Tips for signature making
Sept 7, 2010 19:53:14 GMT -7
Post by terrana on Sept 7, 2010 19:53:14 GMT -7
This is a rather messy topic, when starting it i didn't expect it to grow this big, but i hope you take your time to read it, as i believe it will be worthwhile. I created this with the intention of giving designers a different view on creating their signatures.
Most people have a different view on signature art than me. Most people think in other "layers" than me. So i made this to explain my view and give you some very useful tips for signature art.
Let's start at the beginnings of designing.
Firstly, most beginners are trained the wrong way. They are told to follow tutorials to make their sigs. What they learn, is to grab a render/stock, pile up some c4ds and add some adjustment layers. Eventually they get better at composition, flow and quality, but they already have the wrong mindset. They believe that what makes a sig good, is good effects. So, their aim is to get better, by learning better effects. But that's where my opinion kicks in. A good sig doesn't consist only of good effects.
When you look at the sigs "professional" sigmakers make, you might think, "DAMN that's a hella tight effect, i wanna know how to do that!". But thinking that way is wrong, and i am gonna try to explain to you what a better mindset at sigmaking should be.
I have a lot of people asking me to teach them how to create cool pro effects. They don't understand that this question is asked the wrong way. Effects are part of a whole. Great art doesn't rely on effects solely. To create appealing art, you need way more than that.
I find it weird, how every1 always wants to learn new tricks, make better effects, or learn new things to apply in their artworks.
Art isn't created with only that. It's not like, that you learn a new thing to apply in your artwork, and that when you are making a new sig, you add that new little trick during the process of making the sig, and that THEN the sig becomes better.
So, people, STOP thinking about creating better effects!
here is what you need to create appealing art, which you can't learn from tuts;
Style
don't throw in c4ds with smudge and vector. Think about the different components you add to your sig. Every single layer must match with all the others. If there's a layer that doesn't match, delete it right away.
What i mean with style, is to try to stick to one style. This can of course vary. Vector/Abstract/Smudge are certain styles, but there are also secondary styles, which you should pay attention too, because most people don't. So, keep these in mind; freshness/warm/cool/art with depth(realistic)/plain sig without depth (more vector-ish or abstract)
Composition
composition is underrated. You don't throw certain effects in and move them around a bit. You must think about what you throw in.
Don't move something around till it looks nice, plan how you will place it. Try and place it perfectly.
You must try to put every single object and layer in the perfect place. Re-size it perfectly, place it perfectly and make everything match perfectly.
Composition goes unnoticed quickly, but it is one of the biggest issues most sigs have. F.E. If you place some white splatters on the right, it might look nice on the right side, but now the left side is missing something. What you can do is make some white splatters on the left too. or, white text, a white c4d, a white bar, anything that resembles the original, and fills up the empty void that appears when you create something.
to fill up this void, You can also add something in a different color, but then it must be very similar to what you try to resemble. F.E. ; if you place white splatters on the right, you can place some grey (similar) splatters on the left.
Quality
I can't stress this enough. Quality quality quality quality quality!
mind your quality. If there is one layer which is lq, it ruins the art, even if the rest is high quality.
Colors
Colors are oh so important. Colors make or break the sig. If you have too much colours, that don't go together, your sig is instantly thrown on the "ugly-pile". If you have too less colors, it'll end up on the "ugly-pile" as well, same goes for sigs with very dull or over contrasted colors. Always use colors that match. Try to stick to colors that match in a color circle. If you don't know what the color circle is, look for it on wikipedia. there are a lot of articles on wikipedia about colors that are worth reading.
you can choose the 2-color scheme. (blue-orange / cyan-magenta / red-green / violet-azure etc )
or the 3 color scheme ( cyan-white-pink / orange-yellow-red etc )
or the 4 color scheme
or the rainbow color scheme
most important thing is, make your colors MATCH and if you notice colors in your sig that don't match, fix it, by using a color adjustment layer, or make a coloring layer over the "uglycolor" part.
Anyway, a color scheme is one of the most important things in a sig. What i do mostly is; Pick 3 main colors (f.e. cyan-magenta-white) and you can always vary with some secondary colors if you need too.
Concept
The concept of a sig is very important. What one means with concept, can be very broad. What i mean with concept, is the idea for a sig. Not an idea like: "oh, I'm gonna place a render, and smudge around it!" Concepts aren't necessary for a sig, but sigs WITH a concept, have a great chance of getting that "wow-factor" which makes some sigs so damn appealing. Concepts can be very small and abstract things, such as a red square in the middle of the sig which leaves people wondering, what the hell is this! most people might think, get rid of that square, but they forget that it is the concept of the red square which makes the sig interesting.
Concepts can also be the main part of a sig. F.E. a sig of a monkey in a cage trying to reach a banana. No need for fancy effects here, just get the concept and the execution right.
So people, get your concepts right, it's one of the ingredients for an "interesting" piece of art.
Originality/Creativity
Goddamn, this is underrated. Originality should be the #1 qualification for sigs in general!
all i can say is, F*ck the trend, be creative. Try out new things.
Nothing more boring than a sig with the usual effect c4d and usual adjustment layers.
Experiment and create things no1 has ever created before. Like i said above, go nuts and create a red square in the middle of the sig, covering the focal! create a strange colored border, or make big-ass text, as long as it looks appealing, originality is the second ingredient for an "interesting" piece of art. There are no boundaries, just be creative.
now those are the components that make a sig appealing to the eye. So, when you are creating a sig, always keep these in mind. Of course, there are secondary components. those are effects/lighting/depth etc.
These components can't be learned by following a tutorial. These can only be achieved by looking at other people's sigs. Find out how every component i listed above works in their sigs. Find out what makes their sig good, but also try to figure out what makes their sig bad, so you learn both ways.
The second way to learn these things is by experimenting and practice. With experimenting, i mean; trying new and different stuff. A big tip i can give you, is to always try to do something different. Always try to do something new and original. And last but not least, practice! practice your older skills, and try to exploit every possibility that photoshop has to offer, there are no boundaries.
another good tip i can give ya:
Don't create mainstream art. Create what YOU like. Don't create what others like, you don't learn from that. Who cares if no1 likes your sig? it is YOUR concept, and if YOU like it, it is art. Everything that you create, with the intention of creating art, is the most beautiful art you can create.
well, thanks for reading!
i hope i managed to help you with this topic.
some credits to a friend of mine.
