I was asked to create a logo for Kaidan, as products will be released this month. I decided to stay simple, but added a touch of red to enhance an otherwise b/w lineart design. While this does scream Japan, and not so much horror, I think the name does that, plus the color scheme helps.
Thoughts?
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/kaidan-logo-small.png)
I like it, though the gradient also being used on the sun draws the eye and seems... off, I guess, somehow.
I know that's probably not terribly helpful. Maybe try inverting the gradient on the sun so that it looks more contiguous with the label?
I agree with Stargate on this one. The sun draws the eye just a little too much. I would daresay that it might look fine even without the sun. Maybe remove the sun and add a soft morning/evening glow behind the building and trees?
A sweet logo, though! Thumbs up!
Like you say, it doesn't scream horror. Have you tried white building on a black background?
If I saw this logo, I would definitely think it was a Japan-based setting, but I wouldn't in the least think of it as horror. It's too peaceful, with the castle and the sakura and whatnot.
Oh yeah, horror. Don't go with the glow thing I suggested. :P
What about displaying a moon instead of a sun?
Looks nice though a few suggestions:
- remove the sun as it's drawing the eyes away from where the focus should be
- change the color to a deep blood red
- possibly remove the leaves from the cherry blossom trees to make it look more horror appropriate (perhaps instead of the sun a moon rising over the castle to push this more)
I'd keep the sun, since it's such a prominent symbol of Japan and Kaidan is so strongly influenced by Japanese myth and history. Solid red might look better, not sure.
Quote from: SteerpikeI'd keep the sun, since it's such a prominent symbol of Japan and Kaidan is so strongly influenced by Japanese myth and history. Solid red might look better, not sure.
I would move it however as it is currently drawing eyes away from the focal point. Perhaps if you keep it move it so that is rising from behind the castle.
Agree with the above posters. Castle and trees look excellent, GP. Sun looks kind of weird with a gradient, and doesn't lend the horror vibe so much.
Yeah, I tried a black background with white castle and trees - that didn't work. I tried a solid red in the first place and didn't care for that. I even tried a circular gradiant that didn't work. I tried no moon - sky looked empty.
So here's one with slightly different gradiant, larger sun/moon, placed behind the castle, this might be a little better. But still not screaming 'horror'.
Edit: I changed it once more - bigger castle, stripped the leaves/blossoms off the trees, flipped one tree and made both larger, and placed a tiny skull on the castle to 'horrify' it up a bit.
This is the final (I think).
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/kaidan-alternate-logo-small.png)
That's a great improvement in my eyes. I don't know about you, but it definitely gives me a "creepy" vibe when I see it. I don't know if you're looking to evoke something more than that, but with my limited understanding I think this would do the trick.
That is MUCH better. Still has the distinctly japanese feel but now it also obviously represents something horrific.
I'm on the fence about the cherry blossoms but overall the second logo is definitely creepier, and I like the skull - nice touch! The first logo makes me think of Oriental Adventures, the second makes me of an Asian version of Ravenloft.
The second logo seems to suit your aims better than the first. The first looks more generic "eastern". Second's zoom-in on the building is a good idea since that makes the skull the image's focal point.
Thanks, this means the logo has achieved its goal of serving the thought of 'this is Japanese' and 'this is horror'.
Thanks for the responses.
@ Steerpike - I really like the cherry blossoms myself, but the publisher suggested stripping the trees. I think all are now more satisfied because of it. But I do agree, it was tough for me to remove them.
Michael
Nice work
Looks good.
Personally I find that the mirror-imaging of the trees detract from the image.
The skull is a nice touched, but it seems like it was just slapped one, doesn't really feel like its part of the building. This may be because I've seen the original sans-skull.
Quote from: LlumLooks good.
Personally I find that the mirror-imaging of the trees detract from the image.
