LGBTitp - Part Seven

[Dogmantra]

"Peek" is one thing. Photocopying the original page-by-page, and then handing back the photocopies instead of the original, with a photocopy of your ass in lieu of the title page, is another thing entirely!

Quincunx, you're not supposed to give me ideas. The last person who did... is probably still alive and happy? I don't know.

[Rawhide]

Ok, this has been bugging me for a while.

To everyone using the image I created, "Straight but not narrow", please stop using it!*

I never created it to be used, I created it only as an outline to demonstrate an idea for an artist to create a proper forum logo from. I created the image in Word, made a screenshot of it, then sent the image to SMEE so that the idea could be passed to a proper artist using proper tools.

I created the design because I saw that there were people who were participating in the thread and wanted to bring attention to the cause, but were not LGBT (nor I or even Q) themselves.

While I can't take credit for the words "Straight but not narrow" themselves, I had heard them before, I did throw a lot of symbolism into the the logo itself.

The word "Straight" is written in a black font (representing both the world in black and white and as a stark contrast) with a very straight font (sans lovely squiggles) and an underline further expanding on the straight theme. The underline changes how you say it too, straight down the line ("Straight - but not narrow"). Perhaps not as much as italics, which I also considered, but then the text would no longer be standing straight up.

The words "but not narrow" are written in a font that, even before further manipulation, is already rounded and bulbous. It is further manipulated to be expanding (the text itself is not narrow) and is coloured in a multicolour rainbow pattern (chosen from the rainbow often used as a point of pride and as a further contrast of the stark black and white).

A large gap was left between "Straight but not narrow" and "LGBTitP Suppporter" for the LGBT logo (or perhaps a logo showing both straight and LGBT relationships coexisting), which would overlap and go behind the text, both above and below, and it is this part that annoys me most. With the logo, the gap would be perfect. But, as it is, there is far too much whitespace.

"LGBTitP" was coloured to be the same colours as represented in the LGBTitP logo (and as otherwise used by the community).

Finally, "Supporter" was coloured grey, to represent that the world is not black and white, that there are many shades of grey.

So please, if an artist or artists want to take that idea and make them into a logo or logos, be my guest. I'm sure you can do a much better job than the quick draft made in Word that I did.


Note:*You do not have to stop using it, and indeed should continue to use it until a replacement is made, it just annoys me every time I see it because it was only a very rough draft and could be so much better. I know I'm being over-critical of my own work, but hopefully this will spur some artists into creating better ones and explain the symbology behind the logo to them.


Picture for reference:


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[Lix Lorn]

...that was a rough draft?

Sometimes I look at the beautiful things people can make... and I cry...

Then I roll a dice and consult the table in the back of my black book.

[Drolyt]

...that was a rough draft?

Sometimes I look at the beautiful things people can make... and I cry...

Then I roll a dice and consult the table in the back of my black book.

You mean cry tears of joy at the beauty and wonder of the world, right?

[Lix Lorn]

No, I cry, cause they can do it and I can't. XD

[Drolyt]

No, I cry, cause they can do it and I can't. XD

Here. Now you can be an artist too!

[Coidzor]

Hmm, it would be good to try it in watercolor, I think, maybe. Maybe a mixed media... stencil the first part in contrast to the brushy calligraphy of the second...

[Lix Lorn]

Here. Now you can be an artist too!

That doesn't count to me. It's like spriting, which I can do. It's just hard work and patience.

...how the hell am I any good with something that needs patience?

[Tome]

That doesn't count to me. It's like spriting, which I can do. It's just hard work and patience.

...how the hell am I any good with something that needs patience?

If you can do franken or scratch spriting, you can probably do art. The skillset only needs a little adjustment to transfer over.

[Lix Lorn]

Eh, maybe. :/

[Dogmantra]

If you can't do art, just fake it.

's what I do.

[Anethiel]

I'm no artist, but I can do a little vector graphics.
I cooked up this SVG version of Rawhide's concept (without logo). I don't know whether it can be useful, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

Big version:

Spoiler

Show

Small (111x70) version:

Spoiler

Show

SVG source file: here.

[Drolyt]

That doesn't count to me. It's like spriting, which I can do. It's just hard work and patience.

...how the hell am I any good with something that needs patience?

No offense, but his little banner wasn't that complicated. If he didn't do it in 5 minutes with WordArt or Fontwork then he should have.

Edit: Also, you don't need patience when you're having fun. If you don't have fun doing art, then why worry about other people being better than you? From your perspective they are having a boring time while you can be having fun. On the other hand if you think art is fun, then do it more often. Don't worry about how good you are, you'll get good just from doing it.

[Tricksy Hobbits]

Maybe adjust the "but not narrow" line so it's tallest near the end, like a < sign. That way as it's read, it shows the not narrow part.
And it may just be me, but that yellow is very bright, is there anyway to darken it a bit so it's easier to read?

Other than that looks good though.

[Arti3]

I always wondered why it wasn't Straight and Wide.
i kid

[Murdim]

Really Lix, instead of devaluating yourself so much, you should try and do it, just to see how easy it is. This is the kind of thing that are much, much more accessible than one might think at fist glance ; you just have to take some minutes to dabble with the basic functions of the tool and to make yourself familiar with it, then it's a piece of cake.

