I have included a resources file at the end of the tutorial for you to download if you like. Included in the resources file are a few of the textures that I use along with a few brush sets used in the tutorial. The font used for the tutorial was purchased by me and I cannot share it with anyone, as it would be against the usage policy. With all of the fine details out of the way…let’s get started.

STEP ONE: Setup Your Document

Start with an 800×800 canvas. Position guides at 400×400 and reset the center point at the cross. From there drag out guides to +/- 350px on the x-axis and +/- 150px on the y-axis. Reset your fill colors to Black and White (hit D on your keyboard). I realize that setting up all of these guides may seem like overkill, but I feel that it allows me to visualize the size of the final product and make sure everything fits properly.

STEP TWO: Draw Your Base Shape

With the rounded-rectangle tool selected set the option to ’shape layers’ and the corner radius to 15px. Draw out your shape to fit within the outer guides. Right now, the color of the shape isn’t a big deal, we are going to be working on that soon. We will use this base layer as a building block for the remainder of the tutorial. Once you’re done rename the layer “Base Shape”…and now might be a good time to save your progress. You should have something similar to the screenshot provided after this step is completed.

STEP THREE: Layout the Inside White Stripe

Change your fill color to white…if you have left your colors reset from step one, just hit X on the keyboard. Otherwise, hit D to reset the colors and X to swap to white. Drag new guides to +/- 340px x-axis and +/-140px y-axis. Then grab your rounded-rectangle tool again and set your corner radius to 10px and draw out your shape to the new guides. ReName this layer “Stripe”.

Now setup another set of guides at +/-335px x-axis and +/-135px y-axis. I know this seems like a lot of guides, but trust me they help out when you’re trying to position the line precisely. Grab your rounded-rectangle shape tool again and this time set the corner radius to 7px and set it to ’subtract from shape layer’ (see screenshot). Drag out your shape inside the new guides. When you’re done you will have a thick rounded corner stripe instead of a white box. This is our entire base shape. From here we will change everything to make it whatever color we want. I’m going with blue to match the sample image

SIDE NOTE!

I don’t like to work on my shape layers, so I generally just use them as guides for the other layers and creating masks for textures. I find that by using them as a base (or template) I can do more on new layers and group them together than trying to build onto the shape layer. If you follow this method you can resize your base layers, and apply a new layer mask to the other layers…and you don’t have to edit the entire document. So you can hide the base images and keep them separate put them into a group and rename them “Base Layers”. Select both layers (hold shift and click) then drag them to the bottom of the layers palette to the folder icon (screenshot).

STEP FOUR: Time for Some Color

From here create a new layer above the folder labeled “Base Layers”. I’m going to choose a light blue color and a darker blue and make a radial gradient for the base color. I will just choose the colors from the sample image.

• Light Blue: #0066ff
• Dark Blue: #0e2d8a

Grab your gradient tool (G), set it to foreground to background and set the mode to radial gradient. From just inside the upper left set of guides drag out the gradient tool up and to the right (just outside the top guides).

STEP FIVE: Start Adding in Some Texture

This is a favorite technique of mine, because it’s simple and does an excellent job of creating a really cool weathered look. We don’t want our final artwork to be an exact duplicate of the sample, so I’m going to use some other textures to create an original piece. I’m going to start by adding in a texture from some leaking rust. Open the file in Photoshop and get rid of the color by using Desaturate (CMD/CTRL-Shift-U or Image > Adjustments > Desaturate). Then fix the levels and contrast by doing Auto Levels (CMD/CTRL-Shift-L) and Auto Contrast (CMD/CTRL-Alt-Shift-L). After you’ve made your adjustments drag the texture over to your canvas. Resize (CMD/CTRL-T) as needed, I made mine 70% of the original image and moved it just to the top of the guides. After you’re happy with the placement change the blend mode to Overlay and leave the Opacity at 50%.

Next I’m going to take a grungy paper texture (vintage-grunge-textures: #2) and do the same thing as the rusty leak, but this time when you resize it rotate it 90 degrees. After you have it in position modify the brightness/contrast (Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast) to Brightness: -71 / Contrast: +31. Change the blend mode to Overlay and leave the Opacity at 35%.

Duplicate the paper texture layer and change the blend mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 35%. By the time you’re finished you should have something relatively similar to this image.

