Creating simple logos are easy
SO, WHAT'S THE DEAL ABOUT LOGOS?
Well, I have found that logos aren't as bad as I thought. I remember talking about it in the chat room here at WA, saying that I'm not great at images. Well, in a way this is true. However, a situation I am in kind of forced me to think of alternative ways and I thought, "what the heck? I'll just try it"!SHARING THE SUCCESS OF MY LOGO
I came across a couple of YouTube videos that discussed for one -- how to make a web! Yes, a web! I didn't know how to create one. I thought only graphics designers could make them. The link to that one is here. Here is a screenshot of the result I took from the video. Again, this is not my work: 
WHAT SOFTWARE DID YOU USE FOR THIS?
That's a good question! Those who are familiar with this will know it's Inkscape, a vector based drawing program.
AND WHAT IS THAT?
A vector based drawing program is a software that you draw artwork on. You can use pencils, ink, oil paint, and many other tools. For those familiar with Windows, it is almost similar to Windows Paint in Microsoft Windows.The other great thing about that is that you don't loose out on image quality when you zoom in the image. The image always stays at the same quality, before you zoomed in and doesn't blur.
IS THAT THE ONLY IMAGE YOU CREATED FOR YOUR LOGO?
No...I had a hard time understanding how the circle feature in Inkscape worked. The tutorial in this YouTube video helped me understand it better. I didn't realize you can do all kinds of things with circles! Including creating pies, eclipses, arcs, and many things with curves. Here's the screenshot of what this looks like from YouTube: 
A QUICK QUESTION
Do you loose the value of the image in Inkscape? Feel free to answer in my comments section!
MY LAST TECHNIQUE FOR MY LOGO
Finally, I need some shiny effects of my logo, so this YouTube video on glossy text effects helped out, as well. Here was the screenshot:
SUMMARY
So, again, I was about to hand over this to a graphics designer when I didn't realize I could do this myself! This proves that if you enjoy creating graphics, it may be a great value to you. All you need to do is create a niche within it! If this has helped you, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or questions. Thanks for reading and see you around in the next article!
Recent Comments
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Actually I kind of enjoy doing logos and graphics for my sites. I am by no means great at it, but I still do enjoy it.
I can't say I have heard of Inkscape, and I am not too familiar with vector based programs.
I use an open source piece of software called GIMP. My question is, can both of these programs do the same thing? Or do you think one is better than the other when it comes to designing graphics to use for your website?
Believe it or not, that is a good question. I had asked myself the same question many years ago. There are two ways I can use the analogy.
The first analogy is akin to what Adobe Photoshop (equivalent: Gimp) is to Adobe Illustrator (Inkscape). So, yes they are two distinct programs.
The second analogy is what Corel Draw is to Corel Photo Paint.
Someone may not even know of these programs yet, so what I will say is this: Inkscape has tools for vector basic graphics. It is a great program for creating art and anything where you don't want to loose the image quality.
For example, in Gimp, let's say you save your graphics as a JPEG file (somename.jpg). That is not a vector based graphics file. Inkscape, on the other hand, creates SVG, which are vector based files. I'm not saying Gimp is a bad program at all. In fact, I would use Gimp if I had an already available image and wanted to do all kind of neat effects with it.
In a nutshell, if I am creating from scratch, I use Inkscape. If I'm taking an already existing image and applying effects and different things with it, I'll use Gimp.
Here is a resource I found that explains it even in more detail: http://www.logodesignworks.com/blog/vector-graphics-and-raster-graphics-difference
The content of this article still applies! In summary, I would use both!
That makes a lot of sense actually. I can see that you definitely know what you are talking about. Gimp is the free equivalent to Photoshop as you pointed out.
I can't tell you if Photoshop is worth the money it costs or not because I have never used it, but I can say that I am happy with Gimp and will probably use it for years to come.
You did say this however:
"The second analogy is what Corel Draw is to Corel Photo Paint.
Someone may not even know of these programs yet, so what I will say is this: Inkscape has tools for vector basic graphics. It is a great program for creating art and anything where you don't want to loose the image quality."
Like many others, I have never heard of those programs.
But, I totally understand what you are talking about when it comes to image quality. Every time you save a JPEG file it looses clarity. That really bothers me lol.
So that SVG file extension makes me curious. I should look more into it.
In fact, just like you said, I almost extensively use preexisting photos that I have found on Morguefile or stock.xchng and use GIMP to make whatever cool ideas I can come up with at the time.
Yes. If you're doing vector drawing on top of graphics, I would use Inkscape first and then the final touches in Gimp if need be. Gimp also has the ability to extend itself through plug-ins.
As to Photoshop, the main benefits are that their programs are consistent across both interfaces, so you don't loose much in terms of where things might be. Whereas with both Inkscape and Gimp, they are completely different programs, although they do some similar things, such as that you can crop, select, and stuff like that.
I wouldn't learn Photoshop if you are already used to Gimp and Inkscape, because you'll be more proficient in whatever software you use well. Gimp and Inkscape are complimentary, though.
In addition to there being books on both programs, I highly recommend both http://meetgimp.org and http://screencasters.heathenx.org/ and I even discovered more Inkscape here: http://vimeo.com/groups/inkscape , which adds about 68 videos.
Here's a useful tip: If you do watch these videos, make sure you download the version for that video! Inkscape has archived versions here:http://sourceforge.net/projects/inkscape/files/inkscape/
Yeah I don't think I will bother with learning Photoshop at the moment, since I am so used to GIMP. But you never know, it could be something I could use in the future.
The thing with GIMP is that I have used it for years, so naturally going through another learning curve with Inkscape makes me a bit hesitant. But, on the other hand, learning new things is ALWAYS best.
Thanks for the links to videos and tutorials. I will definitely take a look at them here soon.
You're welcome. I will soon have a status update of my new logo, so that you see what I made in action!
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Thanks for the help. I am in the process of designing my own logo, and this will help me! Great stuff!! Cheers, Jacob