For my Logo Project I decided to create a logo for my fashion blog to be used as a personal brand logo if I were a fashion influencer. This logo is designed to be used throughout my blog, as an icon at the end of emails for inquiries, as an Instagram profile photo, etc. to create a recognizable brand to my name.
Before beginning on my actual design I did some research by looking at other logos used for similar blogging purposes. A very popular blogger from my hometown named “Spokane Eats” really sparked my interest and inspired me. Her logo includes an ‘S’ and ‘E’ standing for “Spokane Eats” inside an outline of Washington. I liked the simplicity of the design but also how recognizable it was.
After reading the readings assigned for this unit I learned about Figure-Ground and how effectively using negative space can add depth to the meaning of the image. I realized this was an element “Spokane Eats” logo used very effectively. I wanted my logo to also demonstrate this element.
Since my blog is a fashion-based blog I wanted to incorporate something symbolic and recognizable to this overall theme. I have always been inspired by fashion sketches of models designers use to get the overall idea of a piece they are creating. The sketches are typically of figures with long, lean, and very thin body structures that look like they’re strutting down the runway. I felt these illustrations were very symbolic to fashion and would be a great aspect to incorporate into my design that could make my logo and overall brand easily recognizable as a fashion based brand.
The ‘S’ and ‘E’ initials in the “Spokane Eats” sparked the idea of using my own initials in the overall design. Since the purpose of this logo would be for my own personal brand as a blogger I thought using my own initials would be fitting.
With these two design concepts in mind I began to draft a design creation with pencil and paper. Since the fashion figure illustrations are typically very thin I began experimenting incorporating the figure into one of the letters of the ‘K’ or ‘B’ of my initials. I decided I liked the figure on the left of the ‘K’. Placing the illustration in this location I felt balanced the design and seemed to flow well in a pleasing and appealing way.
After coming up with an overall idea of the basic shape of my design I began actually using Adobe Illustrator to construct the design. At first I had absolutely no idea where to begin to construct a basic shape of long, lean body structure. However, I had remembered using the anchor points tools with basic rectangular shapes and lines to create curved shapes. With the creation of the fashion model sketch I basically just used the shape/line tool and altered the straight lines into curves using the anchor point tool to create an overall body shape.
At first using the anchor point tool was a bit of a challenge for me to get the curves in the particular shape I was hoping for. After a lot of trial and error I became pretty quick using the tool. I learned to not have too many points in one area or you would end up with odd curves that seemed to go every which way.
Once I had the overall model figure constructed I began constructing the shape of my initials. I used two lines to create the “legs” of the ‘K’. I wanted these lines to have a thick stroke line to match the overall thickness of the ‘B’ that would follow. Next I found a pretty basic font and placed the ‘B’ next to the constructed ‘K’ to read ‘KB’. Overall I was very pleased with how the structure of the design looked.
I decided I wanted the model figure’s dress to be a pop of color with a gradient of pink and orange. I then used these same colors on the legs of the ‘K’ and the ‘B’ to create unity within the logo. These colors I felt represented the overall fun and flirty theme of my blog aesthetic and my own personal style if I were to actually be a fashion influencer.
Overall I am pleased with the rough draft of my design. I’m looking forward to getting feedback from my peers and TA on areas I can truly perfect my logo!
Citations:
Inspiration for my design from the logo of “Spokane Eats” blog:
Kelsey Byus 
Hi Kelsey! I really really enjoy this design. I love that it’s simple, but not too simple whereas the viewer can’t determine the message. I think you did a great job creating the figure, and that it fits well into the ‘K’ you created. The colors work well, especially with the color scheme you already have going on your blog. Also, as you mentioned, I think that the negative space does a lot for your logo, keeping that simple aspect in place. I like the gradient you used in the dress, and I’m not sure if you already experimented and didn’t like the way it looked, but maybe changing the part of the ‘K’ that isn’t the figure to a solid orange from the gradient would sharpen the concept a little more. Overall, I think you did a great job with this logo, and I don’t really think much needs to change. Good job 🙂
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This logo is very clean and really represents what your topic is about well. The colors that you used for the dress has a gradient that matches the K and B, which was really beneficial towards the overall design since it adds balance. One thing that I would maybe change about the design is I would try to somehow outline the woman in the dress with the other half of the K. The reason I think this would help is because it would make it easier to tell that the Woman and the rest of the K is actually a K. Another thing that could make the logo look better is to flatten the whole design. This change would center the whole logo better with the background, and I think it could look a little more professional. But with that being said, the colors you used, the simplicity, the detail, and the balance all added up to make this logo very good.
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Overall I am very proud of my logo draft. I was a little nervous to use Illustrator because it is an adobe program I have never had experience with. I also struggled a little with the tutorials, so when it came time to create a logo on my own I was a little apprehensive. However, once I began getting started on my project and brainstorming ideas I ended up really enjoying the design process of Illustrator. I wanted my logo to be simple yet able to communicate my topic in a creative way. I think using the model fashion figure was a great use of space both as a design element and as an effective way to convey my topic. After reading my peer critiques I plan on changing the colors throughout my design. I want to make the legs on the ‘K’ a solid orange color to make them stand out a bit more. I also am going to experiment in making the model figure’s outline the same orange as the legs of the ‘K’. One of my peers suggested doing this and it is definitely something I am willing to try!
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Hi Kelsey,
To begin with, I really like your draft. I think the colors are very soft and pleasing. I also like the idea of incorporating an outline of a person into the ‘K.’ However, I think the proportions of the figure are a little bit wonky. I think this can be fixed by widening the head a little on the sides and making the arms a little longer and possibly a bit thicker to match the height and width of the shoulders. I also think possibly taking the gradient out of the dress and the legs of the ‘K’ would help the viewer’s eye make the connection between the figure and the ‘K’ a little bit easier. I think this color adjustment would also make a little more of a statement. Overall, I love the concept and the idea. I think it’s really smart, simple, and effective.
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