How to design a logo with golden Ratio | Adobe Illustrator Tutorial

Summary

In this tutorial, the creator demonstrates how to design a logo using the golden ratio with two methods. The first method involves creating the logo directly in Illustrator using golden circles, while the second uses a sketched concept refined with golden circles. The video provides detailed, step-by-step guidance on constructing shapes, aligning elements, and using the golden ratio for visual harmony. The tutorial concludes by adding gradients and shading to bring the logo to life. Viewers can download the provided files to follow along and create their own golden ratio-based logos.

Takeaways

• 🟢 The golden ratio is a mathematical proportion (1:1.618) used to create aesthetically pleasing designs.
• 🟡 The tutorial explains two methods for designing logos using the golden ratio: one directly in Illustrator with golden circles, and the second based on a sketch.
• 🔵 First, create a golden rectangle by using squares and aligning them, then rotate them to form the grid for golden circles.
• 🔴 The golden circles are extracted by using the ellipse tool, creating perfect circles that align with the squares from the rectangle.
• 🟣 The tutorial demonstrates creating a fish logo by overlapping circles to form the fish's body and tail, but emphasizes that this method isn't ideal.
• 🟠 The recommended method is to sketch a logo concept first, then refine it using golden circles in Illustrator, ensuring geometric precision.
• 🔶 The tutorial uses a turtle logo sketch, showing how to grid it with golden circles, aligning the shell, head, and legs with different circle sizes.
• ⚫ Smart guides and outline views in Illustrator help align the golden circles precisely with the sketch lines.
• 🟡 The shape builder tool is used to remove unnecessary parts of the circles, refining the turtle's outline and merging the shapes.
• 🟢 The tutorial concludes by applying gradient colors and shading techniques to bring the logo to life and make it visually appealing.

Q & A

What is the golden ratio, and why is it important in design?

The golden ratio, expressed as 1 to 1.618, is a mathematical proportion that has been used throughout history to create visually appealing designs. It helps in achieving a sense of balance and aesthetics in design.

What are the two methods of designing a logo with the golden ratio, as mentioned in the tutorial?

The two methods are: 1) Designing a logo with golden circles directly in Illustrator, and 2) Designing a logo using golden circles based on a hand-drawn sketch.

How do you create a golden rectangle in Illustrator?

To create a golden rectangle, you start by drawing a square, duplicating it, and aligning the duplicates. Then, using a series of rotations and additions of smaller squares, you create the full golden rectangle structure.

What are golden circles, and how are they used in logo design?

Golden circles are circles created using the golden ratio, extracted from the golden rectangle. They are used to guide the proportions and curvature of the logo design.

Why is it important not to resize the golden circles when aligning them with a sketch?

Resizing the golden circles would disrupt the golden proportions, which are essential for maintaining the visual harmony provided by the golden ratio.

What tools in Illustrator are primarily used in this tutorial for shaping the logo?

The primary tools mentioned include the Ellipse Tool, Rectangle Tool, Shape Builder Tool, Align window, Smart Guides, and the Pen Tool.

How does the shape builder tool assist in refining the logo design?

The Shape Builder Tool helps merge and remove unnecessary parts of the shapes, allowing you to create clean and precise outlines for the logo.

What is the role of the sketch in the second method of logo design?

In the second method, the sketch serves as a guide for the logo design. The sketch's rough geometric shapes are refined using the golden circles for accurate proportions.

How can you add colors to the final logo design?

Once the logo's outline is completed, colors can be applied using gradients. The tutorial uses the Eyedropper Tool to select gradient colors for different parts of the logo, followed by fine-tuning using the Gradient Tool.

How does the transparency panel enhance the visual quality of the logo?

The transparency panel allows the designer to change the opacity and blending modes, such as using the Soft Light mode, which enhances the depth and realism of the colors and shadows in the logo.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Logo Design with the Golden Ratio

This paragraph introduces the tutorial on designing logos using the golden ratio. The presenter mentions two methods for applying the golden ratio in design: using golden circles directly in Illustrator or based on a sketch. The golden ratio is defined as 1:1.618, a proportion used throughout history to create aesthetically pleasing designs. The process starts with creating a golden rectangle, then extracting golden circles to form the foundation of the logo. The steps involve duplicating and aligning squares in Illustrator, rotating them to form the golden rectangle, and then using the Ellipse tool to create circles from the squares.

