the keys can make me dizzy portrayed in the shaking of the camera or dark lighting or deep low music then the editor must decide which of those effects best explains the emotion without overdueing it so that the extreme special effects make it feel produced manufactured, in 2d the image can explain a lot more with a lot less work again one does not wish to over due with special effects designs should naturally make one feel or explain the concept without extreme BUY ME, BUY ME NOW this discourages smart shoppers but can sometimes sway the simple minded with heavy suggestibility properties.

Trends, My best advice is to sell out or buy in as I call it. While some people are jealous of those whom use their talents to make money, only those supported by someone else a rich daddy or a trust fund are able to master an art with no expectations of making money off it. Money is a great motivator and purpose or necessity is the mother of invention or creation. Buying in is not nearly as easy or as compromising as people make it out to be, marketing is key to any successful business, people insult musicians that change their style of music supposedly just for sales rock turns to pop etc. but when we consider that these bands are still in the music industry when so many other musicians who are too good to sell out are still working at fast food restaurants, we see that you need to market to your audience you may find a cult following that loves you but they don't pay your bills, so how ever much your cult loves you, they only really love what your image is what you represent, and bill collectors don't care who loves you.

So trends this word is autonomous with fashion and the fashion industry but it's apparent everywhere in the art world. In fine art an age is defined by the majority of artists style the impressionists the cubists the surrealist abstract, if you were to watch a movie from the 70's and all the actors had no defining dress or hair styles you could still see from the shots and the lighting the slower edits that it was from that era. Wonder Bread screams 50's so do certain fonts and simple designs. Furniture Architecture makeup and more all can be dated items. What helps trends and styles change faster then ever is our ever advancing technology, with every new button we can push we feel the need to test it until we're satified and board, over exposed to it. While leading the way is admirable and testing is important in Marketing too much originality is often unacceptably because it is different, change is uncomfortable to most people unless their is need small changes are acceptable big change causes fear in the unknown to the masses. Trends change quickly so depending on the speed of your field I suggest you research often to keep up.

Your probably thinking at what point did I talk about Mark's new logo, well I explained my process in how and what I study or research to come up with usable ideas in Mark's case I looked at other you tubers and what younger hip males like to see. I explained the useful nature of practice in design some of the design which I purchased to save time, some I came up with myself, all of which states in a visual way his purpose or the public image he needs to show in his case I'm selling a personality and teaching video the images included in the logo say this. I also followed a trend which is popular right now and speaks to young people. The Logo is probably the most important image to tell your audience that you are a real company and what your message is,logos identify who or what your about they are repeated as often as possible and when marketed properly can speak more about the company then words can.