My logo has gone through many drafts, many critiques, and many changes. When looking back at my original sketch, this logo kept none of the original idea that I had had. My intentions were to only use my initials and include symbolic references to my series, but upon trying to design my sketch in Illustrator I realized how cartoon it turned out to be. I wanted a logo for my blog was kept the same black and white, elegant, simplistic aesthetic, and my first attempt did not embody that. So, after brainstorming new ways to visualize the image that I want my site to have, I came up with another design that was more simple than the first, but was a much better reflection of my writing.

One critique that I knew I had to fix prior to beginning to analyze my first draft was the sizing of the artwork. In the first draft my logo was disproportionally small compared to the remainder of the whitespace on the page, so I used Photoshop to crop the frame down to size in order to make my logo larger and more easy to see. Without the additional white space, as well, the logo is made the focus of the image and is not hidden by the distraction of blank space.

Additionally, it was suggested that I add more texture to the quill in order to make it closer resemble the object it is representing. So, I increased the thickness of the outer lines to a 2-point thickness while keeping the center line as 1, and added smaller .25 ledgers to add detail and feel to the feathered portion of the pen. Also, I slimmed the black-and-white gradient underneath of my name to take up less space and, likewise, less attention in order to have it achieve a more subtle position. By doing this, the curves lines that transition the color from white to black became more smoother and, therefore, made the logo in its entirety appear more clean-cut and crisp.

I like my logo because it reflects myself as an author. It is simplistic, yet includes the most subtle details that provide underlying details. It also reflects the theme that I’ve set for my books and, likewise, my blog: elegance and serenity, accomplished by using soft greys that darken into black. It blends in well with the theme of the blog, both aesthetically and ideologically, and has come a long way since the first original sketch. This process resembled the process of writing a book: the idea, the draft, the change, all until a final point is reached. After working on draft after draft for my logo, I am happy with the final product.

When I drew the sketch for the first idea of what my logo would look like, it was not was is featured above. On the paper I made two block letters, an “L” and an “M”- my pen name initials- bold in both color and line. Behind the “L” I drew an opened book, and over the “M” I drew a crown. Both are items that symbolize the topic of my blog and the plot of my book, but when I tried to re-create the logo using Illustrator none of it was representative of the vision that I have for this site or for the series. The pink was too bold and the brick lettering contrasted with the aesthetic of the grey and white theme. The book and the crown, while symbolic, looked too cartoon. While I imagined that the logo would look decent as a first draft on paper, on screen I was mistaken.

I wanted my logo to be simple and to the point as a visual that would be easy to identify, yet not be distracting. My first attempt accomplished the opposite of this. So after researching and brainstorming what elements visually represent writing, I began to start from scratch and work to create a new design the opposite of what I began with.

The effect was the logo above which, while not perfect and still has room for improvement, is a better fit for the elegant and classical theme that the aesthetic of my page strives for. While I first thought I wanted something that would pop, the better option became the one that opted to blend in. My logo is simplistic: my name, a quill, and a decorative color scheme underneath to highlight my black and white pattern.

I began by using the “Type on Path” tool on Illustrator to write my name. Then, using the pen tool, I drew the line that serves as the stem of my quill. The curve tool helped me to outline the feathered portion, and again was used, along with the fill tool, to create the obre effect underneath.

Overall, this logo draft is a much better representation of the image that I want my series to have. It captures the theme of my site through the quill, a symbol of writing, while identifying myself in written text.

For my logo I wanted a design that was simple but encompasses symbols that represent my novel: the pages of a book and the symbolic crown that plays a major role in the plot of the series.

While studying how to create and design using Photoshop this week in My Story on the Web, our assignment was to use three distinct images to create a graphic collage that told a story about a specific topic. Being that my site is focused on the up-to-date happenings of my books, I found it only fitting to return to the early days of Into the Pages to give a glimpse into the world of Enephelysia as I see it to be- both as a print as how it came to be.

For this assignment, I used three images that I believe tell the story of publishing my first book. While these images are all vastly different, they all combine to illustrate what I envision when I think about the publishing process. A lake, myself, and a staged Instagram post may not seem to have much in common, but each possesses a different element that is irreplaceable. Separate, they represent stages of the process that are landmarks of a timeline, but together they mesh to create the tone of mystery, tranquility, and curiosity that envelope the chapters of the tale. Together, they welcome you into the pages.

