Squirrel Logo

[ldswoosh33]

So this is like my second logo i have made with Illustrators so don't bash too hard. Any idea on how to make it better? I was thinking to make a fictional NBA team called the Tampa Bay Energy and use a squirrel as the logo because it has a lot of energy and there is alot of lighting energy in the bay. Any ideas will help.... Thank You.

Old:

Newest as of 9:50 am on 7/22/08:

[Korbyn]

use a squirrel as the logo because it has a lot of energy

I am sorry but that made me laugh so freaking hard.

Ok if oyu are going to use a squirrel it has to look mean. Thisone looks more like a cat that didn't go potty inside his litter box.

[DrJack]

Good start, it needs some shadows to give it some depth. And pick a second color to use in the eyes and maybe the teeth and nose. Bigger teeth as well, don't be shy with those chompers!

[ldswoosh33]

use a squirrel as the logo because it has a lot of energy

I am sorry but that made me laugh so freaking hard.

Ok if oyu are going to use a squirrel it has to look mean. Thisone looks more like a cat that didn't go potty inside his litter box.

How do i make it more mean. Its fine it made you laugh but i'm still learning how to make logos look good.

[EatSleepJeep]

Making the eyes converge in a V shape always helps convey severity, get rid of the two verticles between the eyes.

Also, if it's a staright on shot, you need to just mirror one side to the other. if it's an angled shot, you need to angle the snout line, nose, and teeth.

[Cola]

Making the eyes converge in a V shape always helps convey severity, get rid of the two verticles between the eyes.

Also, if it's a staright on shot, you need to just mirror one side to the other. if it's an angled shot, you need to angle the snout line, nose, and teeth.

I think this is the most important first step to get it looking like a more professional athletic logo. Right now, it looks like something from a Cartoon Network show. After you do that, then you can begin to work on the shadowing and shading.

[ldswoosh33]

Making the eyes converge in a V shape always helps convey severity, get rid of the two verticles between the eyes.

Also, if it's a staright on shot, you need to just mirror one side to the other. if it's an angled shot, you need to angle the snout line, nose, and teeth.

I think this is the most important first step to get it looking like a more professional athletic logo. Right now, it looks like something from a Cartoon Network show. After you do that, then you can begin to work on the shadowing and shading.

How should i do i make it more like the pro logo?

[Cola]

Making the eyes converge in a V shape always helps convey severity, get rid of the two verticles between the eyes.

Also, if it's a staright on shot, you need to just mirror one side to the other. if it's an angled shot, you need to angle the snout line, nose, and teeth.

I think this is the most important first step to get it looking like a more professional athletic logo. Right now, it looks like something from a Cartoon Network show. After you do that, then you can begin to work on the shadowing and shading.

How should i do i make it more like the pro logo?

You need to draw a line directly down the center of the logo and then mirror one half to the other side. Look at the Chicago Bulls logo or Florida Panthers...see what I mean? For the most part, minus some shading at times, the logo is the same on each side...it is balanced.

All logos do not follow that, but for the most part...it is a good start to appear clean for a logo. Notice how yours is currently unbalanced on each side...more like a sketch on a notepad. Balance your squirrel logo and repost.

[ldswoosh33]

[w00tness]

That's much better than the first one. A few things, though:

- I'd choose two different colors. Personally, I'm not for the blue - I'd go with something more natural and squirrelee. Yes, I said squirrelee. If you really want the squirrel to be blue, though, I suggest another color for the eyes.

- Someone (I think it was EatSleepJeep) mentioned removing the vertical lines of the eyes and making the eyes more of a V shape. Maybe try that and see how it looks.

The logo looks much better, and I'm sure with some tweaks it'll look very professional.

[ldswoosh33]

[oddball]

I hate to say this, but it doesn't look like a squirrel. First of all, I look at squirrels quite often and they scamper through my school parking lot and I also did research on them, and none of them have pointy ears, nor do they have teeth as you have done them. Their teeth are in their mouths. I'd suggest instead of drawing what you think a squirrel looks like, you research it and then draw a bunch of them and then from that you can stylize one to your liking. To stylize something you need to know what something looks like first. I suggest you get books on animal anatomy and how animals move, if you know of someplace that has squirrels, go and watch them, take pictures, do quick sketches of them (they actually will hold a position at times for a while). If you want to be a good artist, then you need to do that dreaded word, study. I promise you if you study squirrels, you'll probably turn out one hell of a squirrel. You just need to know what one looks like and how it acts before you illustrate it as a logo. Google 'em, there are plenty of references. Heck, even youtube them, but don't use the "Dramatic Chipmunk" as you basis for your squirrel!

[Cola]

big improvement. in fact, there is a logo (i think an x-line) that looks VERY similar to that one...i think the squirrel had on boxing gloves or something?

[ldswoosh33]

big improvement. in fact, there is a logo (i think an x-line) that looks VERY similar to that one...i think the squirrel had on boxing gloves or something?

so its a start right. yeah i guess i need to be more creative. but its a start right.

[ltravisjr]

This is exceptionally good for someone just getting started in this. I love how all the outlines are thick, but vary in the width to give it that good artistic feel you see so often in quality logos. As far as the eyes, you have the "V" going, but the concave (bottom of a bowl shape) curve makes him look "sneaky" mean. If you want "angry" mean, you should flip the curves so they still slope down to the nose, but in a convex, or bump shape. Its hard to describe, but look at the Chicago Bulls or Memphis Grizzlies logos and you will see what I am talking about. Also experiment with the shading. That really involves training your eyes and practice, but again, look at the Grizzlies logo for a good idea. Lastly, as mentioned, keep researching pictures of squirrels to refine the shape to look even more squirrelly (it seems yours might have a bit too flat a nose). However, DON'T add any unnecessary lines. You will want to rely on shadows to define shapes whenever possible. Often when I work on my own logos, I think about what I can take out rather than what I can put in when improving it. Yours already has some good simplicity, so don't lose that.

I wrote a pretty good amount up there, but that's because I am impressed with the potential you have and appreciate your desire to improve.

LT

[ldswoosh33]

Thanks LT, That will help.

Thank You to everyone who posted all this input is great. I thank you guys alot.

Niko

[DrJack]

Improving!

Thoughts:

- Bigger teeth. That is the feature that makes it look like a squirrel, so go big with it!

- Try using that red within the eye. Not necessarily filling in the entire white part, but maybe a think stroke around the pupil?

[EatSleepJeep]

That's a huge improvement. I like it a lot, but right now it's a good beaver.

My tips now:

Elongate the nose area. In order to be more "squirrellee" this feature needs to be emphasized.

Also, Squirtrel heads are wider at the bottom(big cheeks to hold all those nuts), this squirrel is lacking cheeks.

The teeth need to be much more subtle, if present at all. Most cartoon squirrels employ them, so I don't think their presence will hurt, but scaled back for sure.

Consider a tail rising behind the head to drive the identity home. It's their most recognizable feature and needs to be here.

Perhaps consider a crest to place the head on shaped like an acorn. with the SQUIRRELS wordmark contained in the acorn cap.

Examine these pictures of real life squirrels for some ideas:

[ltravisjr]

Yes, eyes are pretty important to get right. All squirrels have those Howard Cosell eyes.

LT

[ldswoosh33]

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