Maybe adjust the "but not narrow" line so it's tallest near the end, like a < sign. That way as it's read, it shows the not narrow part.
And it may just be me, but that yellow is very bright, is there anyway to darken it a bit so it's easier to read?

Other than that looks good though.

Agree on all accounts It's indeed much cleaner and smoother than Rawhide's draft.

[Lix Lorn]

Really Lix, instead of devaluating yourself so much, you should try and do it, just to see how easy it is. This is the kind of thing that are much, much more accessible than one might think at fist glance ; you just have to take some minutes to dabble with the basic functions of the tool and to make yourself familiar with it, then it's a piece of cake.

My digital art is okay. My spriting is decent.

My physical art is terrible. Trust me on that. XD

[Ilena]

Lix, i cant draw stick people :( They look oblong and ... weird ... but i can do pretty decent scenery simply because nothing is straight in nature :P

[Drolyt]

My digital art is okay. My spriting is decent.

My physical art is terrible. Trust me on that. XD

If it makes you feel better, my physical art is worse. No, I don't know what your art looks like and I don't have to. Trust me, people laugh at my stick figures I'm so bad. I am trying to get better though, if only because I love the arts. I think with a lot of work I could go from worst artist on earth to pretty good. I'm sure you could improve too if you want to.

[celtois]

Erm, if you'd like I've drafted up a quick possible logo. Using digital crayons.

Should you like I could make a more professional looking version of it. Though I'll admit I'm rather partial to the whole childish look.

It is a logo not a banner just so I'm real clear and I'm 100% good with anyone who wants using it if you need it resized feel free to shoot me a PM and I can edit it.




Stands for
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transexual Queer Questioning and Allies

I can also make a version with a transparent background should you need.

[Lix Lorn]

Erm, if you'd like I've drafted up a quick possible logo. Using digital crayons.

Looks pretty nice!

...maybe I'm NOT all that bad. I drew a half decent xkcd strip once.

[Anethiel]

Maybe adjust the "but not narrow" line so it's tallest near the end, like a < sign. That way as it's read, it shows the not narrow part.
And it may just be me, but that yellow is very bright, is there anyway to darken it a bit so it's easier to read?

Other than that looks good though.

I made the changes you suggested.
(I have edited my previous post as to not clutter the thread.)

[Rawhide]

I'm no artist, but I can do a little vector graphics.
I cooked up this SVG version of Rawhide's concept (without logo). I don't know whether it can be useful, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

Big version:

Spoiler

Show

Small (111x70) version:

Spoiler

Show

SVG source file: here.

Excellent. Much better than my draft.


Now for the critique. Note, before I proceed, I think what what you've done is excellent and the below points are only very minor nitpicks to improve it further.

The underline for "Straight" is too far below the word. Normal underlines generally cross above the bottom of the hanging bits (technical term ) of letters such as gqjy. Visually, this one just looks too far below the word.

The rainbow part of "but not narrow" is a bit hard to read. Probably partially due to the amount of yellow (which I see you have already fixed) and orange, but also probably due to the gradient style of changing colours based on the distance from start of text to end of text, rather than changing the colours based on the pen strokes. I would suggest reducing the amount of yellow and orange and looking at other colour changing styles.

The yellow in LGBTitP is too hard to read. Better, not perfect, but the original suffers from the same.

"Straight but not narrow" is too close to "LGBTitP Supporter". There should be a bit of a gap to identify it as not just a flow-on sentence. Just not as big a gap as I had if there is no logo to go behind it.

"Supporter" should have a capital S. "Straight but not narrow" is sentence case, but LGBTitP should be title case.


That's about all I saw in the way of what could be improved. Excellent work. Like I've already said, a huge improvement over my draft.

[Danne]

I always wondered why it wasn't Straight and Wide.
i kid

It's a play on the phrase "the straight and narrow path." Wide technically would be an easier way to say not narrow but then there wouldn't be the word play.

And I think that everyone's banners look lovely.

Edit: Oops, sorry, I missed the invisible text.

[Jokasti]

I thought "not narrow" meant more like open to new things. Like people that don't support LGBT are narrow-minded. I dunno.

[Drolyt]

I thought "not narrow" meant more like open to new things. Like people that don't support LGBT are narrow-minded. I dunno.

Wait, I just assumed it was something from the subculture, or is it something Raw came up with?

[golentan]

Because "straight and wide" sounds like a bragging form of innuendo.

[Rawhide]

Both. It's a play on the saying "straight and narrow", modified to say that while you are straight, you are not "narrow-minded".

[celtois]

Hey all, so I have a few other ideas for a possible logo design.. here's another. Both this or the other one can be touched up resized or all that jazz upon request. However which do you prefer in terms of style?

As well which acronym is preferred?
LGBTitp or LGBTQQA

Take 3 on the logo

[Tricksy Hobbits]

I think I prefer the style of the first one, as well as the acronym.
The extra 3 letters make it more inclusive, and the itp isn't really necessary in this one. And the symbolism in the first, with the letters of the acronym leading towards the heart, or coming from the heart is nice, and can't be done as easily if the itp is there.

Edit: If anyone else is making emblems or symbols, perhaps they could incorporate the pyramidal triangle or lambda sign into them? Just a thought, cause those are less conventional and more striking and eye-catching than some of the standard iconography we have.