My signatures

[avlis]

Hi, im new here and im 13. I would like you all to critique and comment on my work and give me some advice to improve. This is my latest one:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/8991/bestsigcopyjv4.jpg

And its my first in this style.

Here are my other works:

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7109/kablazsigcopyok9.jpg
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7718/huxleydoublesigcopynu1.png


As you can see, i am an absolute noob at designing, i have some 3d works but those suck too much to be shown. So please give advice on how to improve.

[avlis]

:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1986/godofwarsigcopyod4.jpg
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/3121/cooltech7fx.gif
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8044/nicesig3la.jpg
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4816/abstractfractals4ol.jpg

Sorry to double post but it said i posted too many images so i splitted my post.

As you can see, i have experimented over a few different styles. I feel that i would be sticking to my current style since it looks best to others.

[Schmitty]

They look nice. Sigs are a great starting point to becoming a better designer.

[tZ]

I think doing design work is great starting point to becoming a better designer.

Signatures are art not design.

With that said, I like the first one and think it is the best signature I have ever seen. Nice use of color and repititon. I also like the fact it is non-representational. Something done well rarly in this hobby.

Even though its not really design all the principles are accounted for within the composition. Not only that but, the top has no correlation to anything in the real world. Most signatures are just a anime figure or something on a background with little desgin fundementals accounted for in execution. That is what I would have to say I like most. The non-representational approach coupled with your use of reptition, contrast and emphasis.

For 13 thats a very nice composition.

[Satchel]

tZ... I think knowing your tools makes you a better designer. You may have all the design knowlage in the world but if you cant get those ideas out of your head and onto the screen you're not going to get very far (unless you just jump right to art director) learning photoshop, even if just by dabbling with filters and making signatures is still progress, at least it's something.

[Schmitty]

I agree with satchel. Making sigs gets you familiar with PS, the tools and techniques. Helps you learn composition. It also helps gain your interest in other avenues of design. So with that said, i think sigs are a great starting point for a young designer.

[tZ]

you know what… I'll agree.

*retracts previous statement*

[WannaBrie]

I think schmity, sachel, and TZ have a lot to offer here, check out more of the forum...This is a great start for someone who is 13, just know that PS is not all there is to know about GD...PS is a good tool and you have a good undrstanding of it. Learn all you can. GD is a career where you will learn something new every day. Take full advantage of any and all resources available to you. If your school offers any GD classes, TAKE THEM. Learn PREPRESS and all you can about web design and any tperiferreral courses. you'll need it. This forum has a lot to offer, study it

[avlis]

Wow thanks for all the advice guys.

What i want to know is how i can apply that knowledge into graphic designing. Because in all the logos i've seen, it seems that more than half of my knowledge is worthless and all i need is the pen tool to make some nice vectors for logos.

WannaBrie: My school doesn't teach any thing good to secondary ones(grade 6 i think), all they are teaching are all the basics of umm Excel, Words, Dreamweaver and thats basically it. Unless you are talking about Robotics. But thats a different subject all together.

Btw TZ that sig is actually pretty basic on a graphic forum. If it was rated from Beginner, Novice, Moderate, Intermediate, Semi-pro, Pro, I would be rated at Novice.

[Schmitty]

Logos use vectors a lot because of being able to scale the image and retain its quality. So that the logo is very legible at a large scale (though not all are). You want to be a graphic designer producing art for something you love. So apply your knowledge in a field you have a passion for.

[PrintDriver]

Logos use vectors a lot because of being able to scale the image and retain its quality. So that the logo is very legible at a small scale (though not all are). You want to be a graphic designer producing art for something you love. So apply your knowledge in a field you have a passion for.

Two mistatements.
1. Logos are vector so they are scalable to any size, especially LARGER. Raster logos are limited in max size by their creation resolution. It sux to get a logo file in for a 40foot wall sign that is only 300dpi at 10inches wide.

2. Graphic Design is not an Art field. It is a Service Industry. You will NOT be creating Art for something you love. You will probably be creating artwork for someone else who may not love the things you love. Save the love for hobby-time. The art of GD is in the creation, not always the end result.

[Exodus]

I echo PD's statements.

At 13 years old, you have plenty of time to learn and that is a good thing. Go to your library and pick up some books about graphic design... theory, the evolution of, etc... Also, get some books about typography. I cannot express this enough. So many people are talented in every other subject that relates to GD and yet are so unknowledgeable about type and it's proper usage and theory. Too many people just focus on the visual... yes, that is important but a great illustration can be reduced to crap if accompanied by horrible type treatment. Take as many art classes (in general) as you can through school. You will learn color theory and proprtional layout and the like that will put you at a greater advantage when you get into GD courses. Also, learn photography... film AND digital. There are still many things that digital cannot compare to old school film. Both are fun to learn. Good luck to you and always keep that strive to learn. :) Hope that helps.

