Well here we are, back with the second installment of Echoes. If this post seems at all fragmented, please forgive me, I’m starting to write it on Friday evening, and probably won’t finish until sometime on Sunday! My kid brother is getting married this weekend, so I will have sparse access to a computer, and very little time. Even Sunday, once he and his wife or on their way to the honeymoon, I already have several commitments that are going to take up some time.
So without further ado, let’s get into this week’s Echoes.
Logo – Horror Films
Here is a great logo, which I have actually seen on several different blogs and websites, including Logopond, which is were I took this thumbnail from. It has also been a part of several different logo posts across the internet, and is actually available from Brandstack (formerly IncSpring).
Horror Films Logo
The thing I love about this particular logo is its fusion of absolute simplicity with clever and obvious double meaning. The mark itself is nothing more than four circles, but doubles both as a film reel and a frightened, ghost-like face. Each of these meanings encompasses one aspect of the brand name, making the mark extremely effective. Additionally, the typeface is also very simple, which is important in that it does not overwhelm the mark. This is simple and elegant, and very nicely done.
Given the popularity of this logo across the internet, I am actually quite surprised that nobody has purchased it. But, then I suppose that a name like Horror Films might create a big of a pigeon hole!
Art – Earth
For our artwork this week, we have this cool background vector, created by Cris Vector. I actually came across this image while surfing through the Vector Art Blog. This piece is part of a four-piece collection about the elements, all done in the same vector based style.
Earth by Chris Vector
All of the images in the series are really great, but I find this one particularly intriguing in the way that it combines the raw mass and power of the earth, with a small and simply rendered face. Though the eyes appear a little blank, I don’t necessarily get a sense of stupidity from that face. Rather, it gives more the impression of a sort of innocence, like a child who doesn’t know his own strength. I’m a big fan of this kind of vector art, so I really enjoyed this piece. If you like it, too, you should also take the time to check out Air, Fire and Water.
Cris Vector is an amazingly talented vector artist, who produces a wide range of different artwork. These vectors a very stylized and comic-book/cartoony, but much of his work is actually rendered with a much higher degree of realism. Be sure to check it out.
Tutorial – How to Use Texture and Lighting to Create Rounded Artwork
I think I’ve read some novels shorter than this week’s tutorial. Okay, maybe not, but this is a long one, featuring 21 steps, most of which are divided into at least two, and sometimes three or four substeps. But that’s okay, because this tutorial is pretty darned cool!
How to Use Texture and Lighting to Create Rounded Artwork
I think that the primary value of this tutorial is in the creation of the orb itself. The tutorial shows you how to take a texture and use Photoshop give it shape. The tutorial shows you how to use the Sphereize filter to create the couture of the globe. It teaches you how to add shadows and highlights to give depth to the globe itself. This is valuable information for artists who are looking to create cool photo manipulations or photo-realistic paintings. It’s also useful for adding elements to website and/or other interface designs, such as tiny glass balls and such.
The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is the key. There’s just something about the shape that doesn’t feel right to me, and the perspective is a bit off – it’s a small issue, I know, but it’s something I can’t help but see. Still, the techniques involved in creating the key remain valuable, and are certainly worth reading about.
Website – justBcoz
This is the personal blog of Sue Rutherford, founder of The Forge Web Creations. I came across this page on one of the many website galleries that I browse (I honestly can’t remember which one), and my eye was immediately drawn to the thumbnail. A quick visit to the site proved that the thumbnail more than did justice to the actual site.
justBcoz Blog
The site has that typical, two column layout, which is really common among blogs, with the main content on the left and a sidebar containing some popular widgets, such as recent posts, recent comments and a tag cloud. Aside from the blog itself, there is not a huge amount going on in terms of other pages. There is a page about Sue herself, a page for the cast of “characters” in her life, a library and a page of links. These are all listed along the top in an attractive, textured and tab based menu.
The site also makes very nice use of textures, using what appears to be two different textures at the top and bottom of the page. It also does a very nice job of subtly including the popular sunburst element. Additionally, the various paint splatters (all matching a nice pastel palette), swirls and floral elements all work together to give the page visual interest and balance. I also love the way many of the headers are treated, again using coloured paint splatters to add a bit of extra interest and texture.
Overall, I think this is a great site! The content is pretty much what you would expect from a personal blog. A bit about work, a bit about Sue’s own life, a bit about gadgets, and just some general randomness, but she writes well and the posts are interesting and enjoyable to read.
So that’s it for this week’s Echoes. Like I said, I wrote this over the whole weekend. It is now Sunday evening, and I am very tired. My brother’s married now, though, so it was well worth it! Good night.
Thank you SO much for featuring and sharing my personal blog on your site! I’m truly honoured :-)
And I’m glad you’ve started Echoes – I’m enjoying your finds!
Keep posting
xxx
You’re very welcome! And I’m glad you’re enjoying Echoes! They are fun posts to write.