GD BOOTCAMP-Event 1- The Identity Package

[pcgd]

READ EACH EVENT CAREFULLY! We aren't playing any tricks, but following instructions is very important in the real world.

Sgt. Cummings: Welcome back ladies. I want to introduce you to civilian Ralph Zaken. He has your first mission. Mr. Zaken?.

Ralph: Thank you Sgt. Francis. As you know my name is Ralph Zaken. I have over 20 years in the finacial consulting business and I?m starting a new firm. I need a new logo. My target audience will be young college graduates both male and female. I want to both maintain a traditional look of a finacial firm, but break the mold a little. I?m not sure what I?m looking for, but I?ll know when I see it. In addition to the logo, I need letterhead, business cards, envelopes, and a polo shirt design. I?d like the polo to be a dark color with a light colored logo. Everything else should be a light colored paper. Any questions?

Sgt. Cummings: Yes Private Fiasco?

Private Fiasco: Are there any colors you?d like us to use for your logo?

Ralph: No, that?s up to you. You guys are the professionals.

Sgt. Francis: I wouldn?t go that far. Now, maggots, when designing a logo for a company, there are a lot of things you need to consider. The target market of course, the clients requests, and some general constraints. Logos need to be visible in a varity of mediums. Webpages, printed materials, signs, on dark backgrounds, on light backgrounds. All these things need to be considered for Ralph?s logo.

When it comes to print design, a few things also need to be considered. On all printed items, type should be at least 3/8? away from all edges. Business card fonts can go down to a point size of 6, but the recommended is at least a point size of 8 but not more than 14.

Sgt. Cummings: With printed materials there are two different kinds of printing. Thermograph and flat. Thermograph printing is when the ink is raised off the paper slightly. It has a glossy look and has a rubbery feel. Flat printing is much like a print off from your desktop printer. There is no ridge and its more of a dull finish.

Bleeds also need to be considered. Because this project isn?t on a budget, you don?t need to worry. However, some projects will have a budget. Bleeds are when printing goes off the paper. Graphic elements, photographs, background images. Anything that goes off the paper would require a bleed. Why is this? Well when a printed material goes off the paper, a larger piece of paper will be used to print on it. And then an additional step of cutting will have to take place. This of course drives the price up. Fortunatly for this project, cost is not an issue. But it will be later?.

A cost cutting tip: If a client is a cheap-ass, try using screens of one or two colors. This will give the effect of multiple colors, but still only use a few ink colors.

You have 10 days to provide the following:

A Logo in 4 forms.

1) Full color (may contain screens or gradients)

2) Black/single color (may not contain screens or gradients)

3) Full color on dark background (same as 1)

4) White on dark background (same as 2)

5) A short paragraph of Design Justifcation, why you chose the elements, colors, and fonts you chose. Clients love this stuff. You may include this in the body of your email.

A business identity package consisting of:

1) Letterhead (8.5 x 11)

2) Business Cards (2 x 3.5)

3) Polo Shirt (Dark color)

Here?s a rundown of the general information

Client:

Zaken Consulting

1109 Commerce Lane

Fransville, IL 60000

1.866.555.4493

Ralph Zaken

President/CEO

Target: Recently graduated College Students

Recomended Program: Illustrator or vector

Provided Materials: Zaken is Dutch for business. Zaken Consulting is

a new company that provides sound finacial advice to young people.

They are looking for a fresh look in all their materials. It starts

with a logo, and also encludes letterhead, business cards, and a polo shirt.

Budget: Medium-High Budget

Recomended time spent: Whatever it takes

Deadline: 10 days from today

Templates will be posted here soon.

Send files in to the email listed in the rules thread, in the desired format and desired file name. Read carefully, you only get one mistake and then your entry will not count.

You may ask as many questions as you like, but as we get further and further, your knowledge should improve, and sometimes you just need to wing it. Remember, don't post your work anywhere! Only email to gdbootcamp@gmail.com

I'd also like to take a moment to explain "Recomended time spent" Basically this means the amount of time that you would be expected to complete a project working for a firm. Most logos are a work til your finished plan. So whatever it takes to get it done. I think I mentioned this before, but whatever that says, you don't have to complete the event within that time. If you would like to try, you are more than welcome to. The deadline is solid however, and you have until midnight central time on the 16th to complete it.

