The big secret is that you should never come to any project with that blank sheet, before mentioned. If you really are into visual communication, you will have been looking at a lot of it. Who hasn't been? Everything from ads to magazines to blogs to games to CD covers have already been influencing you all this time, so why pretend that your genius springs from your brow as an original idea? (If you think your idea is so pure, you probably haven't been reading much in the way of art history, and you might be in for some embarrassment in the face of art/design professionals, so read up!) For more on this, ask any art professor worth his/her salt.
Yet, how can you let yourself be influenced by existing design, guided by the artists before you, without committing....COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT??? Actually, in school, you might just fail your class or be expelled for plagiarism, not sued, because nothing you make while in school belongs to you, it belongs to your school, but...
Here's an example of the Kosher process of being influenced, without actually copying someone else's work and submitting it as your own.
Finished Product:
1. Let's say I was told to design a logo for myself. Hhhhmmmm, well I'm really into dragons, and this really cool image keeps coming into my mind of a dragon that I saw from 2002 (this logo is called "Yin-Yang Dragon, created by dragonkahn, was found here: http://ikkejr.deviantart.com/#/d108wli):
2. I can be INSPIRED by this design, without copying it, by taking what I see and making it my own. The law is that you must change original art by at least 30%, but what does that mean??? This will be more helpful...
The dragon form looks to be a vector image, so let's import this as a .jpeg, onto an Adobe Illustrator page. Once I trace that graphic with the Bezier tool, I can manipulate it however I want. First save the .jpeg in a folder you will remember, then create a new Illustrator file and place that image by choosing File>Place and navigating to the dragon .jpeg. Once placed on the stage, resize the image by manipulating the box handles until it's a size you can work with. Name that layer "template" in the Layers pallet, lock it, and create a new layer called "dragon." Choose the Bezier tool and begin making your shape. Get a rough outline of the dragon curves (for more on using the Bezier tool: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/lyndacom-training-for-designers/illustrator-cs3-essential-training-ch4/)
3. Whether or not you need to include all the lines and curves is up to you, as you will be changing the image dramatically. Think about your own concept, and how this dragon fulfills your idea, and also how it falls short. Make lists, notes, sketches, whatever you need. For my example, let's say I really want to use this dragon, but my actual company identity is much more childlike and friendly, and it needs to appeal to an audience of kids 2 years to 10 years of age (and of course, their parents). So, I might want to make the dragon a little more plump and friendly looking. I can alter the bezier curves by playing with the handles, and change the fill color to give the dragon a completely different feel. Feel free to add or subtract anchors wherever you need to.
This is looking more child-like and friendly already:
4. One of the quickest ways to change the personality of an image is to change the color. I'll use some of Illustrator's readymade color harmony pallets in the Color Guide panel to do just that. These are fun to fiddle with, until you find the right balance of hue, value and contrast. While I'm at it, I'll add in some of my own shapes to change the color opportunities even more.
5. Something that really popped to me, when I first saw the original yin-yang design was that gold, glassy orb that the dragon is curled around. I want to find some thing like that for my design, and I think bubbles would work great for kids. Kids love bubbles! I've found a wonderful tutorial on making vector bubbles, and I won't steal any credit. This is from the site Vector Tuts+, and titled "How to Create Realistic Vector Bubbles," by Iaroslav Lazunov: http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustration/how-to-create-realistic-vector-bubbles/ It takes a few hours, but it's worth it!
I also added some of the color harmonies to the background color, from the Color Guide, with a gradient mesh to give more of a mystical kiddie dance party feel to the background.
6. I think I've already passed that 30% change point, to avoid copyright infringement and lame design stealing, but since I've decided that this will be an ad for a toddler sock-hop event, I'll add text. I've found a medieval font from http://www.fontspace.com/category/medieval?p=5 that I think has some curves similar to my design, and is easy enough to read, while still keeping a medieval look for my Dragon Dance party. I've also added a little faerie kissing the dragon to, I think, make this new design my own, merely inspired by another, and well-suited to my own unique purposes and vision. Thanks dragonkahn!