05:02

🐟 Designing a Fish Logo with the Golden Ratio

This section demonstrates how to design a fish shape using the golden circles, showing how overlapping circles can form different logo shapes. The presenter explains that although it may seem random, the process relies on visualizing the final design and experimenting with circle overlaps. The fish logo is constructed by aligning large and small circles to form the body and tail. By duplicating and adjusting these circles, the presenter cuts out unnecessary parts using the Shape Builder tool, revealing the final golden ratio fish logo. However, this method is deemed less ideal than sketching first.

10:20

🐢 Creating a Turtle Logo from a Sketch with the Golden Ratio

In this part, the presenter demonstrates the correct method of designing a logo using a pre-made sketch of a turtle. The sketch is aligned with the golden circles to form a grid. The process involves adjusting the sketch to fit within the circles, ensuring that all lines are geometrically accurate. The presenter explains how to replace the sketch's lines with those formed by the golden circles and align them using smart guides and the outline view. By carefully placing and intersecting circles, the turtle's body and legs are formed with precision, resulting in a grid-aligned turtle logo.

15:20

🖌️ Refining the Turtle Logo and Adding Color

The final paragraph covers refining and adding color to the turtle logo. Using the Shape Builder tool, the presenter merges different parts of the turtle’s body, shell, and legs to finalize the outline. To smooth out sharper edges, smaller circles are aligned and merged. Once the outline is complete, the sketch is deleted, and gradient colors are applied using the eyedropper tool. Adjustments are made to the shell’s gradient for a more dynamic look, including soft light and opacity changes. The turtle’s shell is further enhanced with shadows, arcs, and rounded lines to give it more depth and realism. The video concludes with instructions for downloading the golden rectangle and logo files.

Keywords

💡Golden Ratio

The golden ratio is a mathematical proportion of approximately 1:1.618, often found in nature and art, used to create visually appealing designs. In the video, it is the foundation for constructing both the golden rectangle and the golden circles, which are key elements in designing the logo.

💡Golden Rectangle

A golden rectangle is a rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio. In the video, the golden rectangle is constructed by repeatedly adding squares, and it serves as the base for extracting golden circles that will guide the logo design.

💡Golden Circles

Golden circles are circles derived from squares within the golden rectangle, maintaining the proportions of the golden ratio. These circles are used to create and align elements of the logo, ensuring that the design follows aesthetically pleasing proportions, such as when designing the fish and turtle shapes.

💡Illustrator

Illustrator is a design software by Adobe used for vector-based graphics. The video demonstrates how to use Illustrator tools like the rectangle and ellipse tools to create the golden rectangle and golden circles, which form the basis of the logo design.

💡Ellipse Tool

The ellipse tool is a feature in Illustrator used to create circles and ellipses. In the video, the ellipse tool is used to draw golden circles that fit precisely within the squares of the golden rectangle, which are then used to form the logo shapes.

💡Shape Builder Tool

The Shape Builder Tool in Illustrator allows users to combine, subtract, and merge shapes. In the video, this tool is used to construct the final forms of the fish and turtle logos by merging or removing unwanted parts of the golden circles.

💡Logo Sketch

A logo sketch is a preliminary hand-drawn design concept. The video shows how to start by sketching a turtle logo on paper and then use the golden circles to refine the design, ensuring the final result adheres to the golden ratio principles.

💡Smart Guides

Smart guides are a feature in Illustrator that helps designers align objects accurately. In the video, smart guides are used to ensure precise alignment of the golden circles with the turtle sketch during the logo design process.

💡Gradient Tool

The gradient tool is used to apply smooth transitions between colors in Illustrator. In the video, it is applied to add depth and dimensionality to the turtle logo by adjusting the gradient for different parts of the shell and body.

💡Alignment

Alignment refers to how objects are positioned relative to each other. In the video, aligning the golden circles correctly is crucial for achieving the symmetry and balance that the golden ratio promises, such as aligning circles for the fish or turtle logos.

Highlights

Introduction to designing logos using the golden ratio, with two methods: directly in Illustrator and based on a sketch.

The golden ratio is explained as the proportion 1 to 1.618, used historically for visually appealing designs.

