Script

Course Title: Designing your first Logo

Stakeholders:  N/A

Subject Matter Expert (SME): N/A

Insturctor: Jessica

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Target Duration: 3-5 minutes

Target Audience: Creative adults who are new to graphic design and who know the basic functions of a computer.

Goal (specific, realistic, & attainable): Briefly describe the design process for designing a logo.

Learning Objectives: Upon finishing the course, the learner will gain a general understanding of the design process and basic tools and functions in Adobe Illustrator.

Expected/Performance Outcomes: The learner will be excited to begin creating and using the basic design process to design their first logo.

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Title Page: Designing Your First Logo

Background music: Upbeat music plays while an animated title page is shown, fading away before the instructional video begins.

Animation: Pen Tool will adjust up and down slightly and softly while “Designing Your” and “First Logo” will slide in one after another from the right side of the screen. The opening title page will fade out to transition to the next shot.

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Intro: Shot 1

Hello there! Are you interested in designing your first logo but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry; you’re in the right place. In this short video, we will briefly go over the design process and cover basic tools in Adobe Illustrator to help you get started. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: The animated female character waves to the camera and then transitions to a thinking gesture. 

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Logo Styles: Shot 2

The first step is to choose a style for your logo. Examples of different styles include monogram, wordmark, pictorial, abstract, or mascot.

Background music: N/A

Animation: Different examples will appear and fade out, showcasing a variety of logo styles simultaneously with the narration.

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Inspiration: Shot 3

Once you’ve decided on a style, the next step is to search for inspiration. This can be as simple as a Google image search or using social media such as Pinterest. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: The animated female character is browsing on a tablet and the Pinterest logo appears next to her. 

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Sketch Ideas: Shot 4

Next, grab a pencil and paper and sketch out as many ideas as possible. Don't worry about being good at drawing. The goal is to brainstorm concepts. One idea may stem from another, so just start exploring with pencil and paper.

Background music: N/A

Animation: A brief animation of a notebook and pen appears before fading out to the animated woman drawing on a clipboard. A lightbulb animation will also appear with the narration when the word "idea" is mentioned.

*Change from original Storyboard: I felt as though the original clip of the hands did not match the overall style of the video. 

 

Typography: Shot 5

Next, you should explore various typography options. Adobe Fonts is a great place to start. You can search by classification and weight to see what's popular and trending. Once you find a font you like, you can easily add it to your Adobe Creative Cloud Library by clicking the "Add Family" button.

Background music: N/A

Animation: This will be a quick screen recording of fonts.adobe.com/fonts.

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Color: Shot 6

Adobe also provides a wide range of color palettes. You can explore popular trends or find specific results by entering keywords into the search bar. Like Adobe fonts, you can conveniently save any color palette to your Creative Cloud Library.

Background music: N/A

Animation: This will be a quick screen recording of color.adobe.com/explore. 

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Adobe Illustrator: Shot 7

Now that we have our ideas, it’s time to start drafting your logo. Adobe Illustrator is the best program to use and the industry standard for vector graphics used by most designers. Let’s look at a few basic tools you can use to start building your logo. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: The Adobe Illustrator Logo will gradually appear before transitioning to the next scene.

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Shape Tool: Shot 8

The Shape Tool is located in the tools panel on the left-hand side of Illustrator. It allows you to create a variety of geometric shapes quickly and easily. 

 

To use the Shape Tool, select it from the toolbar and choose the specific shape you want to create. Click and drag on your canvas to draw the shape. Hold the Shift key while dragging to maintain proportional dimensions, such as a perfect circle.

Background music: N/A

Animation: Brief screen recording, demonstrating the basic functions of the shape tool.

 

Pen Tool: Shot 8

Sometimes, you may need to create a custom shape; this is where the pen tool comes in handy. The pen tool allows you to create custom paths and shapes with precision and control. 

 

To use the Pen Tool, select it from the toolbar. Click on your canvas to create an anchor point, move your mouse to another area on the canvas, and click again to create a straight light. Click and drag to create curved paths, adjusting the handles that appear to control the curve's shape and direction.
Background music: N/A

Animation: Brief screen recording, demonstrating the basic functions of the pen tool.

 

Type Tool: Shot 8

Another crucial tool in Illustrator is the type tool. You can select it from the left-side toolbar menu like the other tools. 

 

To add text, click anywhere on your canvas and start typing. This creates a single line of text that expands as you type. You can also click and drag an area to create area text, which is a block of text in a defined area, perfect for paragraphs and longer text.

 

The Type on a Path tool also allows you to type on any custom path. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: Brief Screen recording, demonstrating the basic functions of the type tool. 

 

Build Your Logo: Shot 8

Now that we have our ideas and understand some basic functions of Illustrator, we can start building our logo. The easiest way to begin is by photographing your sketches and dragging them into your Illustrator canvas. Then, use the tools available to start creating your logo. Remember to work in black and white to ensure that your logo looks great in its simplest form. Most importantly, remember to have fun!

Background music: N/A

Animation: Screenshot showing examples of black & white working logos in the process of being built. 

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Develop 3 Strong Options: Shot 9

It’s important to develop three strong options when designing your first logo. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: Three logo examples will gradually appear on the screen from left to right.

 

Feedback: Shot 10

Once you have three strong options, seek feedback. Show your designs to friends and family, and ask them to choose their favorite and suggest improvements. Write down all their suggestions. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: The video clip will show people collaborating together, looking at designs, and providing feedback.

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Refine Logo: Shot 11

After you have gathered feedback from a few people, begin refining your logo based on that feedback. Now is also the time to add color! Once you're finished, you will have one strong and final logo. 

Background music: N/A

Animation: One final logo with color will appear on screen and then fade away before transitioning to the next screen.

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Conclusion: Shot 12

Congratulations! You now have a solid foundation to start designing your first logo. Remember to sketch your ideas, explore different typography and color options, and seek feedback often. Developing multiple options and gathering feedback will help refine your logo into something truly unique. Most importantly, have fun with the process and let your creativity flow. Happy designing!

Background music: N/A

Animation: Woman congratulating and clapping.

*Change from original storyboard: I added an animated woman pointing with a lightbulb while the text "Sketch Ideas, Explore Typography & Color, and Seek Feedback" appears on the screen as the narration. I felt the original script was too long for the selected animation and could benefit from a review of key concepts covered in this video. I also added a short "Design" animation when the narration says, "Happy designing,” to end the video on an inspiring and positive note. 

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Credits

Narration: N/A

Background music: N/A

Animation: The text will gradually fade in an stay on screen for a few seconds before fading out and the video ends. 

*Change from original storyboard: I preferred the traditional rolling credits over the idea of fading in and out. I initially didn't know how to achieve rolling credits during the storyboard planning phase. After conducting research, I managed to solve the problem.