Logo Maker on Web 2.0

A few days ago I wrote about my attempts to create a blog header that best represents Sperk*.   I wanted readers to arrive here and have an idea of what I am communicating through my writing.  Visual identity is essential in the blogosphere because it is saturated with millions who have something to share.  Standing out can seem impossible.  I simply wanted to be identifiable.  Even though my blog is still in a stage of development, I was able to discern that I wanted the header to be professional looking, simple, and not too formal.  I wanted to make sure readers felt comfortable and compelled to scroll down, read, and discover how Sperk* is unfolding.

Today I used LogoType Maker, a Web 2.0 tool that I discovered through Diigo's Hot Bookmarks, to create my header.  LogoType Maker was easy to use.  When I arrived at the site, I typed my blog title into the field labeled Type Here, clicked Generate LOGO, and it generated 12 logos that were ready to be saved in the bookmarking field.  I clicked randomize a few times to get some ideas and see if anything spoke to me.  I tried a few of the editing options on the ones that were stand outs.

Editing was easy.  I modified the generated font to one that visually complimented my existing blog layout.  I wasn’t happy with the font colors and was worried I would have to change the colors of my blog in order for it to match.  I was relieved to discover that I could easily input the #RGB’s from my blog to be applied to the logo font.  

Uploading my own photo was as easy as uploading it to Blogger, Facebook, or any other site that has photo uploading.  I did not like the way it looked.  This was an issue with my photo, not with LogoType Maker.  The photo was easy to delete.  I chose one of the provided images and liked it better than what I was going to use.

The application uses three layers for the font, photo and background.  Each layer is easily manipulated for placement and size.  I made five different logos and saved them as .png files to my laptop.  There are options to save your logo as a .pdf or a .zip file, too.  

I uploaded one of the five logos to my header and did not like how it looked.  No problem.  I easily removed it and tried another.  I did this until I decided on the one you see now in my header.

  

LogoType Maker was fun and easy to use.  It is great because it is free and has some features that come with purchased software.  I was able to quickly create a professional and relevant logo.  And I already have ideas for other LogoType Maker applications: to create my Facebook Timeline header (guide from Mashable) and a Christmas gift for my girls.