Blog Headers

This is the first header I made for this blog page (with my updated logo). 

It features my illustration of Gil-galad.

I’ve created a series of headers using my logo against different backdrops and environments. I started out with the idea of simply using some of my illustrations as backdrops for the logo so I could add some variety to the look of my blog page, swapping out headers from time to time. The project became more interesting as my imagination began going in different directions and I could envision my logo in different environments.

Below are some more variations featuring my illustrations. Click any of the images below for a larger view.

This is where my imagination began taking the idea in different directions as I added the logo to various photo composite images which I created.

It's has become a fun distraction for me to create these headers and I hope to make many more in the future.

WeatherLoc Logo

Click for a larger view.

My latest logo design is this wordmark for the company WeatherLoc™, a company which specializes in home insulation — specifically that type of insulation that is blown directly into the walls of you home.

It was the client's desire to communicate the energy and cost saving benefits of their product. This priority was met through color choice and through the visual of the green leaves positioned over the letter t. The leaves were originally placed atop the letter h but were moved at the client’s request.

The target customer of WeatherLoc is the average home owner (not builders or professional contractors) so we agreed to avoid using any technical symbols that might not be well known to the average consumer. Instead, we decided to focus on the  benefits of locking-in energy and savings. I capitalized on the shape of the letter o in the second part of the company name by making it into a lock. This also helps remove any confusion that may arise as a result of the divergent spelling choice of changing Lock to Loc.

Purposeful misspelling, employed for special effect, is called sensational spelling, or divergent spelling. It is a popular technique in advertising and is used to create a unique word or identity that will attract attention and can be trademarked. While the risk of losing the meaning of the word is minimal in this case, visually reinforcing the lock concept helps to further drive home the message and also provides an easily memorable visual.

In one of my early designs for the logo, I made the lock element look more like a padlock. The client requested the removal of the shackle on the top of the lock.

Round 1 version sporting a shackle type padlock. 

Note also the leaves placed over the letter “h.”

In addition to creating a standard logotype that can be printed in 1 or 2 colors and also reversed out of a color background, I included a version featuring leaves and lock elements that are more illustrated, for possible use in high-end printed materials, signage or websites.

1 Color

2 Color

Reverse

Illustrated

The font usage for the logo is Univers 53 Extended which I have modified to be unique to this logo.  The same font is used unmodified in the tag line. Univers is a neo-grotesque san serif typeface designed in 1957 by Adrian Frutiger.

Areas of modification are circled in red.

The colors used for this logo are black and Pantone 376 C.

Font Formats

PostScript Type 1, TrueType and OpenType font formats are all multi-platform, outline font standards. Multi-platform (or cross-platform) means that the fonts can be used on different types of computer operating systems, Windows and Mac for example. The term “outline” means that the font defines the form of the letter (the character or glyph) through mathematical formulas which define lines and curves. TrueType and PostScript fonts each use different mathematics to describe their outlines while the OpenType format can use both TrueType and PostScript outlines.

PostScript Type 1: The Postscript Type 1 format, created by Adobe, requires two files for each font, namely the screen font (containing the metrics and other information needed to display the font properly on the computer screen) and the printer font (containing the actual PostScript typeface). PostScript is an industry-standard page description language (PDL) used to describe text, graphics and images for printed pages in publishing and graphic design. Consequently, the PostScript font format has traditionally been the preferred font format for use in those industries. Back in the day, when I wanted to send a completed design job to a print shop, I had to include the fonts that were used with the job. If I used Type 1 fonts  I had to make sure I included both the screen font and the printer font files. With PostScript being the industry standard in high-end print shops, I invariably used PostScript Type 1 fonts in my designs.

Type 1 fonts are limited to approximately 256 glyphs per font. PostScript font files are also platform specific, meaning that there are different versions of PostScript fonts for use with either the Mac platform or the Windows platform.