Meet back here on 16 Feburary, at 1000 (10 am) hours eastern standard time. You are dismissed.

Group: SIR YES SIR!

[Cuss16]

what are screens?

[rmered]

Would this competition allow for use of logos designed by entrants prior to this competition, and possibly even presented in this forum?

Or is this strictly a new logo?

Sir.

[paynomind]

Private rmered: Use anything you'd like, as long as it is YOUR creation.

Private Cuss: Screens are 'partials' of colors. Rather than just using blue, you'd use blue and 50% blue.. this results in the effect of two colors. This is for your information only, this client does not nessesarily need such an application.

[DawgPacPBH]

for the black/white on dark...what if the black is the outermost color of the logo? do we go black on black? or is it just any dark color?

[buffalofan2106]

can we use Photoshop if we don't have Illustrator? I understand that things may not be as smooth as a vector image....

[pcgd]

for the black/white on dark...what if the black is the outermost color of the logo? do we go black on black? or is it just any dark color?

The point of giving a client a full identity package is so they have logos in all concievable formats. Perhaps you give Mr. Zaken a logo that has 4 colors. Well, this works fine for many applications.

But, what if Mr. Zaken needs a newpaper ad? Well, most newspapers ads are in a single color with screens. So, you want to produce a black and white logo in different shades of black. Basically this is a greyscale of the full color logo. We did not make this requirement for this logo, but usually you do have to supply this type of logo, for this reason. Most packages I do at my job have 6 different logos (full color, black w/screens, black wo/screens, and the reversed of those three) These six logos are then typically provided to our clients in EPS, TIF, and JPG format. So a single logo will have at least 18 different varieties given to them. That number doubles if they have an icon logo or secondary.

A perfect example of a single colored logo used is on a fax. Faxes don't have a great ability to reproduce accurate screens. Therefore, a single color (or black) logo is needed.

Basically, its up to you to determine what makes it look the best in the different options. This is a perfect example of one of the things we are trying to teach in this contest.

[GMS1122]

excuse me Sgt. Francis...

my Privates itch

[DawgPacPBH]

for the black/white on dark...what if the black is the outermost color of the logo? do we go black on black? or is it just any dark color?

The point of giving a client a full identity package is so they have logos in all concievable formats. Perhaps you give Mr. Zaken a logo that has 4 colors. Well, this works fine for many applications.

But, what if Mr. Zaken needs a newpaper ad? Well, most newspapers ads are in a single color with screens. So, you want to produce a black and white logo in different shades of black. Basically this is a greyscale of the full color logo. We did not make this requirement for this logo, but usually you do have to supply this type of logo, for this reason. Most packages I do at my job have 6 different logos (full color, black w/screens, black wo/screens, and the reversed of those three) These six logos are then typically provided to our clients in EPS, TIF, and JPG format. So a single logo will have at least 18 different varieties given to them. That number doubles if they have an icon logo or secondary.

A perfect example of a single colored logo used is on a fax. Faxes don't have a great ability to reproduce accurate screens. Therefore, a single color (or black) logo is needed.

Basically, its up to you to determine what makes it look the best in the different options. This is a perfect example of one of the things we are trying to teach in this contest.

well then, isnt the contest doing its job already?

[slapshot]

Fitting the military theme, I'm having flashbacks to my Senior Graphic Design Seminar at college...

If you'll excuse me, I have to go duck and cover.

[pcgd]

for the black/white on dark...what if the black is the outermost color of the logo? do we go black on black? or is it just any dark color?

The point of giving a client a full identity package is so they have logos in all concievable formats. Perhaps you give Mr. Zaken a logo that has 4 colors. Well, this works fine for many applications.

But, what if Mr. Zaken needs a newpaper ad? Well, most newspapers ads are in a single color with screens. So, you want to produce a black and white logo in different shades of black. Basically this is a greyscale of the full color logo. We did not make this requirement for this logo, but usually you do have to supply this type of logo, for this reason. Most packages I do at my job have 6 different logos (full color, black w/screens, black wo/screens, and the reversed of those three) These six logos are then typically provided to our clients in EPS, TIF, and JPG format. So a single logo will have at least 18 different varieties given to them. That number doubles if they have an icon logo or secondary.

