Okay, so I was messing around with a little design project the other day, just for fun, trying to put together a concept poster, something sporty. Naturally, the Australian Open came to mind. So, the first step was getting hold of their logo.
Finding the Logo
Didn’t just want to grab any old blurry thing from a quick search. I spent a bit of time looking for a decent quality version. You know how it is, sometimes you find official media kits, sometimes you just find what people have uploaded. I poked around, trying to find something clean. Found a few versions, some with the full name, some just the ‘AO’ mark.
First Look and Handling
Got a version I thought would work. Opened it up. It’s pretty distinctive, that bright blue and the simple ‘AO’. Very summery vibe, which makes sense, right? The file I got was okay, needed a bit of cleaning up maybe, depending on the size I wanted to use it at. Sometimes these logos you find online aren’t perfect vectors, which can be annoying.
So, I pulled it into the software I was using. Just wanted to see how it felt on the canvas. Placed it top corner, bottom corner, tried making it big, small. Just getting a feel for its weight and shape on the page.
Working with the Design
This is where the real fiddling started. I had this background image idea, and dropping the logo on top wasn’t immediately working.
- The blue color is strong. Really strong. Had to be careful it didn’t clash badly with the other colors I was thinking of using.
- Tried the version with the full “Australian Open” text next to the ‘AO’. Looked okay, but felt a bit long for the space I had.
- Switched to just the ‘AO’ mark. Much cleaner for my layout. It stands pretty well on its own, actually.
Resizing it was key. Too big, it dominated everything. Too small, and it kinda got lost. Spent a good while just nudging it around, trying different spots. You know, pixel by pixel sometimes. Getting the placement right took patience.
Color Matching
I wanted to pull that specific blue from the logo to use elsewhere in the poster, maybe for text or some graphic elements. Used the color picker tool to grab the exact shade. It’s a nice, energetic blue. Tried using it, adjusted the saturation a bit here and there to make sure it fit my overall look without being too much.
The ‘AO’ Mark Itself
Looking closely at just the ‘AO’, it’s quite clever. Simple, bold lines. Easy to recognise. Works well even when it’s small. I appreciated that simplicity while trying to fit it into the design. Didn’t need a lot of empty space around it to be clear.
End Result of the Practice
After a fair bit of tweaking, moving things around, playing with the colors, I got a layout I was reasonably happy with for my little concept. The logo sat nicely in the end. It was a good exercise. It definitely showed me how much thought goes into making a logo work in different situations. Even just for a practice project, you bump into little challenges with placement and color that you need to sort out. It’s not just plug-and-play.
