Designing a Monogram Logo

Recently I designed a monogram as part of a t-shirt design. I thought it would be a good opportunity to capture and outline my process. I enjoy seeing how things come to life and think this stop motion video helps illustrate my process, from start to finish.

Play video designing a monogram in different styles.

Ideation

The first step of almost all of my projects is to brainstorm and sketch. So, as usual I grabbed a sketchbook and a pencil and got to work. This is my preferred method to jump-start the creative process. It allows for complete freedom and flexibility without the restriction of digital devices.

Refinement

After sketching out multiple concepts I selected a couple that seemed to work the best. From that point I sketched each option multiple times until satisfied. Next I grabbed some tracing paper and inked up the best of the best, taking elements from various options to form a final monogram. Switching to ink helps in the digital phase as it’s easier to see and trace.

Digitization

For the last step, I scanned the drawings to prep for the digital process. I fired up Photoshop in order to clean up the sketches and add more contrast. This makes tracing the images much easier. Next I popped the adjusted file into Illustrator and applied a trace to it. If you’re looking for a hand drawn result you can fine tune from here, alternatively you can recreate your sketch within Illustrator with some line work or a brush. You can see various styles at the end of my video. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing a snippet of my process for this custom designed monogram. What does your creative process look like?