A TrekBBS Logo

[AstroSmurf]

Right now the powers-that-be are working on doing a little update to the look of the board. (A thread discussing it is here.) Being a graphic designer, that got me thinking about the design of the board and I realized the BBS doesn’t have a logo. Other than the TOS communicator indicators and the UGO logo, the main page is devoid of any visual representation for the board. Well that got my wheels turning even faster (a dangerous past-time I know) and it occurred to me we could have some fun by creating some BBS logos of our own. So grab your design tools and let’s see what you can come up with. I have a few ideas of my own I am going to post once I flesh them out a little.

And, as always, feel free to discuss as you go!

(Please understand this is only for fun. These will not actually be used. I just thought it would make an interesting thread for the Art Forum, something to flex our creative muscles with.)

 

[Starbreaker]

I would love to see someone talented add the delta emblem between Trek and BBS in a cool logo.

 

[B.J.]

See, one of the interesting challenges to coming up with a good logo for this place is that we can't use any copyrighted imagery like the delta emblem in a logo. I know this won't be used anyway, but it would be fun to see what we could design *without* using the delta and still be instantly recognized as Star Trek.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I could go a life time without seeing the "delta shield" used as a graphic element again. If there's anything more cliche at this point than a cheap chroma beaming effect used in a TV ad, it's the delta in a logo.

 

[AstroSmurf]

^ Agreed. The Delta, while recognizable, is a bit overdone these days.

And B.J. is right. What ever you produce needs to be something that stands alone, doesn't infringe on copyright and still is recognizable as Trek. Finding that kind of balance is very difficult. And trust me when I say I know. I was the one who designed the communicator indicators on the front page. We had the same problem there. I went through nearly two dozen permutations before the PTB decided on those. Of course they are overly complicated for something that small... but I will leave that story and headache for another time. (Even if I did do them, I hate them, always have and probably always will. )

And I might have something to post later today. I have been tinkering but I have some other work to do before I can finish. Is there anyone else?

 

[Captain Robert April]

I prefer to keep things simple, not just for stylistic reasons, but out of consideration for those with slow connections.

Howzabout this...?

 

[B.J.]

I've been thinking, but haven't come up with anything decent yet.

 

[kkozoriz1]

Add a lens flare.

 

[largo]

yes, LOTS of lens flares.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I've been thinking, but haven't come up with anything decent yet.

^

That's okay... I never come up with anything decent when I think, either.

 

[B.J.]

I've been thinking, but haven't come up with anything decent yet.

^

That's okay... I never come up with anything decent when I think, either.

 

[Dac]

I'd love to have a shot, but.....Halo.

See you next week

 

[AstroSmurf]

I prefer to keep things simple, not just for stylistic reasons, but out of consideration for those with slow connections.

Howzabout this...?

Actually I like this. My only suggestion is that the yellow be a little more TOS gold.



And here is today's entries I promised...

As you can see I am working with several different styles and looks. This batch also have a more general scifi theme and are not very specific. But I have several more ideas floating around in my head so I will have more to post in the next couple of days. Those will be a little more Trek related. But I love designing these things so there will be at least five or six more before I get bored.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

This.

 

[Tom Riley]

I suppose I should have read through more than the original post before getting to work...
This is what I ended up with...

^

This.

Yeah, I like that one best of the three.

 

[AstroSmurf]

^ Despite your use of the delta, I actually like the gold in yours. I adore it with that blue grey. And no need to be sad. This is for our own enjoyment and I love the way it turned out. And if it makes you feel better, I would like to do one featuring the Galileo Shuttle but... I wanted to do it in the same illustration style as my rocket. (Stupid copyright infringement thingy is cramping our style.)


And yes, I think my galaxy logo is the best out of those first three. It also has LENSE FLAIR... Lense Flair... lense flair. I designed that bit into it before you folks had even brought it up though. The galaxy also works very well as a small icon, perfect for the indicators on the front page.

I also love the rocket but it really doesn't work for this board. I adore old school scifi so expect a few more bits to sneak in with the next wave. The last one is something I designed a couple of years ago and never used. I thought it was scifi enough for this and would be cool to finally flesh out.

Oh and sorry for not breaking the logos out individually. I will do that next time to make it easier to quote them.

 

[Tom Riley]

I think your Galileo shuttle idea would look pretty awesome... If not for copyright infringement... I suppose, since they weren't going to be used anyways, it's not too bad.

And, I do like the image in the third option you have there, it just makes me think more Transformers and giant space robots.

 

[Captain Robert April]

How about this?

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

I would take the text and apply a sparkle effect with it being like a transporter, transparent at the top, solid at the bottom. I'd also lowercase the REK.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I thought we were all in general agreement that transporter effects have been done to death.

And I prefer uppercase with that font.