Arabic calligraphy may date back to 7th and 8th century, it’s still counted among the most widely acknowledged artworks. Many people confuses calligraphy with hand-lettering and typography, understandably so. But they are different.
Calligraphy is creating art or design with a single pass, whereas hand-lettering is the art of drawing (not writing) letters in a way each letter itself becomes a mini illustration. While typography comprises of prefabricated, designed letters.
Being aesthetically very pleasing, Arabic calligraphy has also been used in logo designs. Many Middle Eastern organizations prefer having such logos to represent authenticity. Here we are going to discuss how Arabic calligraphy can be used to design a logo.
Steps to create an Arabic Calligraphy Logo:
Creating calligraphic logo is no rocket science. Anyone searching for a unique company logo can use the following tips and create an amazing logo, without having to master the Arabic calligraphy.
Let’s get started!
- Start with creating a rough sketch of the logo concept you have in mind. Scan it (either from a scanner or any scanning mobile app) and upload it on the Adobe Illustrator.
- Create three layers; name the first layer as Drawing Layer and lock it, this is where you’ll have your sketch; second layer will be Trace Layer, you will be making strokes by tracing the outlines; third layer will be you Word Layer, this is where you’ll add your text.
- Now, press “X” to bring the design forward, clear the fill by pressing ‘slash’ and again press “X”
- Double-click the stroke to change the present color to a brighter alternative using the choose pick option
- Next, switch to the second layer (Trace Layer). Press “P” to switch to the pen tool and trace the outline of the design.
- Don’t forget to adjust the strokes to keep them flowing seamlessly. Once you have done with tracing the design and smoothening the strokes, press “CTRL + S” to save the file.
- Here, you need to apply brush strokes to add the accent marks and character dots in the design.
- Select the design and use black strokes. Hide the first layer (Drawing Layer) to see the design more clearly.
- Apply the default strokes of illustrator. Select complete design leaving the eye (if your icon is a bird) and increase the stroke weight to 2pts.
- Select a mid-text character and adjust its angle and width using a different calligraphy brush. You can also choose different brushes for every character and tweak them to complement each other.
- If your design demands accents and forms, customized the art brush as per the need (see video for reference). Experiment with different strokes and angles till you get the design you were looking for.
- After you have got the final design, select the whole design and paste it into your last (Word) layer to convert the brush strokes into objects. When selecting the design, hover to “Objects” menu and then click on “Expand Appearance”.
- Fine-tune the strokes to give the design a final finishing. Add colors if you want. You can also add background colors or gradients to the design to achieve more depth.
And voila! Your design is ready. We hope this comprehensive Arabic calligraphy logo design tutorial will be useful. The design may not look very impressive at the first attempt, but as you practice more, you can get a presentable Arabic calligraphy logo for your brand.
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