Logo Design and

Airbrushing
2 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts
Vaughn Warren
Vaughn Warren is a multimedia designer in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, who has a
background in signage, graphics, and film-industry art departments. He uses CorelDRAW for
vector and raster design support in his diverse practice, which includes wood sculpture,
airbrushing, photography, exhibition design, and graphic design. Vaughn currently works at the
Kamloops Art Gallery as an exhibition designer, and he maintains a private studio for his
personal creative endeavors.
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Logo design and airbrushing
I was contracted to design a new logo to complement the Tournament Capital of Canada
(TCoC) program for the city of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. This was an exciting
project for me for several reasons: Kamloops is my home town, and the city wanted a
progressive and colorful design. In addition, an airbrushed version of the logo was later
requested for use in one of the sports facilities, so I hoped to apply my experience with using
CorelDRAW to computer-cut adhesive vinyl for airbrushing.
Creating the logo design
The design process included brainstorming and sketching the initial concept, creating the
individual components of the design (text, graphic elements, and color), and preparing the logo
for output in a variety of formats.
Defining the design concept
The design process started with in-depth brainstorming sessions with a team of people from
the city who would be the key stakeholders in the finished image. After much discussion about
what the program meant to the city and what the city wanted the logo say about Kamloops, I
began to create rough design concepts that allowed me to begin defining the look and feel that
the stakeholders wanted for the logo (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Initial sketches of the logo
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After using the rough designs to determine what the final design concept would be, I was now
in a position to refine the drawing by using CorelDRAW to add the specific elements that would
create an effective and durable logo design.
These elements included:
warm sunset colors on a representation of a local landmark (Mt. Peter and Mt. Paul)
bold and readable typeface in warm, welcoming colors
simplified green space
gently waving ribbons of water, meeting at a shiny gold medallion with a Canadian theme
in the center (The word Kamloops is derived from the First Nations Secwepemc word
Kamloopa, which means meeting of the rivers.)
subtext: Tournament Capital of Canada
I started by quickly hand-drawing the basic elements to establish a flowing, balanced look for
the overall image. When I had something that looked promising, I scanned the sketch and
placed it in the background of a new CorelDRAW document. I would use this sketch for
guidance while creating individual elements for the logo in vector format.
Creating the text and ribbons
Starting with the actual Kamloops text, I selected Bookman Old Style Bold both for its bold
and nostalgic look and for the fact that it is easily readable. After drawing a freehand baseline
sketch (with auto-smoothing) to match my rough sketch in the background, I fit the text to a
path and adjusted it until I had achieved a balanced yet asymmetrical position for the word.
Knowing that I would want to apply some eye-catching effects to the text, I first used the
Contour tool to add an inside contour to the lettering (Figure 2). I then used the Extrude tool
to give the text some three-dimensional depth. After separating the contour group, I was able
to apply separate effects: a vibrant blue outline and a set of graduated colors to the body of
the text. I made the extruded (rear) areas of the text black so that the colors would really jump!
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Figure 2: After the shape of the text is determined, strong effects are created by using the
Contour, Extrude, and Fill tools. [1] Inside contour with fountain fill. [2] Extruded
background.
Next, I worked on the blue river elements, which encapsulate the design and add a pleasant
flowing quality to it. They represent the rivers that define the city. The river elements are also a
visual metaphor for the ribbons of a gold medal, which supports the concept of the
Tournament Capital of Canada. Using the rough sketch in the document background, I
carefully began drawing the inner elements, or ribbons, with the Bzier tool. When one side
was drawn, I mirrored the ribbon image and used the Envelope tool to adjust it to match the
slant of the design. When the outlines were refined, I used a fountain fill again to add a pleasant
white-to-blue fade to each set of ribbons.
Creating the gold medal
With the design well on its way, I moved on to the maple leaf medal in the bottom center of
the design. I wanted to create the effect of an embossed gold medal that suggested the sun.
Starting with a clipart maple leaf surrounded by a circle, I used the Contour tool to create the
effect of a beveled edge on the medal, and an outline to add some interest to the maple leaf.
