I've actually become accustomed to Corel's PaintShop Pro (rather similar to photoshop, just a bit trimmed down and cheaper), and I haven't found it hard to create some good image-based textures and etc. But I'm having trouble learning how to create more of the actual logos and vector designs that big-name games/companys would use. A few examples:

FL Studio:

internet Explorer:

Firefox:



Sorry if the sizes are a bit different... but... you get the idea. I'd think that these designs go slightly further beyond vectors and gradients, and I can't seem to think of any other ways they could've been made. Did something like 3D Studio Max or Blender have to be used? Or is there a specific software package I need to use for this kind of work?


Any insight is very appreciated!

These are done by layering vektors, copied from a programm like Illustrator into photoshop (ore any other picture editing software you prefer)
There are basic ground layers like the orange one on the fox and overlayed colour gradient layers with additive oder subtractive settings.
Some parts are erased with very soft brush setting so averything blends together.
They feature some clever photoshop styles too. (like the light blue border on the "e")

There isn´t really a simple description to this. All i can say, it´s not that complicated to do, but can be a lot of work.
And it requires a good concept + some planning first.

Ok, stating the obvious first: most of these (and other logos out there) are based on vector graphics. You can use a vector-drawing program (such as the free and highly praised InkScape) to draw these graphics so they can be reproduced in any resolution.
Problem is you have certain limits with what you can do with vector graphics - for instance, textured or complexly shaded surfaces require a lot of work.

I think the FLStudio logo is rasterized (painted with brushes and selections), because that metallic background and the fruit are so well-shaded in a way that you can't do easily with vector graphics. Paint your logo in a huge size, in the highest resolution possible, then down-grade for lower icon sizes (in some cases redrawing completely: downsizing can sometimes introduce some nasty artifacts or loss of important detail that you need to do some manual pixel-art so it looks better when in smaller sizes).

I think the other logos you posted are entirely vectorized. The "e" in the IE logo uses complex shading to look like polished glass, but that can be accomplished with borderless, blurred shapes and gradients with transparency - something that .SVG and InkScape support, and opens a whole new world of tricks you can do with blending. For instance, these water droplets are very realistic but entirely vectorized, thanks to transparent gradient patterns. Still, making that IE logo must've taken a lot of time.

The FireFox logo is very complex shape-wise (all the strands of fur and the highlights, the countries on the planet etc.), but the shading doesn't look as complex as the IE logo. It looks like cleverly overlayed shapes filled with gradients. Cloned shapes with diferent gradients and cut at specific locations can give those hard-edged highlights.

Seems I've forgotten about this thread! Thanks for the info guys, sometime I'll try some of these techniques and see what I come up with. I can understand that the process for this is a bit long.