I feel like I've been in a creative funk for a while now. Work has been fulfilling, but I've found that I've been missing that rewarding feeling that comes from creating something from nothing. So I decided to set aside a little bit of time for myself to create 'something' every day. I'm calling these 'Daily Exercises' and posting them as a way to hold myself accountable. Not all things will be published daily, but this should help me keep the exercise top of mind.
The first exercise in creativity was to design a logo for my dog. Louie is a 2-year old frech bulldog with an excellent personality. Here he is wearing a tutu, reminding everyone to vote.
So I went through a few iterations as quickly as I could, doing my best impression of Aaron Draplin... build simple shapes, duplicate, and iterate until I came up with something I felt good about. I ended up with a circular logo that feels a lot like a sticker or badge.
Then in an act of vulnerability, I posted it on Twitter and got a few replies.
I got one funny reply and used it as a way to see how the logo would work in another application. I drew every element in these designs from scratch.
I enjoyed creating without the normal requirements and boundaries that clients and/or employers put in place. And I used it as an opportunity to learn a few new illustration techniques in the process. Thikning I'll do a few more fake projects to keep the creative juices flowing.