I started with an image taken from my hometown. The lake has always been a staple of the community and this night captured the sense of serene that is felt watching the sun set behind the trees. This location was my first moment of inspiration when I was beginning to plot my novel, and it was only fitting that it also have a subtle place on the final product’s cover design. When thinking about Into the Pages, this location is always the first image my mind is drawn to. As the foundation of the entire fictional world, and as the beginning of the entire plot, this image now serves as the foundation for the collage. It remains untouched, still in its original glory, because it is the first stepping stone of many that was ahead in the publication process.

Layered on top is the picture I used as the first promotion of Into the Pages via social media. It was taken on the day that I received my first hard copy and was able to feel the entirety of a years worth of work in my hands. By layering this image over the lake, however, I am not only reminiscing about another milestone. Additionally, I had to remove the background of the image in order to ensure that only the essential parts of the photo would be used in the collage creation. Reading the book gives the visual illusion of reading the story and becoming lost within the words. It is picturing the scenes and the setting and the unfolding plot. Another goal of this collage was to represent the reader being transported into the pages, just as the title suggests, and using the transparency tool on both images was an effective method of portraying this.

Finally, the last image used to complete the collage is an image of an open book resting faintly atop of the waters, the words rippling into the pool, and fading into the dark of the shadows. This was an attempt to establish a link between reality and fantasy, connecting the reader with the contents of the book, and bringing to life the magic of being consumed by the presence of a book. Any avid reader can attest to the feeling of being transported by a good book, and this subtle presence aimed to visually show that feeling.

After my first draft it was advised that I lower the transparency of the book in order to create a more mysterious mood. After toying with the image some more, I can agree that this change did add a deeper element to the collage than it had when the book was more prominent. By increasing the fading to create a more illusive visual, the collage further establishes a feel of curiosity and enticement that my main character felt along her own journey within the pages.

While studying how to create and design using Photoshop this week in My Story on the Web, our assignment was to use three distinct images to create a graphic collage that told a story about a specific topic. Being that my site is focused on the up-to-date happenings of my books, I found it only fitting to return to the early days of Into the Pages to give a glimpse into the world of Enephelysia as I see it to be- both as a print as as how it came to be.

For this assignment, I used three images that I believe tell the story of publishing my first book. While these images are all vastly different, they all combine to illustrate what I envision when I think about the publishing process. A lake, myself, and a staged Instagram post may not seem to have much in common, but each possesses a different element that is irreplaceable. Separate, they represent stages of the process that are landmarks of a timeline, but together they mesh to create the tone of mystery, tranquility, and curiosity that envelope the chapters of the tale.

Together, they welcome you into the pages:

The background image of the lake scenery is stabilized as the base of the image because, in reality, it is the base of the series. The image was taken at the lake in my hometown, a small town highlight, and it was the inspiration for the beginning draft of the world of Into the Pages. This image captures the setting of Enephelysia as I originally imagined it to be. The ripples of the water, the lone and empty dock, and the sunset dipping behind the shadows of the trees are all elements that define the quietness of the setting, and it is the perfect depiction of the world that exists within the bindings of the book as seen through my main character’s eyes.

Overlapping the water is a photo of the book that I took the day I received my first copy. When managing social media, it was important to have content to release periodically in order to engage and interact with my readers. In this graphic, however, it represents the numerous rounds of edits and readings that it took in order to finalize the final draft. As the words appear on the image, they ripple away to fade into the ripples of the water, and the top of the book fades into the shadows of the trees. The pages connect the draft from idea to completion, serving as the medium of the image just as much as it serves as the medium of the process.

Layered over that is an image of myself taken as a promotion before the book was originally published. This image is another important landmark because it is the picture that I used to promote the book over social media. Holding my work in its completion for the first time was a surreal feeling that I am not lost to remembering, and this image is a snapshot of one of those first moments before publication where it was just myself and my work. In a way, it was the calm before the storm, when the words were only known to me.

To piece all three elements into one conceptual piece, I worked in Photoshop to arrange all three images into a layer and used the opacity tool to create a blended piece. First, however, I had to decipher and arrange each image to utilize only the pieces that spoke most to the goal. The background image of the lake remained unedited, for example, since it is the foundation of the entire series. Over that, making up the ripples and the shadows, the book was selected by digitally removing the background and the crown that was positioned on top, as can be seen in the original image (viewable under the Photo Collection post). The same is true for the final element showing myself and the book. In the original setting, I was resting against a grey, brick wall. While the background was perfect for a trendy post on Instagram, it had to be removed in order to maintain the essence of the graphic.

The image welcomes the reader to step within the pages and see the fantasy from the inside, out. It creates an image of the world within the pages, the world within the mind of the reader.