A perfect example of a single colored logo used is on a fax. Faxes don't have a great ability to reproduce accurate screens. Therefore, a single color (or black) logo is needed.

Basically, its up to you to determine what makes it look the best in the different options. This is a perfect example of one of the things we are trying to teach in this contest.

well then, isnt the contest doing its job already?

Yeap! I think you guys will really like some of the events we have planned for later. This one is pretty mucht he most tame.

[andrewharrington]

Sir, I am counting the minutes, Sir! At 7:40 pm, you said the templates would be posted here soon, yet I still do not see them at 12:30 am. What gives, Sir?! I thought the military stressed punctuality, Sir!

[paynomind]

Private Pantywad, I suggest you get to conceptuallizing and creating a gat dam logo like you were told, and quit worring about the pretty little box you will put it in! The template will be delivered when we good and well feel like giving it to you!

Make a logo. THAT is your job. We will get the template to you.

[pollux]

Sir! I have a couple of questions, Sir!

Is a white object with 50% transparency over another object considered as a screen? If not, how do I set the "50% blue" that you have described earlier?

Also, what is the official name of our mission? Since we have to include it in the file name that we send your way, I wouldn't want to be put aside simply because I didn't use the right mission name. I'm guessing it is "TheIdentityPackage". Am I right Sir?

[vicfurth]

I'm pretty sure 50% blue is a blue layer at 50% opacity...

Of course, I could be wrong.

[pcgd]

50% transparency on the orginal color will provide a 50% screen. If you do what you say, that should work for presentation, however if you were to send it to print, you'd have to flatten transparencies.

Anyway, Lets do this, Event1 will be the mission name. This will continue like: Event2 all the way to Event12.

Awesome?

Awesome.

[slapshot]

Transparency is different from a screen. Transparency is the level you can see through an object. 50% transparency menas you can see some of what is underneath your object. A screen is just a lighter mix of the objects color. 50% blue is not blue at 50% transparency. If your blue is a screen, you're not going to see through it to whatever is underneath it.

Example...draw two overlapping squares in photoshop, each on a different layer. Make one the lower one 100% magenta, the top one 100% cyan.

Change the fill of the top square to 50% cyan. You can't see the magenta square underneath.

Now, take the 100% cyan square again, but decrease the transparency of the layer to 50%. You should be able to see the magenta square underneath, and where the two overlap, it should be slightly purplish.

If there are no overlapping objects, then visually there may be no difference between 50% screen and 50% transparency.

[pollux]

Transparency is different from a screen. Transparency is the level you can see through an object. 50% transparency menas you can see some of what is underneath your object. A screen is just a lighter mix of the objects color. 50% blue is not blue at 50% transparency. If your blue is a screen, you're not going to see through it to whatever is underneath it.

Example...draw two overlapping squares in photoshop, each on a different layer. Make one the lower one 100% magenta, the top one 100% cyan.

Change the fill of the top square to 50% cyan. You can't see the magenta square underneath.

Now, take the 100% cyan square again, but decrease the transparency of the layer to 50%. You should be able to see the magenta square underneath, and where the two overlap, it should be slightly purplish.

If there are no overlapping objects, then visually there may be no difference between 50% screen and 50% transparency.

Thanks jp!

I actually never used screens. I used transparency, but knowing that there was sometinhg beneath it, I would only use a white transparency for highlights or a black transparency for shadowing.

If you can use 50% cyan (for example), is there a way to use more than 100% cyan, for shadowing? Or would I have to use the darkest cyan that I want and then decrease its screen for all other possible cyan tones?

[slapshot]

You can't use more than 100% of an ink color (CMYK). If you have something that's 100% cyan and want to add shadowing to it, you would be adding some percentage of black, and possible much smaller percentages of magenta and/or yellow.

There is no darker cyan than 100%, anything darker would gravitate to the blue point on the color wheel. A deep blue would be 100% cyan, 80% magenta, maybe 10-15% black (100C-100M ends up more purple than blue).

[Mings]

So instead of using PANTONE colors, we can only use screens?