We recently received an email from one the members of our online portfolio for artists, Voodoochilli.net. Steve Diffenderfer emailed us with a modification to our existing logo that we liked immediately.
The logo that hasn’t changed since the site was founded back in 2002 now sports a funky little portfolio icon. The change is so minor but as soon as we saw it our reaction was disbelief that we had not spotted it ourselves.
We asked Steve some questions about the new logo:
Please tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am an artist and designer. I graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in ‘91. I have worked in different design and production roles ever since. I worked in vinyl graphics for an exhibit company, as a signmaker, digitizing corporate embroidery, as a business owner, and freelance design. I am the father of three talented children and live in Vermont, USA.
What made you think of the changes for the logo and of approaching us with them?
I saw that you were making changes to the homepage (as noted in the newsfeed) with an invitation for comments and suggestions. I wanted to lend a hand. I looked it over and thought I could contribute by making some suggestions to modify the logo.
Can you tell me a little bit about the process involved in modifying the logo.
I imported the website gif into Adobe Illustrator. I needed to created a high resolution file. I vectorized the logo using “live trace”. I redrew the portfolio element adding a handle and slightly rotated counter-clockwise for more visual movement. I then worked with the “Voodoochilli” element. I used the “tweak” filter at vertical 1% to slightly roughen the design. I manually manipulated points in the element while maintaining the definition and strength of the original design. I then replaced the type with a similar but slightly bolder sans-serif font scaled horizontally 110% and manually kerned.
Anything else you would like to add.
VoodooChilli is an excellent site. Having a website to share artwork and communicate is great. I am proud to be part of the online community.
We said a little thank you to Steve by giving him a years free pro membership to the website.
Voodoochilli.net is an online portfolio for artist’s run by Voodoochilli Design Ltd. If you are interested in joining, check it out!
That little change made a world of difference. Very clever. Sometimes the simplest of things are the most effective when it comes to design.
That’s very neat, the little touches count don’t they