Best logo tool

[majesty95]

Which editing tool is best/easiest to use in creating logos? I'd like to get something to create my own but am clueless as to how you logo makers do it.

[Alphasim]

I use my old reliable copy of Photo Impact 5. It's not free, but it's easily the most user-friendly imaging program I've ever used. Well, since T-Paint, anyway.

You can pick it up for under $10 at Amazon (I got it for $18 at a trade show years ago), but someone has to know of an easier solution.

[Matter2003]

GIMP is free and is awesome

[majesty95]

I downloaded GIMP but I guess I'm not savvy enough. I can't really get it to do anything outside of the normal Paint functions.

[majesty95]

I guess what I'm trying to do is create logos like these:







I'd also like to take real logos and alter then with fictional names but in the same font and style as the oroginal logo. Can GIMP do this? If not, what can? Thanks for the help!

[StorminZ]

Those logos -- some of which I created and some of which are re-creations (i.e., original logos by other designers modified) -- were entirely done in CorelDraw.

CorelDraw -- as the title suggests -- is a drawing program using vector math. Not sure if you're familiar with the difference between raster (i.e., bitmap) and vector programs, but in short, a graphic in a vector program is coded in mathematical equations. "Say what??" you ask. You don't need to be a math whiz ... it's just a way of storing image information in an electronic file format. But the significance of that is the graphic can be easily re-shaped, re-sized, etc. without losing the sharpness of the image. For example, you could take a 150 x 150 vector logo and enlarge it to 1500 x 1500 and not see any pixelation (i.e., blocky look). That type of enhancement is not easily done without loss of quality using raster images (there are methods and programs to do this, but IMHO, the quality just is not there).

So why use programs like GIMP or Photoshop? Well, pretty much all web graphics are raster-based and that's where these programs come in. You can achieve some amazing effects with these types of programs.

If you've looking for a freeware vector program, check out Inkscape at www.inkscape.org. I am not sure about the features of the Inkscape ... I just know its free. Another option is DrawPlus at www.freeserif.com, also freeware. If you find your fancy with these programs, you can purchase the CorelDraw suite on eBay (academic version) for ~$100US. Some will suggest that the 'mother of all programs' is Adobe Illustrator and I won't dispute that, but CorelDraw ... in its 13th iteration ... is very, very powerful.

Checkout my photobucket site and you'll see other logos I've generated using CorelDraw.

Good luck. Ask any questions you may have. And have fun!!!

[Deft]

I use Adobe Illustrator, similar to CorelDraw, as a vector tool for drawing logos.

[kq76]

If you want logos like those I think it's not just going to take a fancy graphics program to make them, but a lot of learning of how to make them and more than likely you'll actually need to take a class or at least commit hours and hours to following online tutorials. And even then I suspect it takes talent and not all of us are blessed with that talent. I'm self-taught, but only to the point of being able to make really simple graphics. After having tried Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, I've stuck with Paint Shop Pro because I find it by far the easiest to do whatever I want (that might just be because I've spent the most time with it, but I suspect it's more than just that). I prefer the older versions, though, when they were made by Jasc (I used 7 for a long time, but I use 9 now, but it's up to 11 by Corel). PSP does vector graphics too by the way and you can probably find those older versions pretty cheaply.

[84Hammy]

I manipulate borrowed logos with a free program called Paint.Net. It is really basic (like me) and does just what I need it to do, such as change colors, cut and paste text and images, cut backgrounds etc. I found it easier to use than gimp.

[majesty95]

Hmmm...sounds confusing. Maybe I'll just have to ask others to make my creations. I don't know if I have enough time to learn an intricate editor. The demos of Photoshop make it look so easy. lol

[kq76]

Originally Posted by majesty95

Hmmm...sounds confusing. Maybe I'll just have to ask others to make my creations. I don't know if I have enough time to learn an intricate editor. The demos of Photoshop make it look so easy. lol

If it was my post that turned you off, I didn't mean to completely. It's just I've come across a few people now who have seemed to think that getting a graphics program would make great graphics magically appear on their screen and that's simply not the case. By all means, try them out, especially demos or the free ones. Who knows, maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones that this comes easy to or maybe you'll get so caught up in it that you'll love it regardless of how long it might take you. The more creators out there, the better.

[JimboJones]

Originally Posted by 84Hammy

I manipulate borrowed logos with a free program called Paint.Net. It is really basic (like me) and does just what I need it to do, such as change colors, cut and paste text and images, cut backgrounds etc. I found it easier to use than gimp.

Paint.Net sounds like what I'm looking for - something with a short learning curve. Does it allow you to create transparent images?

[84Hammy]

Originally Posted by JimboJones

Paint.Net sounds like what I'm looking for - something with a short learning curve. Does it allow you to create transparent images?

Yep! With just the touch of a magic wand! Touch the wand to the background, hit the little scissors (cut) and voila, transparent background!
It is good also for resizing, and placement, ie: a smaller version of the logo on the jeersey.