EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ymiba.png)
- Disclaimer: I would like to make it clear that I'm no designer and I've just started learning Inkscape (for fun). So this is just an amateur blog about a random average guy who wants to share how freaking easy it is to make cool looking logos for your event (hopefully a BW event!). Seriously, it takes almost no effort at all!
After being requested to create logos for some BW tournaments, I've decided that it is a good idea to teach what I've learnt so far.
Before finding out about Inkscape through my brother, all the "work" I did for the requested logos were made with Photoshop. While Photoshop is an amazing software for painting, making logos with Inkscape is infinitely easier and you can achieve great results, it all depends of your own creativity.
The idea of this blog is to teach you how to use the basics of the software, following a step-by-step guide of the creation of a logo I created for the D Ranks Individual Tournament Season 1. Actually, during the creation of the logo I named it D Ranks Team League, so the screenshots are with this later name. But enough, let's begin!
Step 1
Download Inkscape here.
It's FREE and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Remember to pick the correct download link under Official Realease Packages section. Install it and run.
Step 2
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZpGvt.png)
This is the looks of Inkscape when you just start it. It's a pretty clean and intuitive interface, so I won't go around explaining each piece of it.
Let's just cut directly into action: select the Rectangle tool, as indicated in Figure 1. This tool allows you to draw rectangles (oh don't you say).
Step 3
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/HM8XA.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GtKRU.png)
Draw a black rectangle as shown in Figure 2. Notice that the rectangle corners are square, we want to make them round for our logo. To do that, modify the value of the field Rx indicated in Figure 2. Try out modifying Rx and Ry values to learn what they actually do. After you are done playing around, set Rx to 8 and Ry to 0. Your shape must look something like Figure 3.
Attention! To be able to change Rx and Ry fields, you must have your rectangle shape AND the rectangle tool selected. If you have de-selected your shape, choose the Selection tool (the black pointer), select your shape with it and then select the Rectangle tool.
Step 4
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qWht0.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/gqqqF.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ySO6h.png)
Now we need to duplicate the shape, to create the red strip in the logo. To do so, right-click the shape and select Duplicate, and then change the shape's color to red (just click on a red color in the bottom color pallete).
Those arrows indicated in Figure 5 are used to transform the shape. The ones shown in Figure 5 are used to resize it, but if you click on the shape again you will be presented arrows that allow you to rotate and skew the shape. Try it! Anyway, resize the red shape to about half of the height of the black shape, like in Figure 6.
Step 5
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ym8aE.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J5thT.png)
Notice how the red rectangle has round corners like the black one. We want the bottom corners to actually be square. To achieve that, we will create a new rectangle over the half bottom of the red rectangle and use it to crop out the undesired part.
Create a rectangle like the yellow one in Figure 7. Shift-select the yellow and the red rectangles and press CTRL - (control minus). Voilá! Half of the red shape is gone (Figure 8).
Step 6
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XsUcU.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/c72Mf.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pkfeD.png)
Add the text and adjust the size of the shapes to something like Figure 9.
You see, it's already looking okayish for a logo. It's clean and kind of stylized, but let's make it look cooler by adding gradients! Select the red rectangle and press G. You are now editing the gradient of the shape. It can be a little bit confusing at first, but it is really simple to use this tool. Just leave the "gradient line" like in Figure 10, indicated by the arrow 2.
Right now it is looking really bad, too dark and the simple gradient is too ugly. We need more gradient points. To add a gradient point, with your gradient tool selected, click on Edit, as indicated by the arrow 1.
A window like in Figure 11 will appear. Click 3 times on "Add Stop" to add 3 gradient points.
Step 7
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EY0Oz.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CAsVA.png)
Now your gradient line will be separated by 4 points, like in Figure 12. One by one, select the point, change it's color and move it up/down to create your gradient effect as you want. You can see on Figure 13 how I left mine.
Tip! If you hold CTRL while moving the gradient points, the movements will be restricted to the vertical direction only!
Do the same to the black shape, and we are done! Now all that's left is to export it as an image.
Final Step
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DsLnw.png)
To export your logo, go to File->Export Bitmap->Export, as shown in Figure 14.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zKQit.png)
And that's it! It's actually very quick and simple to do it, don't be scared because of the size of this "tutorial". Explaining how to do things take 100 times longer than actually doing it. Play around with the tools and have fun while learning.
You can do a lot of stuff to your logo, like add shadow for example:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XBJPo.png)
Google how to do it, there are many tutorials on the internet that are very easy to follow.
Now instead of PM'ing me asking to make a logo, you can make one yourself!
Unless, of course, you are too busy with other responsabilities of the event and need someone else, if I can help I sure will, especially if it is a BW event.
Links:
- Inkscape: http://inkscape.org/
D Ranks Individual League: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=334317
TL BBcode: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=336805#spoiler
How to add shadow: http://kalaalog.com/2008/06/15/drop-shadows-in-inkscape/
How to vectorize an image: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/howto-vectorize-images-in-inkscape/
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Yp1zJ.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wjFj7.png)
