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Q
quoz
Inspiring
February 25, 2019
Answered

Shading on a logo

  • February 25, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 2898 views

Hello. I've been "volunteered" to recreate this logo for a company that cannot find their vector original. I have the shaped, and have been playing around with gradients and masks and 3D, but can't figure out how to add the shading. It's not just one-sided shading as there is a slight shade around additional edges. Since it's a logo, I have to be precise about it. Anyone? It will be used on very large displays, so I really don't want to go with raster.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer John Mensinger

    Technically, that shading doesn't belong on the "vector original." For that, just replicate the shapes.

    The shaded effect shown is easily achieved in Photoshop (on a rasterized copy of appropriate size/resolution for the application), using the Inner Shadow Layer Style features.

    2 replies

    JETalmage
    JETalmage
    Inspiring
    February 26, 2019

    That kind of shading can be easily done with a few simple entirely vector-based blends. Resorting to raster imaging for this is neither necessary nor necessarily "best practice."

    JET

    John Mensinger
    Community Expert
    John MensingerCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    February 25, 2019

    Technically, that shading doesn't belong on the "vector original." For that, just replicate the shapes.

    The shaded effect shown is easily achieved in Photoshop (on a rasterized copy of appropriate size/resolution for the application), using the Inner Shadow Layer Style features.

    Q
    quozAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 25, 2019

    Thank you, John. I don't really understand your first two sentences: "Technically that shading doesn't belong on the 'vector original'." ... and "For that, just replicate the shapes."

    Would you please clarify?

    John Mensinger
    Community Expert
    John MensingerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 25, 2019

    Generally speaking, in logo design a flat, single-color basis is the first step. Like this:

    See, I "replicated the shapes." If you had the "vector original" of this logo, that's what it would look like, perhaps with the (2) corporate colors applied. That's what gets printed by default.

    In applications where raster-based effects like those inner shadows are desired, it is best practice to add them in a raster editing environment (Photoshop). You would rasterize the logo at a size and resolution appropriate for the application, then apply the effects.

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