A logo is a symbol that represents a brand, and it is one of the main things people think of when they think about a brand. Logos are useful compared to other branding because they are a symbol of the company and they are everywhere when representing a company. A good logo should be appropriate, distinctive and simple; I have put some examples of logos which fit this criteria below.

Primary VS Secondary Research

Primary resarch is the direct collection of original data from a source, whereas secondary research is the analysis of pre-existing data from previous sources. For example primary research could be done from your own survey, and secondary research would be using websites to find information.

Software Comparison

Adobe Illustrator VS Adobe Photoshop

The main difference between Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop is that Photoshop is a "raster-based" editing app, which uses pixels to create images, whereas Illustrator uses "vectors", which use mathematical equations to create images. With pixels, there is a limited amount you can zoom in before you see individual pixels, however with vectors you can zoom in however far you want and the lines will still be crisp. To save a final form of a raster image from Photoshop, it must be saved as JPG or PNG. On the other hand, a vector from Illustrator must be exported as SVG. You can however export a vector as JPG or PNG, but it will change to a raster image. I personally prefer Adobe Illustrator as I find it easier to use to design things like logos. I think Illustrator has more tools and therefore more freedom to draw/create anything. I think Photoshop is better for editing pre-existing images, whereas Illustrator is good for creating them from scratch.

Logo Feedback

We gave each other constructive criticism on our logos and animations. I had mine evaluated by 2 people, and this is the feedback they gave me:

Person 1: "I like the animation, especially the y axis spin. I think that it would've been interesting to see different layers so the different parts of the logo were animated. I like the simplicity of your logo as it is not so simple it doesn't stand out but it also isn't too complex."

Person 2: "I like your logo and the fact that it is easily recognisable in monochrome. If it were my logo I would add some colour to make it a little more interesting. in the animation, and I would consider enlarging it with the transform tool to make it easier to see. If you drag and right click over the keyframes of your animation there is an option called easy-ease - I used this feature to smooth out the animation for mine and I recommend you experiment with it as it could make your movement feel more natural."

I agree with Person 1's constructive criticism, as I would've liked to animate different layers of my logo separately, but I didn't know how to do this when I animated it.

I found Person 2's constructive criticism very helpful as they gave me tips on how to improve my animation. This is really helpful because next time I will know how to make smoother and better animations. 

Unit 2 Evaluation

For Unit 2, our aim was to design and animate a logo representative of ourselves to use for our promo video in Unit 1. The Unit included research, planning, designing and animation, with the use of Adobe software Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects.

To begin, I researched what makes a good logo, and I learned about the design principles – simple, distinctive and appropriate. After, I found some famous logos that I think covered all 3 design principles, and I wrote up on why I like them and why they are each an effective logo. After I had done sufficient research, we were assigned a task to create a short survey about logos, which was successful as I was able to come up with relevant and helpful questions. Next, I started to think about how I would design my own logo, and I initially aimed to include my initials and interests. I also wanted it to be monochrome and to follow the design principles. Before I could design my logo, I needed experience in Adobe software, so I practised creating shapes with the tools in both Illustrator and Photoshop, and I got the hang of it pretty quickly, but I decided that Illustrator would be better to use for this task. After this, I had a go on Illustrator at converting an image from a bitmap into a vector to turn it into a logo. I downloaded an image of a fox and cropped it to be just the head, and then I turned it into a silhouette and added my initials over it. This was my first go at trying to design a logo in Illustrator, and I would say it was successful, although it took me a while to fully understand. To develop my website, I did a short write up on a comparison between Illustrator and Photoshop. I wrote about which I preferred and why, and also how they work. Finally, I was ready to begin designing my logo. The first design I came up with I didn’t like because of how uneven the letters in the centre are. I also wanted it to be more representative of me. However, I like the gradient of blues in the elipse, and I like the idea of the letters – it is quite clever as it merges all my initials into one design. In my opinion the idea was good but it didn’t go so well when I put it into practice. For my next logo design, I liked it a little more than the first however I wasn’t fully satisfied with it. It consisted of 3 elipses layered on top of each other and the letter “M” in the centre, with a star on top of the letter. This design represented me a bit more than the first because I like stars, but it didn’t go that well because I was unsure how to get the lines to be equal width. My third logo design was my favourite. It fits the design principles and I really like it because it’s unique and there’s lots to look at without it being too complex at the same time. It consists of 2 different sized circles overlaying each other, with a section of the bigger circle black and my initials along the top of the black section. The smaller circle has 2 swirls surrounding it, which I think is pleasing to look at and interesting. I didn’t manage to include something representative of my interests, however I am pleased with the way it turned out. The next step was to animate my logo in Adobe After Effects, which I managed to get the hang of quite quickly. I animated my logo to come down from the top of the screen into the centre, followed by a spin on the y-axis alongside a scale enlargement, finished by a fadeout. I animated it to come down from the top and fadeout at the end for a smooth transition on and off screen when I put it on my promo video. I think this was successful because it showcases my logo as I wanted it to while being quick and efficient. If I was to animate it again, I would animate the 2 circles separately and have them join together in the centre of the screen. This would demonstrate more developed skills in After Effects and make the animation more complex.

Overall, I think the unit went well, as I think I completed everything to a good standard. I worked through the tasks efficiently and learned a lot about Adobe Software and logos in the media. I am pleased with the outcome of this Unit, and my website is developing along with my skills. A challenge I faced is the lack of experience in the software at the beginning of the Unit; however I picked up the basics quickly and my knowledge is continuously growing. Next time I think I would plan my logo a little bit more before I experiment in designing it, as it would mean I come out with a successful design sooner.