Can I improve this logo design with any effects or filters?

Question

I've been asked to design a logo for a heritage trust. The logo must have a medieval cross as its centrepiece. However, whilst I'm a photographer with negligible graphic design experience I gave it a shot:

It was a case of trying to combine the intricacy of the original Celtic knots with the simplicity of the best logos. It looks somewhat clumsy to me.

I then messed around with some filters in PS to try and roughen up the edges. The stamp filter (nothing else was used) seemed to give the best finish. The result is better but could it be improved on:

So, what I'm wondering is if anyone knows of a very quick filter or combination of filters that could be applied to the original "cross" image to give some "sparkle" to the original file? This is very vague, I know, but to an extent I'm going by feel here. Watercolor effect? Stone effect? Carte blanche rules.

Not a technical question and it sounds like a logo design on the cheap--which it is. But if someone has an idea that could quickly be applied to the file, I would be very grateful as this is an area I'm very inexperienced in. Even a suggestion to look at another logo that might provide me with ideas would be great? Any assistance is much appreciated.

Answer 1

I second the comment on your post. The original image is better, to my eyes, than the "improved" version. With respect, I think your thinking is back to front.

Firstly, good job with the logo, considering you say you have little experience I think it's a reasonable job. But you should keep in mind that no filter, no quick trick, is going to make the original somehow "better".

Think about the classic logos...Coca-cola, Amazon...a million others, logos tend to be "vector" files... like your first example. Clean, high-contrast and uncluttered. (as well as visually appealing, on subject etc etc). So I would stop thinking what can be done to improve it "after the fact" and instead concentrate on what can be done to improve the original design.

Bearing in mind that this logo is going to need to be reproduced in colour and black and white, and also at multiple sizes including possibly down to 64x64 pixels or less, I think one immediate area for improvement is in reducing the complexity of the cross.

I do like what you've done with it, but I worry it will scale very effectively. I would start out by reducing the complexity there, and I would beef up the font to provide more balance with the cross. Perhaps something Medieval/Celtic but of course it would be easy to go "pastiche" by accident!

The takeaway here is that no filter, no quick fix, is going to improve the original design.

Answer 2

Simplify the design. Start off my converting to a vector format - no logo should ever be done in a pixel format, since this will limit the use of the logo to that specific size or smaller sizes only.

Here is some things that come to mind:

• Reduce the detail of the top, left and right set-in crosses and floral decors; maybe use a simple cross or single leave in all of them; alternatively try completely removing them

• Make the celtic not less intricate; you could for example remove the entire middle of the three rings

• Remove the center circle and expand the size of the knot lines instead, opting for a single dominant visual element

• Overall look at the balance of white space and detail, and make sure you have clear shapes with equally little amount of detail all over

• Pick a font that somewhat reflects either the early christian scribal culture or resonates stone carved letters associated with celtic tombstones

• Integrate the wordmark to the logo and balance the size of text to logo

Use your imagination, not your tools. Start the design by drawing on paper, it will be much more fast to find what works and what doesn’t.

Answer 3

There are two possiblities to filter

1) make it simpler

2) try to be arty by adding details; random and mimicking textures, light and thickness

If you are going to filter a logo to keep it as a logo, simplifying have a possiblity to be productive.

Making it more complex perhaps is useful when creating a derivative work which utilizes the logo as a subject - a T-shirt or scented candle, for example, if the original is still recognizable. If you are lucky, you make an illusion there's somewhere a real object which is shown one way in the logo and otherwise in the filtering result (see NOTE1)

Here is your original, a simplification and three "wanna be arty" filterings

I believe that the simplification could be a logo. It's fault is we know it's a filtering result. I tried to make the small details rounder like you have done, but to save all gaps and holes, even to make them bigger. The writing is thicker and taller. I think your simplification has made it too thin in many places.

The simplified version actually is more easily produceable with 1000 years old tools than your original, so it has at least one reason to stay alive until enough downvotes appear.

NOTE1: If that happens and you are going to use the result, be sure that you also have a nice story.

Answer 4

First I want to say I agree with the first answer here.

The takeaway here is that no filter, no quick fix, is going to improve the original design.

And this comment

The more "filters" and "effects" you use on a logo, typically the less professional it appears. – Scott

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If you insist on using a filter

FIRST: We are working in Illustrator because logos need to be vector.

I think the "Rough Pastels" under "Artistic Filters" is a good choice for this particular artwork. I like it because it adds a little bit of depth to it with the shading and it also makes it look a bit worn. Unlike the second image OP provided which just looks like a bad fax.

Even better if you apply it in Illustrator then you can keep everything vector. You don't need Photoshop to use all the Photoshop filters.

The benefit of doing it in Illustrator is that you can still modify the file with the filter over it.