[tZ]

Printdriver said it best.

No one cares what you like they care what they like.

If they so happen to like what you like then good for you.

However, many times this is not case.

The goal is to balance the clients aesthetical likes with that of sucessfull design in the end.

Sucessfull design consist of many seperate factors. Knowing these things are what makes for a sucessfull designer/piece not the software. The software is a very small part of equation. Yes, it is important but, the logic is by far the most important aspect in creation.

If you plan on pursueing design as a career I highly recommend taking all the art class's in junior high and highschool you can. Build up a solid body of art work in traditional form (pencil, paint, etc). So that if/when you decide to pursue a degree you have a better chance of being accepted and sucessfull.

If you do plan on going to college then in all honesty they do not care whether you know photoshop or not. The main focus of most colleges when looking at your body of work is a basic understanding of tradional media and basic design practice which they can build on. Not on whether or not you can produce a logo, business card, etc.

They are more concerned with your understanding of proportions, light, texture, value and color in tradional form such as drawing then your knowledge of any software.

[Jackimalyn]

What i want to know is how i can apply that knowledge into graphic designing. Because in all the logos i've seen, it seems that more than half of my knowledge is worthless and all i need is the pen tool to make some nice vectors for logos.

Just a couple pieces of knowledge (not to be dismissed)

Knowledge is never worthless. I find myself put in unique positions everyday whe some seemingly mundane piece of knowledge was put to use.

Graphic design is more than just logos.

Much more goes into logos than the pen tool. Research, talent, experiece and much knowledge goes into them. Knowledge about the company, the industry, the competition the market and the audience goes into them. All this information is then usually simplified into a vector illustration. Those tiny logos pack a lot of information behind them!

Good luck! and hope you stick around!

[Schmitty]

Two mistatements.
1. Logos are vector so they are scalable to any size, especially LARGER. Raster logos are limited in max size by their creation resolution. It sux to get a logo file in for a 40foot wall sign that is only 300dpi at 10inches wide.

2. Graphic Design is not an Art field. It is a Service Industry. You will NOT be creating Art for something you love. You will probably be creating artwork for someone else who may not love the things you love. Save the love for hobby-time. The art of GD is in the creation, not always the end result.

oops. meant to put large scale.

[1ooScreamingTrees]

Signatures are art not design.

It doesn't have to be that way though. And most graphic designers (this kid is 13!) start off learning the concepts of art before they even know what design is. There are many simmilar fundamentals that can be bridged between the two when you're this young.

Avlis - do yourself a favor if you are serious about pursuing graphic design as a career. Detach yourself from the computer every so often. Continue to explore the tools available to you such as the Adobe suite, but also understnad that graphic design does not have to begin, or end, on the computer. The computer is simply an intermediary used to execute an idea - it's a fancy pencil or pen.

You've got some great work for your age - keep it up.

[avlis]

Thanks for all the comments again.

1. For all who ask me to take art classes in school, i'll have to say this: I'm almost a total failure in traditional art, drawing with the pencil and painting with well paint. But at least I learnt about perspective, lighting and how some colours complement each other. But the thing is, I just can't do something good with a pencil or paintbrush. I'm some where at the bottom of the class in art.

@Exodus: I know how bad text totally spoil a nice illustration. I see it everyday in signatures. Learning photography is not really an option since i'm too poor to afford a second hand camera.

@TZ: Well as I said before, art classes i take don't teach me how to draw well and paint well, but at least they teach me about "perspective, lighting and how some colours complement each other" as i said above. And about going college, well im too young to think about that yet. I still need to do well in exams and stuff.

@Jackimalyn: Ty for the knowledge of what goes behind logos.

@Trees: The reason why i call it graphic design is because, when i tell my friends about it, they won't think that it has anything to do with my lousy drawings in school. And graphic art sounds less catchy then graphic design. ;) :cool:

[budafist]

Just a thought, did anyone on GDF want to be a graphic designer at age 13? I know I didn't. I guess it's good to keep this stuff in mind while you are young so that you can angle your subjects to get into a great design course, but don't go burning bridges to other career options. There's a lot about yourself and the world you haven't seen yet. Maybe you change your mind later.