STEP SIX: Add in Some Shading

From here we have put together a pretty good looking texture for the sign. There are paint blots, the paint dripping from weather and numerous scratches from flying debris. Now we need to work on adding in some shading and making the outside portion of the sign a little darker to add some contrast. Pick out some of the grunge brushes supplied in the resources.zip file and start dropping in some black around the edges. I find it’s best to just stamp in color (one-click).

I don’t ever drag them out (or paint in strokes), because it doesn’t look right to me. This is the part of the tutorial where you can experiment as much as you want. Change brushes around as you go, so you don’t end up with the same shape all over, and try to overlap them. After you’ve got a decent border built up change the blend mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 65%.

It’s still a little too bright for my taste in the center area. From here make a new layer directly above the gradient layer. With your brushes set on a grunge brush and the foreground still set to black make a few clicks over the light portion of the canvas. Then set your blend mode on that layer to Color Burn and the Opacity to 45%.

STEP SEVEN: Adding in Highlights

Highlights are tricky and you have to follow the old “Less is More” rule. If you put too many highlights into the image it will look like garbage, not enough and it doesn’t look right. You need to use your judgement, but try not to over do it. Create a new layer and using the eyedropper tool (I) select a lighter blue (or light version of the color you chose) from your canvas.

Then using some of the Angry Blue brushes (included) position some spatters around the palette within the guides. After you have something you are happy with set the blend mode to Color Dodge and the Opacity to 28%.

STEP EIGHT: Adding in Text

If you look at the reference image the texture from the wear and tear is on top of the text, so we’re going to set our text up the same way. Highlight the gradient layer and then grab your text tool. The font we are using is the standard for all street signs called Interstate by FontBureau. I’m going to use Interstate Bold for the main text and the Regular weight for the other text.

Reset your colors (D) and Change your fill color to white (X) and type out your first word (for the larger text I set my type at 80pts). Once you setup your first piece of text you’re going to want to adjust the tracking and bring the characters closer together. To do this open your Character Palette and adjust the tracking to around -25 to -50. See this screenshot for reference.

Add in text as you see fit. I’m just making something similar to the sample image and changing up the information. After I’ve setup the heading text and the sub-text I’ve readjusted everything to be centered in the frame.

STEP NINE: Where’s the White Stripe?

You thought I forgot didn’t you? Well, to be honest…I almost did. Let’s start by creating a new layer just above the gradient layer. Remember when we saved the stripe layer in the folder? Good! Expand the folder and we’re going to make a selection of that stripe layer. Hold down Command (Mac) or Control (PC) and click the vector mask on the stripe layer.

You’ll now see the selection on your canvas. We want to fill this with white. If your fill color is not set to white, reset the colors (D) and swap to white (X). Now fill it! You can either do the quick key command (alt-delete/backspace) or Edit > Fill. It’s up to you…both methods work exactly the same. Now it looks like we have something decent on screen, but it’s a tad bit messy…let’s clean it up.

STEP TEN: Create a Layer Mask and Finish Up

Now that we have the sign almost complete all we need to do is cutout the color and texture on the outside of the guides. To do this it is very simple. Select all of your layers and drag them to the folder icon to create a new group. Then just as we made the layer selection of the stripe we will make a selection of the “Base” layer.

After you’ve made your selection click the “add layer mask icon” in the layers palette (two left from the group icon). After you’re done with the layer mask, you can crop down the image and save it for the web or any other application you need. Obviously, this image is fairly large for most uses, but if you want to shrink it down you can. Remember the shape layers we created? By using the direct selection tool (hit A on the keyboard or select the white-arrow tool just below the text tool on your toolbar. It’s best to select one side of the shape and either shrink or enlarge it. then you can do the other sides.

That’s it for this tutorial! I have included a zipped file for the resources and a copy of the final Photoshop file for your reference. Remember, the key to creating great artwork is experimenting…you don’t always have to follow the rules. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

~ GrandmasterB

RESOURCE FILES
Photoshop File: grunge_sign.psd (3.7 MB)
Resource File – Includes Textures and Grunge Brushes: grunge_sign_resources.zip (8.3 MB)

Check out my other Tutorials as well!

