I was struggling against writer’s block before writing this very first line. Writing about logos and design is satisfying and every time I post something new I learn something new (or, at least, I make sure I do).
But today is one of those days on which the creative juices are rather evaporating away from my body. The only thing that kept me awake through this ordeal was the sound of my eyes sizzling due to the radiation emanating from my computer’s screen. Crunchy eyes are not exactly the sign of great blog posting
And then, I saw some amazing designs and it hit me: Of course! Textures!
I slapped my forehead so hard everyone turned around to see me.
First of all, let me show you something...
Please, check THIS out. These designs were crafted by Paul Thurlby, a graphic designer from London. The alphabet collection has all the things I fancy from a graphic design. It’s vibrant, it’s colorful, creative and it’s got a distinctive personality that resembles, yet doesn’t copy, my beloved UPA style.
So, you might wonder… why the hell am I showing you this?
To illustrate the importance of textures.
Textures matter
Aside of the inherent beauty of these designs, I was thrilled by the little detail of the textures, specially the cracks and peels. It rounded up the whole retro vibe in ways that could not be achieved by mere design or palette tones. It becomes a sensory extra and it tells us a bit more about these images.
Thinking of textures (or just the illusion of textures) adds a new level of depth to your designs and makes them not only memorable but tangible.
Invading the third dimension
- What kind of object would your logo be if it had volume? How much would it weight? How would it feel to the touch? There are plenty of design and modeling tools out there to experiment but none can compare to your own senses.
- Colors generate specific notions of temperature. Is it a cold logo or a warm logo?
- Different levels of gloss create a sensation of smoothness. The glossier, the smoother will feel to the touch.
Playing around with textures generate different illusions about materials, age, temperature and overall feel. That way, people can actually FEEL your logo and attach it to yet another realm of the mind.
