Hello and thank you for being part of J465 this semester. Together, we will undertake a series of projects and assignments that are meant to build your abilities as designers and increase your expertise in the core Adobe programs that are the tools of the trade. You will be designing logos, illustrations, layouts and animations that will showcase your creative vision and your unique personal style.
You will use this site throughout the semester to post your work, as well as descriptions of your creative process and analyses of the finished products. As authors, you may post additional thoughts and reactions any time you see fit. As part of the class, you will also be designing and maintaining your own J465 website, showcasing your project and exercise work. To read the full syllabus for J465, please visit our syllabus site at www.stevelayton.net/j465/f25.
Good luck — and once again, thanks for being here.
I started my logo with something I’d been thinking about for a long time, which was combining Bigfoot with a tree. The final image of the guy is a more refined version of my sketch, but it was really nice because I was skeptical of it working on illustrator but it came to life in a really cool way. The font was from adobe but I converted each letter to a shape and twisted and bended them around and in eachother. My idea for forest cycling publishing was that they published stories, fiction, editorials, and advice on forest and athletic based content. I wanted the logo to be playful like the concept and hope it translated!
Discover the story behind the design by clicking the logo.
The idea for Nine Publications began with something personal. My name, Navya, means “nine” in Sanskrit, and I wanted that connection to shape the identity of the brand. From the start, my goal was to create a mark that feels human, modern, and warm, reflecting both creativity and clarity.
The number nine was custom illustrated by me to look sleek and bold, with a subtle pen shape inside it to represent writing, storytelling, and the spirit of publishing. I explored several versions inspired by geometric and minimalist design and refined it into a form that balances strength and simplicity.
I chose Futura Regular and Futura Bold to keep the look clean and modern and paired them with a calm, balanced color palette that feels professional yet approachable. Every element, from the typography to the illustrated nine, is meant to express creativity, connection, and inclusivity, the core values behind Nine Publications.
I really enjoyed working on this project for several reasons. I liked the broad prompt of creating your own publishing company, along with full creative freedom. After brainstorming, I was drawn to the name Bungee Publishing.
I chose this name because I wanted to create a company that aligned with the values of spontaneity, flexibility, and fun. Bungee jumping is exhilarating and brave, and that is a value that I wanted represented through my publishing company. I looked up different images of bungee jumping, and was struck with the idea of using an upward angle of a jumper, and have their hands holding a book. It’s slightly surprising, seeing a book in a bungee jumper’s hands, and aligns with the values of the company.
I went through different phases of choosing fonts, but decided on American Typewriter because the classic font contrasted nicely with the loud cartoon design. I do definitely think the logo can be improved with more details and better outlining of the cartoon jumper, but I am happy with where it is currently.
When I started designing my logo I knew I wanted to incorporate a symbol that was representative of reading or writing. I spent a longtime brainstorming, and I was eventually inspired by the imagery of ink droplets on paper. One reference photo I found reminded me of a pufferfish and the idea for Pufferfish Publishing was born. I knew that I wanted my design to be fun and unexpected, but still meaningful. Choosing black and white felt right because it keeps the focus on contrast and clarity, and reflects the classic combination of ink on paper. For the main font I chose Marvin Round because it reflected the rounded shape of the pufferfish/ink-droplet logo. This project taught me how much personality a logo can carry and how small design choices can change an entire brand’s voice.
For the first project in J465 this Fall, students made logos and created a brand guide for a fictional publishing company of our choosing. I decided to name my company Ballerina Publishing because I used to be a dancer. I also wanted a company that was female focused and empowering.
For the overall logo, I originally had a silhouetted ballerina somewhat dancing across the word ballerina. However, after furthering my sketches, I decided it wouldn’t work because it was not very scalable. In my next sketch I tried to incorporate a tutu, that just did not look appropriate. Last I decided to try incorporating point shoes which seemed like the most obvious option from the beginning. Once I did the pointe shoes, the rest of my designs kind of just flowed. I decided on making the pointe shoes the “LL”s in Ballerina after that.
When I came to my brand colors, I wanted them to communicate a song feminine message. Usually, ballerinas wear a more pale, skin tone pink. I decided on hot pink because of the history behind that pink color being very exclusionary for people of color who danced ballet. The blue sends off a strong and grounded vibe whilst still being a cool compliment to the hot pink. I also decided to use the same font throughout all my designs. The fine I picked is traditional and sophisticated but still vey legible and kind of fun.