First method involves making a golden rectangle, creating golden circles from it, and using them to design logos.

Step-by-step guide to creating a perfect square and aligning it to form the basis of a golden rectangle.

Using the golden circles for logo design by overlapping them and envisioning the final shape.

Example of creating a fish shape using golden circles, showing the importance of proper alignment and intersection.

The right approach to golden circle-based logo design is to create a logo concept first, sketch it, and then refine it using the circles.

Second method demonstrated with a turtle logo sketch and step-by-step instructions for using golden circles to grid the design.

Emphasis on maintaining the golden proportions by not resizing the circles when aligning them with the sketch.

Detailed walkthrough on creating body parts like the shell, legs, and head of the turtle using golden circles.

Using the shape builder tool to remove unnecessary parts of the circles and leave the clean turtle shape.

Adjusting the sharpness of the turtle's legs by aligning smaller circles for smoother ends.

Adding colors and gradients to the turtle logo to give it depth and visual appeal.

Using transparency settings and soft light to adjust gradients and highlights for a realistic effect.

Final steps involve creating shadows and finer details with the pen and arc tools, enhancing the turtle's appearance.

Transcripts

foreign

hello and welcome back to another

tutorial today I will show you how to

design a logo using the golden ratio I

will show you two methods of doing it

first one is designing a logo with

golden circles directly on illustrator

and the second method is designing the

logo with the golden circles based on a

sketch the golden ratio is best

understood as the proportion 1 to

1.618 it has been used throughout

history to create visually appealing

designs so first of all let's make the

golden rectangle and extract the golden

circles that we will use

select the rectangle tool

hold shift and make a perfect square

maintain out and drag it down to

duplicate it and make it aligned with

the old one

now with the rectangle tool maintain

shift and from the top left make another

square perfectly aligned with the other

two squares

now select everything and rotate it by

90 degrees

again select the rectangle tool hold

shift and make another square perfectly

aligned with the other squares

now select everything and rotate it by

90 degrees

again select the rectangle tool hold

shift and make another square perfectly

aligned with the other squares

repeat the same process until you are

satisfied with the result

now we got our golden rectangle now we

have to extract the golden circles that

we will use it to design our logo

select the ellipse tool

go to the center of the bigger Square

maintain shift and out and drag until

you make a circle in the same size of

the square

now repeat the same process to make a

circle for each Square

drag every Circle outside of the

rectangle

select all the circles together go to

the Align window click on horizontal

align Center option then click on

vertical align Center option

okay this is our golden circles

okay there is two way to design logos

with golden ratio you see people throw

circles here and there and you don't

understand anything until you see the

final result the truth is that they have

already experiment the opportunities

giving by overlapping the golden circles

and envisioned the result in their minds

so it become easy to make let's try to

make something that way

I will try to make a fish shape with the

golden ratio I Envision the shape of the

fish in my mind then I bring the bigger

Circle

now I bring the smaller one and align

them together

now I duplicate the big circle and let

it intersect with the other big one

and the smaller circle is the height of

the space between

okay this intersection make the body of

the fish now duplicate the two big

circles and drag them to the right side

of the fish body to make the tail now

bring the smaller Circle to cut the tail

select everything

select the shape Builder tool maintain

out and drag the cursor above the outer

shapes to take it off and let only the

fish shape

okay this is our golden ratio fish but

this is not the right method to use the

golden circles the right way is to come

up with a logo concept first then sketch

your idea on paper and after scan it you

grid it and refine it using the golden

circles this is what I will show you now

okay this is our golden circles and this

is the turtle logo sketch that I made

when sketching you have to make your

shapes as geometric as possible I mean

try to make every line rounded like it

is a part of a circle

okay overlap the sketch on the golden

circles right click go to arrange and

click on Center back

now resize your sketch to make it a bit

smaller than the big circle

now turn your sketch back to its place

now I will start gridding the sketch

with the golden circles maintain alt and

drag the big circle to the sketch and

make it aligned with the bigger

roundness of the body

okay this one is perfectly aligned

now maintain alt and drag the smaller

Circle and align it with the top of the

turtle's shell it is okay if it is not

exactly the same as the sketch but you

should never resize the golden circles

so you don't lose the golden proportions

now maintain out and drag the big circle

