Discover how to create a raster logo for a fictional company, Phase 10 Construction, utilizing various tools in Photoshop, such as Artboards, Rectangular Marquee, Paint Bucket and Perspective Transform. This article provides a step-by-step guide to create a trapezoid-shaped logo with a border and a unique 'P' shape in the middle, from setting up guides for accurate dimensions to incorporating relevant colors and layers.
Key Insights
- The creation of a raster logo starts with setting up a new file in Photoshop, choosing an appropriate pixel grid, and setting up Artboards. Tools are then reset to ensure optimal performance.
- Following a sketch or a concept, the logo is created by setting guides for accurate dimensions. The Rectangular Marquee tool helps create shapes, the Paint Bucket tool fills in selected colors, and the Perspective tool transforms shapes.
- Layers play a crucial role in the creation of the raster logo, allowing for the addition of different elements like the logo base, border, and central element. Each layer is appropriately named for convenience and can be rearranged as needed.
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In this video, we'll be creating a raster logo for a fictional company, Phase 10 Construction. Let's begin by creating a new file.
We'll go to File, New, and we'll select from Art and Illustration, choosing our,000-pixel grid. In addition, we'll retitle this Phase 10 Raster, since we'll be creating a raster logo. And we'll check Artboards.
We can then click Create. Additionally, it's important every once in a while to reset your tools, as well as your workspace. We can do this by right-clicking in our Options Bar, next to the Tool icon, and clicking Reset All Tools, then OK.
In addition, we can reset our workspace by going to the right of the Workspace icon, clicking the drop-down, and selecting Reset VDCI. With the workspace and tools reset, we're ready to begin. Oftentimes, out in the field, I'll receive requests from clients to recreate a logo that they've sketched out on the back of a sheet of paper or a sticky note.
To recreate this scenario, let's place an embedded example. Go to File, Place Embedded, select our logo idea JPEG, and click Place. Let's move this outside of our Artboard 1 so we can see it to the left. We'll zoom out and hit ENTER.
We can see that our logo now lives outside of Artboard 1, so we can view it as we're working. Let's now begin analyzing our logo idea. Currently, it's a trapezoid with some sort of border, and in the middle, we have a P that's recreated from three shapes: a circle, what looks like a triangle with a rounded edge, and what was originally a rectangle.
So originally, it's a rectangle with a circle inside a trapezoid. We can recreate this. First, let's set the guides to our Artboard.
We'll select Artboard 1, and from the rulers on the edges, we can set guides for our images. If you don't see rulers, go to View and select Rulers. In addition, by right-clicking on the rulers, we can choose the appropriate units.
We'll select Pixels and make sure that Pixels is also selected on the left-hand side. I'll toggle them back on. The easiest way to create rulers is by simply clicking on the edge where the rulers are and dragging over a line. We can set this guide to wherever we prefer, and I always like to add guides about 100 pixels in to give myself some space. In addition to dragging them, we can hold Shift so they snap to specific increments.
As we can see, mine is currently set to 100 pixels, which is the distance I want it to be, and I'll release the click. I'll do the same thing on the other side, dragging over and leaving it at 1900, while holding Shift. I'll do the same with the top at 100 pixels, and the bottom at 1900 pixels. In addition, another place I like to leave a guide is right in the middle.
I'll leave one at,000 pixels vertically, and another at,000 pixels horizontally. While these guides may look a little cluttered for our workspace, they're very helpful for creating a logo with proper dimensions and alignment. Let's now begin creating our raster logo.
The first thing we'll do is add a new layer into Artboard 1, and this will be the trapezoid that we create. The easiest way to do this is to go to our Rectangular Marquee Tool and drag from one corner to the bottom-right corner, creating a square. Next, we'll want to fill this square, and we can use our Paint Bucket Tool, found in the Tools Gallery with the Gradient Tool.
We'll select our Paint Bucket Tool, then change our Foreground Color to a shade of blue, and click OK. With this selection here, we'll now fill it with the blue color simply by clicking inside the selection. Next, we want to transform it into a trapezoid. We can do this by going to Edit, Transform, and selecting Perspective.
Here, we have the ability to drag the bottom corners of our image inward to create the trapezoid shape. We'll drag it there and hit ENTER. We've now created our base for the logo.
Next, let's create another layer for our border. With the selection still active, we'll go to Select, Modify, Expand, and expand the selection by 20 pixels. We'll type 20 and click OK.
Next, let's create a new layer, go back to the Paint Bucket Tool, and choose a new color. In this case, I'll choose gray, click OK, and then fill the selection on Layer 2. Finally, let's move Layer 1 on top of Layer 2 so that we have our base trapezoid with a gray border. We can rename these layers “Blue Trapezoid” and “Border, ” then hit ENTER.
The next thing we'll create is the P-shape in the middle of our logo. Let's start by creating a new layer and move this layer on top of “Blue Trapezoid.” Name it “P-Base, ” since we'll be creating the base of the P. Next, go back to the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Before continuing, hit CTRL+D on the keyboard to deselect. Starting at the base intersection of the two guides, drag up to the top guide, creating a rectangle for our P-Base. Then go back to the Paint Bucket Tool and click inside the rectangle to fill the shape.
Next, we want to transform this so it's not flush against the top and bottom of our logo. Hit CTRL+T to transform it. As you drag up, it will keep the width-to-height ratio. To override this, hold ALT and move it up slightly, then hit ENTER. Let's save our work using CTRL+S on the keyboard. Name the file “Phase 10 Raster, ” make sure it's a Photoshop file, and click Save, then OK.
In the next video, we'll be finishing our logo.