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 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.
For my logo I chose to opt for a play on words rather than make up an animal, object etc. I settled on Inkspire because I found it to be simple but an effective play on words while it being obvious at first sight it has something to do with writing. It took me a few different sketches to come up with the logo, but I knew I was going to incorporate a pen somehow with a lightbulb. I wasn’t sure where the lightbulb would be but after playing around I felt comfortable putting it on the typeface while leaving an outline of a lightbulb on the actual logo. When it came to the logo it took a while how I wanted it, did I want a cartoon feel, a real feel, or a mix of both. I settled for a mix of both while having a colorful cartoonish design while also giving it a real feel with the texture I added to the color. I chose the top typeface for Inkspire to have more of a handwritten and bubble letter feel to it. The bottom typeface I chose was a basic text so it wouldn’t overcrowd or take away from anything else. I had a really fun time with this project, being able to have free will with a design is an experience that I’ve never really had before. It was a good process but a little difficult. Items, like the light bulb, I wasn’t really sure where to put so I had to play around a little bit in illustrator to see where I thought fit best. I had a very good time making different designs, as having essentially the same logo but putting the logo and company name in different places was a good exercise to see what was the best. My logo is supposed to be a pen nib with a light bulb in the middle of it, almost representing that once you start writing that’s when the ideas start. The brand guide was a little hard to fit everything and what layout I would do. Looking back on it I wish I added more pages but I feel like everything fits and flows on two pages. I decided to put all the logos on the first page just to show them off before I labeled them on the next page. Overall I do like how everything came out, I just wish the brandguide was structured a little better if I had to change anything.
When I first started thinking of ideas for my logo, I knew I wanted to involve my last name sweet. So at first, I began with just the name Sweet Publishing. I knew i wanted it to have a simple and sleek pen stroke look to it to tie into the publishing brand. Right off of the bat, I had the idea of incorporating a wrapped candy within my logo to represent the “sweet”. From here I made a couple of sketches, where I noticed I could make the middle part of the candy be identifiable as the S in sweet.
After a couple of sketches, I realized I was envisioning the candy wrapper ends to emerge into something else as well, which was hearts. So i ultimately decided to have my publishing company be named Sweetheart Publishing.
I once again made several sketches until I was happy with a final product. This took a lot of trial and error. I wanted the hearts to be positioned a certain way…But really creating the circled candy in the middle was the hardest part because I wanted all of my pen strokes to be even and curved WHILE STILL create some sort of an S shape as well. I ended up angling the ends of the hearts to match up together as well so it gave it an idea of continuation. Finally last thing I did in my illustration was draw out a little quill at the end of the pen stroke to make it seem as if it had drawn it out, tying in the publishing title for my company.
I used a cursive handwriting font along with a more formal italic font because I wanted to match the elegance of the design itself but I think in future alterations of this logo I would look into changing the fonts the fit a more simple and elegant look because right now it seems to be a bit whimsical.
I wanted to keep this logo very sleek, elegant, and modern so I came up with a pretty neutral palette although honestly I can see myself changing it now to maybe just being the red color rather than the beige as it adds a little more pop. Overall though, I am very happy with what I was able to create and really enjoyed this process.
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.