After the outlines were in place, I used a radial fountain fill to add color red for Canada and
gold for the medallion.
[1]
[2]
6 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts
The only major element left to add was the suggestion of green space, which had to be kept
simple to allow the image to be reduced during printing and promotional uses.
Refining the design
When the inside lines of all the elements were drawn in, I copied them (right-clicked while
dragging the group) so that I could create an outline contour of the whole group of elements
to encapsulate it. After the contour was created, I deleted the inner elements, leaving just the
outline around the group, which I placed behind the original color elements. The outline made
the elements stand out better and visually integrated them into one image. Also, the black
contour would allow the image to work on a wide variety of backgrounds.
Several additional meetings with the client were required to refine the image. Improvements
were made to the readability, color values, and line weights, which helped make the image
highly polished yet easy to use. The client wanted to ensure that the image met all the
requirements in terms of color compatibility, reducibility (to images smaller than 5/8 inch),
embroidery applications, and so forth. The contract called for the image to be delivered in a
variety of formats for compatibility, and CorelDRAW allowed me to save the files easily in any
format requested (Figure 3).
Figure 3: With CorelDRAW X4, you can easily convert vector images to a variety of color models,
sizes, and file formats.
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The entire process went smoothly, mainly because of my ability to produce and deliver design
concepts with CorelDRAW. The client received the right image in the right formats, according
to the right timeline.
Creating the airbrushed logo
Some time after the launch of the Tournament Capital of Canada program, I was contacted by
the contractor who was building the centerpiece of the facilities, the Tournament Centre, which
included an NBA-level hardwood basketball court. The organizers wanted the TCoC logo
airbrushed at center court on an area that was 20 feet wide by 10 feet high. Being an airbrush
mural artist as well as a sign maker (who uses CorelDRAW with a computer vinyl cutter), I knew
that I could create computer stencils (Figure 4) to paint my logo design onto this unusual
horizontal surface.
Figure 4: The vectors would be cut 20 by 10 feet (6 by 3 meters) in
adhesive vinyl to achieve perfect airbrushed effects.
Creating the stencils
After taking a close look at the logo design from a stencil point of view, I realized that one full-
size and complete adhesive stencil and two secondary stencils would be needed. Using my
original files from the design process, I removed the fills, ungrouped the objects, and carefully
deleted those lines that would not be required for the airbrushing. After consultations with the
contractor, who had experience with using the enamel paint formulated for hardwood floors,
8 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts
I approached a local sign company to cut the stencils at full size (20 by 10 feet) in stencil vinyl
that had been additionally laminated to prevent bleed-through of this aggressive paint.
Because I had decided to approach the task in a front-to-back method, that is, painting first
the foreground and then the background (including the black outline), I started by applying the
full-size stencil to the hardwood. The stencil was in strips (or tiles), so care had to be taken to
ensure that the stencil was perfectly in place (Figure 5).
Figure 5: With the stencil in place, the colors are blocked in.
Applying color
I started the actual painting by filling the main color areas with the appropriate colors: blue,
yellow, and green. After these had thoroughly dried, I used tape and polyplastic material to
isolate the word Kamloops from the rest of the image, which allowed me to airbrush the
graduated fades of the word without overspraying the rest of the logo elements. When I was
satisfied that the fades looked smooth and clean, I allowed that section to dry thoroughly. I
repeated this process for each separate area of the logo: the mountains, the green space, the
ribbons, and the medal. To mask complex areas like the face of the medal, I used secondary
computer-cut stencils, which sped up the process.
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With all the airbrushed areas complete and left to dry, it was time to hand-paint the black
background of the image. This procedure was quite fast because the different areas were
already separated by the stencil, which allowed the black to be laid on in the other areas with
a small roller.
The finishing touch was the Tournament Capital of Canada lettering on the lower right.
Again, this was done quickly through the use of a computer-cut stencil and black roller.
The client and general contractor were completely delighted by the finished product, which was
more than they had hoped for (Figure 6).
Figure 6: The author with the finished floor mural
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