And the best part? I get paid to do this.
Crafting logos and corporate identities is my absolute favorite graphic design-related activity. Back in college, I once told a professor that I would love to have a job where I did only that, and the response, although accurate, was a bit of a buzz-kill. There’s no way that I’ll be able to make a living doing just that, they are too few and far between. She was right, but I still really enjoy the jobs as they come in.
I was recently contracted by a local pastor to create a logo for a new church. The name of his flock? St. George’s Anglican Community. And of course, if possible, he wants to include a reference to the dragon of St. George and the Dragon fame.
Seriously, how cool is that?
After a bit of research, I’ve discovered that the story of St. George has attracted artists from all genres and practices, dating back to the 1300’s. Not that I’m anywhere near these classic artists, but what a cool company of people to be affiliated with. Albrecht Dürer (my favorite artist of all time), Raphael, Carpaggio, Donatello, Giovanni Bellini, and then me. Granted, mine is going to be a black and white, one-step up from clipart, designed for speed and for-profit version, but I’m certainly going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Many more images available here.
Horrific by comparison, I know, but below are some of my sketches, trying to come up with a layout that would gel with having text added, but also work well as a stand-alone icon. It’s still in the editing stage, but I think it’s getting close.
Here’s where the front-running design is at now. Although I’m not all that crazy about the amount of detail, or the contrast created by the negative space, but I’m still working with the black and whites. Once that part is right, I’ll add spot color(s).
Any opinions?
July 28th, 2007 at 1:21 am
Hi Joe
I like the overall look of the logo, but wonder if you could strip it down a bit more, less detail like you suggest. Do you need to show all the decoration (tack) on the horse, and I can’t quite work out what the round bit behind the mans head is.It’s a difficult one.
July 28th, 2007 at 6:54 am
It does look a little busy in b&w, but I think once the color is added it won’t seem at all. My opinion, of course.
July 28th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Thanks Tara,
I usually start out too complicated, and then whittle down the pieces until the meaning is still there, but the icon is as simple as it will get. An idea I’ve been chewing on is to reverse the top of the square to black, so the horse and rider stand out more, and then figure out a way to have the dragon be dark too, thereby framing the more important part (albeit less cool) part of the mark - the rider. Oh, and the circle around his head? The gratuitious halo pattern shape.
Thanks Emon.
That’s the central issue of any logo work - can the idea be conveyed without relying on color? Since we still use fax machines and black and white printers, the mark has to retain integrity through the different mediums, when color isn’t available. The flip side is, of course, that there’s no way an acceptible amount of detail will be transmitted by a fax machine, so the logo must be simplified, and then over-simplified again.
I’ll keep retooling it.
July 28th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I concur with Emon…just a tad bit much in detail, especially in black and white. But I think it’s a majestic design.
I wish I could draw. I don’t possess an ounce of artistic ability.
Kudos.
Happy weekend,
Laurie
July 29th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Thanks Laurie. I’m currently editing it, and will post back here with a decent Round Two.
Cheers!
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:10 am
I’m on a limb here but I like it busy… then again, I’m an art historian, I know what a halo is and I’m used to looking at all that stuff. It may fade into the background for me in a way it doesn’t for other people… or maybe it’s just because I’m a Brit and we’re used to pub signs and that’s our national saint.
Ok so if I was going to be really picky, I reckon the dragon could have a bit more poke. I like your sketch with it locking necks with the horse - it looks more angry - the horse looks really stern in that one, too which I like.
Also you might get away with less detail of St George’s clothes if you put St George in some very simplistic armour… then you can just have a dark side and a light side on each limb and use the ends of the dark shape to de-liniate where the joins in the armour are and not have to draw them..
Tip top as is though…
Cheers
BC
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:14 am
A propos the armour thing… or as Captain Kirk would say, “armour thing; additional” you could then make St George whiter and the background would blacken more easily, too…
Just a thought.
Cheers (again)
BC
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:01 am
Hey BC,
I liked the idea too of having a larger, more menacing dragon in the picture, but then every classical image I’ve found of the scene has much smaller animals, with everything from a big lizard to something the size of a large dog. By having a larger dragon I get the feeling that it not only minimizes the more important elements of the mark, but the focus, St. George, becomes much more of a hero. I don’t know what the actual full story is, but everyone seems happier with a smaller opponent.