I’m not 100% sold on the 3D Skull collection, but I’m guessing with some tweaking and some experimentation they could be used very cleverly to create some cool artwork. The entire set has some really cool stuff in it which includes:

• 3D Skulls (mentioned)
• Robots
• Bound (Vines, Ropes, etc)
• Flow (mentioned)
• Too Sexy (sexy silhouettes – also seen on “Speed Network”)
• XTreme Sports
• Apparel

You would think that releasing the latest set of vector artwork would be enough to keep the fans of Go Media satisfied, but there’s more! Alongside the launch of Set 13 they launced a new Fingerpaint Texture Pack as well. I’ve used the freebies from the previous Watercolor Textures and they’re phenomenal and can be used in so many different ways. I’m going to download this set of freebies too, and see exactly what they’re like. The entire set contains 40 high resolution textures which include smears, swirls, smudges and my personal favorite splatters! These textures could also be used to create your own Photoshop Brushes too!

To celebrate the release of these two fantastic packs of artwork Go Media has released a special offer coupon code for a limited time. If you purchase any of the Go Media artwork and use the promo code thirteen you will save 15% off your purchase! That means if you want to purchase either of the new packs you can get them for under $30 each! That’s a freakin’ bargain…no matter how you look at it. Don’t forget it’s a limited time offer. If you want to see an example of using the Go Media vectors, check out my Grunge Styled Banner Tutorial.

~ GrandmasterB

For the past few days, whenever I could find time I have been working on putting together a simple tutorial that will show you how to create a logo for my feature post “Heads Up Seven Up” Blogroll. The logo was created with Adobe Illustrator, which is a bit of a specialized illustration program. The reason I choose to use Illustrator for something like this is that it creates vector graphics, which is quite different from Photoshop with creates bitmap graphics. With vector graphics you can shrink, enlarge, twist and shape the images without messing up the quality of the image. I can also import the file created in Illustrator right into Photoshop to create a smaller image for web!

There are many vector drawing programs available that offer similar features like Illustrator ($599) and are a “little less expensive” too. Corel Draw and Adobe Fireworks come to mind first and foremost, but Corel Draw carries a hefty $429 price tag. Fireworks while still pricey at $149 is the next best option. The great thing about Fireworks is you can edit both vector and bitmap images. I did find another vector program that is free called DrawPlus; I haven’t used it, but it doesn’t look to bad. If you’re a student and want to purchase any type of software I suggest searching Google for “student discounted software”. With all of that out of the way let’s check out the tutorial.

Logo Tagline Tutorial
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Find Your Graphic Element
For this logo the title said it all. I had to find a cool 7-UP graphic to use as the main focus of my logo. I was able to find a really cool and colorful version of the 7Up logo on brandsoftheworld.com. Once you’ve found a suitable logo to work with open it up in Illustrator to begin working on your new artwork.

STEP ONE: The first step in this tutorial after we’ve opened the logo is to fine the typestyle that we want to use. For me I wanted it to be kind of cartoony, so I chose Komika Poster. Layout your text on the page. You’ll want to make sure that it fits where you want, and that the size is suitable for your needs. If you’ve ever used any word processing software they are very similar to how Illustrator handles text. For your reference, each one of the images contained in this tutorial can be clicked to open larger images.

STEP TWO: The standard Komika Poster isn’t very stunning on it’s own, so I wanted to make it look more italic. Unfortunately, there isn’t an italic option built-in to the typeface. If I want it to look italic, I’m going to have to do it myself. To do this, grab your selection tool (the top one on the toolbar that looks like a black arrow). Select your text it should have a colored outline around it. Go up to the top menu bar and go up to Object > Transform and select Shear. To obtain the look that I did in the image use these settings: Shear Angle (15°), and click horizontal. By default the transform functions do not have preview selected. You will need to check preview in order to see how the effect will look before committing to the changes.

STEP THREE (OPTIONAL): This third step is completely optional, but I find it’s a good practice if you need to individually space out your lettering as opposed to using the character editing window. If you are looking to create print graphics as opposed to web graphics it’s also a good practice to do this step. If you have to send your files to a company to be printed, you won’t have to send the font files along with if you choose to change your type to outlines.

STEP FOUR (Adding Stroke and Fill): The text is already filled with black, but we want it to have a thicker, more bold stroke around the type to give it more depth. This layer of type will be thee base for our logo, so it needs to be very thick. When you select the text you’ll notice on the top of the screen a bar that extends across. This is the “control” window. If you don’t see it chances are it’s not activated. To activate it go up to your menu under Window and select Control. When you have an object selected you will see two boxes on the left. The leftmost box is the object’s fill color, one to the right is the stroke color. The stroke color will have a red slash through it. Click the down arrow and make the stroke black, and then select the stroke weight to the right and make it 5pt. When you’re finished you should have something similar to the image above.

