posted
I have to have a design for a bus by Wed. I got the order a few weeks ago and my designer and I have been thumbnailing some designs but nothing has jelled. This company is getting 3 new buses in and I get one of them. Mine is to have a patriotic theme with a flag and an eagle and whatever else we want. The eagle will be the more dominate (sp) as we want a picture of an bald eagle with its wings outstretched and talons stretching forward, grabbing onto the logo of this bus system.
I must be having a brain freeze because nothing I draw gets it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It will be for a Bluebird 25.5 foot bus with graphics on the sides and maybe a little up onto the windows.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412
Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Hi Laura, You couldn't hardly have picked a worst time than between now and Wednesday. Still, give us some visuals to assist here. How about posting a diagram of the bus profile and where that logo would be on it. Also, how many colors do you want to use and will the design wrap around the back too? Vinyl, Paint, Print? Posterized with solid colors or are blends ok? Key words I try to get clients to select are Modern or Traditional, Bold or Subtle, Realistic or Stylized, Formal or Casual. Need more direction please.
SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Laura, I published some web images of the item you sent me to show people what you're up to. First is the bare bus outline: Then a pic of the logo you're supposed to use:
and lastly, your attempt at a layout (that you didn't like):
I still want your input on the original questions of casual or formal, bold or subtle, etc, and I guess I should ask a real obvious question - What color is the bus now???
I hope these images aid in getting some feedback for you.
I'll give mine now: First off, you already know the layout you tried isn't working. Aside from the stripes being messed up, the blue field starts in an awkward way, and it's going to be difficult to put those GLTA letters over a red striped background without some kind of heavy outline separating them. A bright green like you show makes this all the more urgent. Those two colors can never touch without fighting. The eagle's pretty good.
Here's something that might work better - Simplify the flag graphic so it's only the top edge of a flag - about two red stripes and three or four stars that undulate across the lower portion of the body only, under the windows, and flow right off the bottom of the body. Let the blue star field go all the way to the front (as if it's wrapping around) and have it stop somewhere around the middle of the front wheelwell. Tha GLTA letters would fall mostly in a solid red area of the top stripe. That's how I can envision that layout.
Another concept would be with the eagle facing you straight-on in the middle of the bus, with his wings out to the sides, either gripping the GLTA, or standing with the GLTA falling across his body, backed up by the outstretched wings. That would separate the letters from the stripes completely. The flag could be treated like I first suggested or it might look ok as two flags radiating left and right from behind the eagle.
That's all I have for now. Try some thumbnails of what I suggested and see if you can work it out. It's late, I gotta go to bed now, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
[ December 24, 2001: Message edited by: Joe Rees ]
SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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If you were savvy in photoshop, You might want to blur the flagg and make it the background image. Then use a real eagle crisp and clear coming in for a landing to the logo but not on the logo.
Of cours it is just an idea in my head and not on paper.
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you."
Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Laura, Just an idea. I would start off with the flowing flag behind the bus door and not start the logo until the flag has ended. It doesn't seem to show well on top of the busy flag. Bronzeo
-------------------- "Don't change horses in midstream, unless you spot one with longer legs" bronzeo oti Jack Davis 1410 Main St Joplin, MO 64801 www.imagemakerart.com jack@imagemakerart.com Posts: 1549 | From: Joplin, MO | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
To answer a few questions. We pretty much have free reign on this one - probably because of the four buses that this company has, the previous owner did three of the four. The bus is straight aluminium in color. Normally we get $2000-$2200 for very simpy designs for the buses as this company gets grants for all of these. We haven't talked price yet but I figured I'd show him what size design he gets for $2000, for $2500 and then for $3,000. Since I am doing this all in shop, most of the cost will be labor.
My designer and I already knew his design wasn't getting it. I turned the GLTA green so that you could see it. What I was thinking for the logo was doing the GLTA or the rings (but not both) in metallic gold ShineShine and then siliconing it onto the bus. I just knew that that wouldn't show up in the design that I sent. I hated sending this file because it wasn't anything near what kinda designing that we do - only that it was the smallest file at the shop that I could email home to work with.
As far as the eagle goes - I had found a straight on pic of an eagle coming into its nest-with talons outstretched and wings back but it was in the encyclopedia. I had envisioned this shot with the eagle coming in grabbing the rings of the logo. I have been searching websites, books, high resolution photos on clipart packages, for another eagle in the same position. I can't find anything. (I even posted a message here looking for a photo).
I know more than the "tip of the iceberg" about PhotoShop and wanted to mess around to see what I could come up with. Today I plan on taking my digital camera out with me and taking a pic of some flags blowing in the wind-just to see what I could come up with. We could either airbrushed the vinyl to look like the flag, do straight vinyl (ugh!) or print it on my PC-60. I am a little nervious about this as I am afraid that it will wear the head out on my machine. The biggest graphic that I have done is a 7.5 sunburst that went on a 8' round black can sign with channel letters mounted on to top.
I hope this helps. I have gotten a few more ideas from this post. Both Chris(my designer)and I have done thumbnails until they came out of our wazoo. We do thumbnail on tissue paper and then overlay them onto the bus design that is printed out on regular paper and taped down to my drafting table. This helps as we can lay two tissue paper designs ontop of each other to see if part of one will work with the other.
Thanks for the help so far. I hear my new grandchild crying so I have to go.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412
Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Anyone else have some PhotoShop ideas. The flag doesn't have to be an exact replica. I had thought about putting a few stars (not all 50)on a background of blue but making the stars beveled or 3-dimensional. Maybe even have the stars run off of the blue and in different sizes. Kinda contemporary looking. Any more ideas are greatly appreciated.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Hey Laura, It's just about officially Christmas morning by my clock. For some reason I have felt compelled to illustrate one of my concepts for you instead of dancing with sugarplums. So here is a pic that I hope gives you some ideas. Now I think I hear sleigh bells, gotta go!
posted
How about haing a profile shot of the eagle with outstretched talons realistic color for the eagle except his primary feathers alternating red and white, then have the feathers morph into the waving flag down the bus. the flag could taper either to a long waving point or break into a more graphic look sort of dry brushed towards the ends. the logo could be placed so the eagles feet overlap the left side of the logo. you could add a slight blue field with stars behind and to the front of the eagle to complete the flag. its much simpler than I made it sound here , now if I could only show you on paper......
-------------------- Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, And Dance like no one's watching. :) Mike Lavallee Mike Lavallee's Pinstriping & Airbrush Art Everett, WA Posts: 449 | From: Everett, WA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Mike, I think that kinda sounds like one of the ideas that we had sketched in the shop. I knew I had morphing software around the house but never used it. And I didn't know whether blends and morphing were the same.
One of our sketches had it so that the flag tapered down and then looked like the swoish of an eagle flying. Thr driver of thisbus has some say-so and one of his things is that he wants the eagle to look real and not clip-artie.
It threw me when Dave (the GLTA head guy) came in and said the we couldn't use the flag flowing to the left.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412
Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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