and align it with the bottom of the

turtle's shell

all the lines of the sketch should be

replaced with lines of the circles now I

will make the top line of the head

maintain out and drag the third circle

and align it with the headline

make sure that the smart guides are

activated and the snap to point checked

press control plus y to get the outline

view so you can perfectly align the

lines

this will be the head of the turtle

okay press Ctrl plus y again to get out

of the outline view now we will pass to

the turtle's legs

maintain alt and drag this circle and

align it with the left line of the front

leg

now maintain out and drag the smaller

Circle and align it with the right line

of the front leg

as I said it doesn't have to fit exactly

on the sketch we are just using it as a

guide now to make this Gap under the leg

maintain out and drag the same Circle

and intersect it with the old one like

this

now maintain alt and drag this circle

and align it with the left line of the

back leg

now maintain out and drag the smaller

Circle to make the right line of the

back leg

now duplicate this circle and intersect

it with the old one to make the Gap

under the leg

okay now we have every line if our

Turtle shape gridded with golden circles

select the sketch go to object lock and

click on selection

select all the circles then select the

shape Builder tool maintain out and drag

on top of the useless parts of circles

to take it off and let only the lines

that form the turtle

[Music]

now with the shape Builder tool selected

without pressing alt click and drag the

cursor on the body parts to merge them

together

now with the same technique merge the

parts of the shell

then merge the legs pasts

okay we have our Turtle outline now

I think we have to make the end of legs

less sharper

so maintain out and drag the smallest

Circle to make the end of the leg

press control plus y to turn on the

outline View and perfectly align the

circle with the leg line

same thing to the other leg

press control plus y to get out of the

outline View

select the legs and the circles together

select the shape Builder tool maintain

alt and drag to take off the useless

parts

go to object and click on unlock all

select the sketch and delete it

okay congratulation we made our golden

ratio Turtle logo now it needs some

colors to stand out

okay this is the outline of our golden

ratio turtle and this is two gradient

colors that I picked before you can

apply any color you want select the

shell and with the eyedropper tool pick

the darker gradient

maintain shift and select the legs and

the body of the turtle go to the

Pathfinder and click on Unite

select the eyedropper tool and pick the

light gradient select the gradient tool

and adjust your gradient as you want

the logo start to look better

okay maintain alt and drag the shell a

bit to the top left maintain shift and

select the old Shell select the shape

Builder tool

maintain out and drag on the external

part of the new shell select the new

shape go to the gradient window double

click on the right color stop and choose

the color white go to opacity and change

it to 60 percent double click on the

left color stop and change the color to

white then decrease the opacity to zero

percent go to the transparency panel and

change the color mode to soft light

with the gradient tool adjust the color

the way you want

now select the white shape maintain out

and drag it a bit to the top right

maintain shift and click on the old

shape select the shape Builder tool

maintain out and erase the outer part

the shell stands out now

select the pen tool click on the top

left Anchor Point of the shell

then click on the down right Anchor

Point and drag until you make a perfect

little rounded shape under the shell

like I did

close the shape

now maintain shift and select the new

shape and the body of the turtle select

the shape Builder tool maintain alt and

erase the useless part

select the new shapes

with the eyedropper tool pick the light

gradient

go to the transparency panel and change

the color mode to multiply and change

the opacity to 50 percent

select the arc tool make an arc from the

hand to the tip of the head

[Music]

with the direct selection tool click on

the Anchor Point of the arc and play

with the handles to make the arc

smoother

select the pen tool and close the shape

maintain shift and select the new shape

with the body shape and with the shape

Builder tool

erase the outer part

select the new shape

and with the eyedropper tool pick the

color of the Shadow under the shell

select the pen tool

click on the top Anchor Point of the Gap

under the front leg then click on the

bottom Anchor Point of the gap of the

back leg and drag to make a rounded line

close the shape

then maintain shift and select the new

shape with the body shape then with the

shape Builder tool

he raised the outer part

select the new shape and with the

eyedropper tool pick the color of the

Shadow

thanks for watching I hope you all

enjoyed this tutorial you will find in

the description the link to download the

golden rectangle file and the logo

sketch that I made if you want to use it

and I will link also the Final Logo file

if you find this tutorial useful like

the video and subscribe to my channel

and if you want to ask me anything you

can ask me in the comment section okay

then see you in another video