The skull is a nice touched, but it seems like it was just slapped one, doesn't really feel like its part of the building. This may be because I've seen the original sans-skull.
hmm perhaps an oni mask instead of a skull might be better...
I'm buried in a snowstorm and my shop won't be open because of it, so I should have 'snow day' tomorrow and plenty of time. I'm thinking of doing a pine tree on the left side so as to not by a mirror image of the tree on the right.
At Llum, if you look in the original there is a shape in black at the apex of that gable at front center of the building. That spot seemed ideal for the skull and already matched its shape to some degree. There would be an actual symbol placed in that apex on the real castle, so why not a skull? And with an enlarged view of the castle, placing the skull there draws the eye to the castle not the sun/moon.
Edit: also I can lop off some of the branches on the left tree, reposition them so they are not so much copies of each other, that might work better IMO.
One last shot - I'm calling this done!
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/kaidan-logo-final-thumb.png)
The stripped and closer up trees are definitely the way to go here. The whole picture now looks much more imposing than the originals.
And much as I hate to suggest this since you've already called it final, but if you want to make the sun/moon to look definitely lunar, then I'd imagine an easy way to do this would be adding some craters. You could probably find a public domain picture of the full moon and use it as a darkening overlay on the red moon in your logo.
Personally, I would keep it as the sun. As someone above has said, the sun-image is a powerful graphical shorthand for Japan which, with the loss of the blossom on the trees and "horrorization" of the house, might perhaps be necessary to fully convey the Japanese-style theme of the setting?
Also, the way I see it, it's an ominous setting sun... the day is over, the light is departing, and darkness is about to fall... nameless things are preparing their bumping equipment for the night ahead.
Quote...Personally, I would keep it as the sun. As someone above has said, the sun-image is a powerful graphical shorthand for Japan...
Agreed. I've studied a little of japanese history and the sun is one of their, if not the greatest, symbol to them. Actually I believe Japan (Nippon) means sun, land of the sun or sun rising. Can't remember exactly. Of course I do not know if the setting is set IN Japan, or only in a land that looks like Japan. But if they want to have even a small resemblance to Japan they have to keep the sun. IMO
Quote from: Magnus PymQuote...Personally, I would keep it as the sun. As someone above has said, the sun-image is a powerful graphical shorthand for Japan...
Yep, land of the rising sun and GP based Kaidan on japan but it isn't japan itself I'm fairly certain. Anyhow I think it looks good GP, I still suggest trying an oni mask in place of a skull and seeing how that looks but if you like it then it's fine to me.
Quote from: Magnus PymQuote...Personally, I would keep it as the sun. As someone above has said, the sun-image is a powerful graphical shorthand for Japan...
Magnum Pym, yeah, Kaidan is not Japan, rather an archipelago of islands somewhere offshore - easily portable in any existing campaign setting.
It does borrow an actual historic event from Japan as the founding of the empire of Kaidan, which is a curse actuated. The event was the imperial family throwing themselves into the sea at the end of the Battle of Dan-no-ura of the Genpei War in 1185. Before the grandmother bearing the child emperor in arms jumps into the sea, she utters a divine curse.
Kaidan is a closed world (a demi-plane that coexists with the prime) with its own private link to the Ethereal Plane (Yomi land of the dead) and the Abyss (Jigoku). The remaining 'planes' coexist with the prime material divided into the varying social castes of society. Thus the castes are hard-wired cosmically by birth. The setting uses a karma score accrued by all participants with positive karma points accrued through acts of law or good, and negative karma points for chaos or evil. When you die, your karma score determine your next life through forced, cursed reincarnation. Raise Dead and Resurrection magic does not work as normal
Basically the cosmology of Kaidan depends on the concept of the various Buddhist Hells.
There are many monsters of the yokai and oni subtype, as well as a great many yurei ghost types.
Kaidan is a Japan-inspired Asian Horror setting. It is being published for the Pathfinder RPG system as a compatible product, as an imprint under Rite Publishing. Adventure 1 of the 3 part introductory mini arc will be released next month.
