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Logo Design

As a graphic designer, I create logos all the time. I have two of my own, one for my stage name and one for my graphic design company. This was nothing new to me. However, the challenge was trying to figure out how to make something that didn't resemble either of those. It was a relatively easy concept to come up with, the process was different because I didn't necessarily have to draw it up on Illustrator. I was going to create it on Illustrator and finish it on Photoshop, but I decided against it based on how much time I had to do the project. When I create logos for clients I usually spend about 20-30 hours creating a logo from start to finish, so I simply couldn't do that in the time allotted for the Mod.

The process for this logo was pretty easy. Whenever I create a logo, I sketch it first. In this case I knew the exact approach I wanted - Old school hip hop (and music overall) is central to my identity. I'm not only music history buff but I'm a performer myself. I wanted to incorporate elements that fully represent that era of music plus another aspect of me for the logo. Generally, I'm a pretty positive person and my outlook is always that the glass is half-full. So, I used Run-DMC's trademark look, which is pretty well-recognized in mainstream culture to represent hip hop, and a basic smiley face and combined the two. The glasses represent eyes and the chain represents a smiling mouth. Instead of using a Kangol hat which was also a staple in 80's hip hop popularized by both Run-DMC and LL Cool J, I decided to include a fitted hat. There were a few reasons for this: 1) I don't wear those types of hats, but I wear a fitted hat with my stage name on it almost daily. 2) I also wanted to bring the old school era of hip hop into the modern day, so since fitted hats weren't really worn like they are today, I wanted to blend the two time periods. The glasses that I actually wear resemble DMC's, so that is why I chose those for the eyes.


The most important discovery I found when creating the logo was when I was trying to figure out what other part of myself to include in it. I knew that I wanted to draw a hat and glasses for eyes, but I couldn't figure out what else to include in it. I realized that my positivity is something that is important to me, even though it's not something that I reflect in my overall sense of style or clothing. In other words, I found out something about myself that I never really thought about - I like to be happy and I like seeing others happy.

I thoroughly enjoyed these videos. I may be a little biased because of my graphic design background but I found them to be very informative and worth watching. My favorite video was the logo design video about DA. The reason I thought this was important to me was because I'm a freelance designer who does literally everything on his own. I don't consult with a team to create a logo, so anything I develop is all on me. The client's feedback is also all on me and it is my duty to satisfy their request. It was interesting to see the same process in a corporate setting because design is what I want to make a career out of, so I'd have to get used to working with others.

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