The different variations of the logo came about from my original sketches as well as some improvisation in adobe illustrator and the rules for the assignment. We had to make different variations like text only, graphic only, vertical and horizontal arrangements.
Overall, I really liked this project. As a small business owner this was actually pretty helpful learning how to create a brand guide. I loved that we were able to pull our own company name from our imagination because it gave us students so much creative freedom. This was a great assignment!
I liked this name because it conveys the idea that everyone is connected which feels welcoming and inclusive. I chose this typeface because it mimics the sweeping motions of a flowing thread. I thought the needle as the top of the T was a simple touch that connected the image aspect of the logo with the word mark. The swirling thread is the same stroke in each of the logo variations which helps it be cohesive even if it is turned different ways. This thread was one of my biggest challenges. I drew around 100 different strokes to find one I thought would work in each variation and didn’t look overdone or awkward. Like I explain in the Logo Design section of the Brand Guide, the deep red ties into the Red String theory to symbolize the connections that unite people with the company. My intention with the logo was to design something traditional and dependable. I feel the colors, typeface, and simple design reflect those qualities.
I found the sketch phase of the project arguably the most challenging, mostly because I wanted to find a concept that actually meant something to me. I went through tons and tons of ideas before realizing that the name and idea would come together more naturally if I made it personal. That’s how Blue Hound Publishing was created. I have a 16 year old hound dog at home named Mickey, and I’ve always admired how loyal, loving, and patient he is. Hounds are also known for their strong sense of smell and instinct for tracking; that idea of “sniffing out the next great story” became the core of my concept and helped guide the brand’s voice and visuals.
When it came to designing the logo, I wanted to combine the image of a blue hound with something that clearly represented publishing. After a few different sketches, I landed on the idea of using negative space to form an open book in the dog’s collar. I loved how subtle it is, but also how much meaning it carried once you noticed it. I showed it to some friends just to make sure it was noticeable enough, and got some feedback from them. It took a lot of trial and error to get the shapes to feel smooth and balanced, but once it clicked, the design started to feel cohesive and intentional.
For my typeface, I ended up going with Lato, mostly because it’s versatile, modern, and has a ton of different weights that make it easy to establish hierarchy. It also has a clean, trustworthy look that I felt fit well with my company.
The brand guide itself took a while to refine, especially when it came to layout and color. I wanted a repeatable format so it felt like a professional brand guide. Rather than sticking too many things on one page, I gave each idea its own page. Putting everything together helped me understand how much design relies on consistency and negative space. I also found that once I had the logo and voice figured out, the rest of the pieces started falling into place easily. Overall, I’m proud of how this project came together. Blue Hound Publishing feels personal, professional, and represents my creativity well. The process definitely pushed me to think deeper about how design choices connect to meaning, and I feel like this brand reflects my style and my story.
The sketch phase of my project was very odd because I was coming up with a bunch of ideas for a bunch of companies with completely different names and brand voice. I liked a few of them but felt most confident in my ability to execute the ghost publishing one. I am very familiar with drawing skulls and had an interesting idea for an animation for the future project. Skulls are complex shapes so I tried my best to reduce it to the absolute simplest form while keeping it recognizable. I am still unsure if it’s simple enough but I am hopeful.
Picking fonts has always been my greatest enemy. I never feel especially confident in my choice and don’t really know how to go about doing it. I thought the display font was spooky and elegant which is why I picked it. I was even less sure about the body text but I figured simple and reliable was better.
The logo itself took hours to get right but then the brand guide just about killed me. I did have fun making my dumb puns like “skeletons in our closet” instead of about us or “our unfinished business” instead of mission statement. I felt my word choice reflected the brand voice. I tried to decorate the brand guide to make it match the tone.
The actual different logo layouts did momentarily stump me because I had forgotten to make a vertical version and wasn’t sure what I’d do. However when I made the letters into the neck I suddenly loved it. I hope its as good as I think it is. The other one I wasn’t sure about was the alternative. Now my logo can appear in all forms in any of the colors with one of the other colors for the background but I wasn’t totally sure if that was what the alternative part wanted. I probably should have asked but I can now only hope the color variations are enough of alternatives.