Adobe Font Icons

TrueType: TrueType fonts were originally created by Apple but the technology was then licensed to Microsoft. TrueType is a cross-platform format meaning it can be used on both Windows and Mac platforms. TrueType fonts require only one file per font with both the screen font and the printer font components contained in that single file. Like Type 1 fonts, TrueType fonts are limited to 256 glyphs per font.

TrueType Font Icon

OpenType: OpenType is the newest font format and is likely to supersede both Type 1 and TrueType. It was developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft. It is a cross-platform font format working on both Windows and Mac platforms. Like TrueType, OpenType fonts consist of a single file which contains all the necessary font components (the outline, metric and bitmap data). Unlike Type 1 and TrueType, Opentype fonts can contain up to 65,000 glyphs. An excellent description of the OpenType font format can be found at Adobe’s web site.

OpenType Font Icon

OpenType fonts come in two varieties, namely CFF and TTF. OpenType fonts of the CFF type are designated by the file extension .otf and are PostScript Type 1 fonts. OpenType fonts of the TTF variety are designated by the file extension .ttf and are TrueType fonts. TTF (.ttf) Opentype fonts are a better choice if you are working on a Windows platform or are doing work that is only going to be viewed on a computer screen. This is because TrueType fonts have better “hinting”. Hinting involves embedded instructions which control how an outline font is rasterized and determines how clearly and legibly the font displays, especially at low resolutions.  CFF (.otf) OpenType fonts are the best choice if you are working on a Mac platform or are doing print work.

Free Vs. Commercial Fonts: There are several reasons to only use fonts purchased from reputable font foundries as opposed to free fonts. Some TrueType and Opentype fonts can contain restrictions which do not allow them to be embedded in a PDF file. These fonts are not licensed for commercial use. Such restricted font files should not be used in print production. Also, free fonts often lack the quality and craftsmanship found in commercial fonts and they tend to be very limited in their character sets. There are also ethical considerations, since some free fonts may actually be commercial fonts which someone purchased then posted on the web.

Finally: According to Printing.org, “You can use TrueType, OpenType and Type 1 fonts interchangeably in your page layout. Each typeface will produce equal results and print properly on all up-to-date RIPs. (http://www.printing.org/page/2775)

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Sources:
Anonymous, OpenType, Publishing Date Unknown, Retrieved 5/9/2011 from Adobe.com. (http://www.adobe.com/type/opentype/)


Anonymous, Fonts: Bitmap, PostScript, and TrueType Compared, Last Modified 10/03/2008, Article: TA21573, retrieved  5/12/2011 from Apple.com. (http://support.apple.com/kb/TA21573?viewlocale=en_US)


Anonymous, Font Formats, Published 8/19/2008 (updated 5/13/2009), retrieved 5/11/2011 from Printing.org. (http://www.printing.org/page/2775)


Phinney, Thomas W., TrueType, PostScript Type 1, & OpenType: What’s the Difference?, Version 2.22, 12/5/2002, Retrieved 5/11/2011 from Scribd. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/202365/TrueType-PostScript-Type-1-and-OpenType-Whats-the-Difference)


Marin, Joe, When You Shouldn't Use a Font, Published 5/13/2009, Retrieved 5/9/2011 from Printing.org. (http://www.printing.org/page/5352)


Anonymous, What is the Difference Between TrueType, PostScript and OpenType Fonts,  Publishing Date Unknown, Retrieved on 5/14/2011 from Herff Jones Yearbooks, (http://www.yearbooks.biz/?event=FAQ.Detail&faq=2)


Bear, Jacci Howard, Why Buy Fonts When There are So Many Free Fonts on the Web?, Retrieved 5/14/2011 from About.com (http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/fonts/f/why_buy_fonts.htm)


Strizver, Ilene, Which Flavor of OpenType iIs Best?, Published on 4/13/2011, Retrieved on 4/21/2011 from CreativePro.com (http://www.creativepro.com/blog/typetalk-which-flavor-opentype-best)