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.