We are also creating a number of associated 'books' including New Kaidan Races, New Kaidan classes, eventual release of Gazatteers of all the islands and hopefully a larger 1st - 20th level campaign later in the year.
GP
PS: after critiques by the publisher, designer and some patrons, this is the final logo...
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/kaidan-logo-cxxi-small.png)
Quote from: Gamer PrintshopQuote from: Magnus PymQuote...Personally, I would keep it as the sun. As someone above has said, the sun-image is a powerful graphical shorthand for Japan...
Magnum Pym, yeah, Kaidan is not Japan, rather an archipelago of islands somewhere offshore - easily portable in any existing campaign setting.
It does borrow an actual historic event from Japan as the founding of the empire of Kaidan, which is a curse actuated. The event was the imperial family throwing themselves into the sea at the end of the Battle of Dan-no-ura of the Genpei War in 1185. Before the grandmother bearing the child emperor in arms jumps into the sea, she utters a divine curse.
Kaidan is a closed world (a demi-plane that coexists with the prime) with its own private link to the Ethereal Plane (Yomi land of the dead) and the Abyss (Jigoku). The remaining 'planes' coexist with the prime material divided into the varying social castes of society. Thus the castes are hard-wired cosmically by birth. The setting uses a karma score accrued by all participants with positive karma points accrued through acts of law or good, and negative karma points for chaos or evil. When you die, your karma score determine your next life through forced, cursed reincarnation. Raise Dead and Resurrection magic does not work as normal
Basically the cosmology of Kaidan depends on the concept of the various Buddhist Hells.
There are many monsters of the yokai and oni subtype, as well as a great many yurei ghost types.
Kaidan is a Japan-inspired Asian Horror setting. It is being published for the Pathfinder RPG system as a compatible product, as an imprint under Rite Publishing. Adventure 1 of the 3 part introductory mini arc will be released next month.
We are also creating a number of associated 'books' including New Kaidan Races, New Kaidan classes, eventual release of Gazatteers of all the islands and hopefully a larger 1st - 20th level campaign later in the year.
GP
PS: after critiques by the publisher, designer and some patrons, this is the final logo...
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/kaidan-logo-cxxi-small.png)
Looks awesome GP
Awesome
Thanks for the detailed reply :)
Well if you can put with another post, here's the final on the first adventure cover design. The art is by Jan Pospisil, depicting the undead noble Lord Hachiwara as he is being presented the gift brought here by the PC party. I did all other page layout. That black background you may note has some subtle detail within it. I placed a blackened transparent version of my main setting map onto the black background creating some interesting detail.
The logo is not on the front cover - too cluttered otherwise, but it will be placed on the back cover over the text blurb on the adventure. My name will be on the inside cover as Concept Creator, Designer and Developer, Cartographer, Art Director, Ilustrator, so I'll have plenty of credit, but not on the front cover - that's for my author and lead designer, Jonathan McAnulty.
For those who don't know, the first adventure of three, The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear is mini intro-arc into my Japan inspired Asian horror setting Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story. For a party of four adventurers at 5th level, designed for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The PCs are westerners, 'gaijin' escorting a merchant and his 'gift' for a few week journey to these haunted islands of the east. Its borders have been closed to the outside world for over 700 years and only recently have opened to allow foreign traders into that exotic land.
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/gift-curse-cover-thumb.jpg)
Link to full scale image, note 300 ppi, 3.1 MB noncompressed JPG file - its big.
The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear - Cover Design (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/gift/gift-curse-cover.jpg)
GP
Looks very professional, it's great to see one of our number get a chance to actually publish their idea :)
The slightly edited trees look 1000 times cooler IMO.
As for the skull, I seen the small space in the original (first one), I think my main issue is how close the top of the skull gets to the white line. Really just a personal nit-pick.
Looks great though :D