STEP FIVE (Offsetting the Type): From here things will begin to progress fairly quick. The only thing that you’ll be doing is a little copy and paste, but not your normal pasting. What you will do is select the black text and copy (Mac: cmd-c, Win: ctrl-c) then you will paste-in-front (Mac: cmd-f, Win: ctrl-f), it is very important that you paste in front and not a normal paste. If you do a normal paste your text will just show up on the page and not where you want. By pasting in front it will paste directly on top of the last layer and will keep everything uniform. After you “paste in front”, nudge the text with your arrow keys: up twice and left twice.

STEP Five point Five (Color Change): After nudging the text you will do another copy and paste in front. Then change your fill color and stroke color to dark green (or your darkest color). Don’t move the text from here on out…it will remain here for the remainder of the tutorial. Once you’ve changed the color of the text it should look similar to the image for Step Five.

NOTE: if you don’t see the color you want in the color palette, don’t worry. With your object selected grab your eyedropper tool (or hit ‘i’ on your keyboard) and go over to the color on your sample logo and click. You’ll see that your color has now changed in the fill portion of the toolbar and the object. To locate the fill just look at the lower portion of the toolbar it will be at the very bottom.

I have created an image showing you where it’s located. Whatever the color is on the fill that is the color your items will be when you create them. There are some other icons there in that area of the toolbar, which I will cover in another tutorial in the future, but for now we don’t need to worry about them.

STEP SIX (Adding Depth and Layers): From here it’s just a matter of following the copy and paste in front rule. The only exception to the rule is that we will be shrinking the stroke on each layer. For this layer simply copy and paste in front the green text. Then change the color and stroke to black. After you’ve changed the colors shrink the stroke down to four point (4 pt), This will make the green layer appear as a 1 pt. stroke around your black layer. If your image is similar to this one, you’re right on track and we’re almost done.

STEP SEVEN (Incredible Shrinking Stroke): Well, we’ve gotten pretty far along and this tutorial is almost to a close. Since you’ve already copied the green text (and hopefully you haven’t copied anything else), simply paste in front one more time. You’ll see that your green layer has now been pasted in front of the thinner black layer…don’t fret, this is a good thing. Just go up to your control window from here, change the fill and stroke to white and change the stroke weight to two point (2 pt). If done correctly your text will be white with a thin black stroke and a green stroke around that. All that’s left is some finishing touches and we’ll be finished.

STEP EIGHT (Adding Details): You’ll notice in the original logo image that it has some cool gray highlights on the 7UP text. In order to make our text look similar and fit in better we will do the same thing. The easiest way to make our highlights curve around the text is to use the pen tool (located in the toolbar and looks like an old school calligraphy pen, or hit p on your keyboard). This tool is not for the faint of heart, and takes years to master and control it. It’s taken me years to reach my skill level with the pen…my advice to you is practice, practice, practice.

To start find a good straight portion of text. I started with one side of the ‘H’. Simply click and make a point, from there go up to just before the curve and click again. You should now have a fairly straight line. Your next point will go up and to the right (on the other side of the curve), when you click don’t let go of the mouse you will drag to the right and the line will curve.

This is where patience and practice comes into play. It might take three or four tries to get just right. One thing to remember is that the more points you make the smoother the lines. Now, I’m not saying make a simple curve with 100 points, but you’ll notice in the image above that I tried to use two points to make the curve and it doesn’t look good at all. In the other “correct” way I use five points and it’s much smoother. I apologize that the points aren’t easier to see. When you zoom in on the screen the points don’t show up larger only the objects…sorry.

After you’ve done all the highlights and details you should have a pretty sexy logo on screen. From there you can either export as JPEG or select everything and copy it into Photoshop for some more magic, but we’ll save that for another tutorial. What do you think? Apart from the pen tool Illustrator is fairly easy to use. Of course, you can get more detailed but for this type of work it’s quick and easy.

If there are other tutorials or topics you’d like to cover with Illustrator or other graphics programs let me know. This is also my first tutorial, so any feedback is appreciated. I am working on future tutorials now and would like to share my experience and skills with my readers. Keep a close eye out for more from GrandmasterB, and if you’d like to keep up to date with GrandmasterB, please subscribe to the feed.

~ GrandmasterB

This copyrighted tutorial was originally published at GrandmasterB.com on 05/26/2008