Tips, tricks, tools, and techniques for Microsoft Office

Every so often it's a good idea to add fresh graphics to your publication or Web site. When I went looking for a new logo for The Office Letter, I was stunned by the cost. With a small budget and no graphic design skills, I wanted to create a corporate logo that I could post on the TOL home page and use on stationary.

I looked over the Web sites of over two-dozen professional logo-design firms but found nothing even remotely appealing. The built-in Office graphics tools (such as Word Art throughout Office or the logo designer in Publisher) just didn’t cut it.

What I did find, however, was a software program called The Logo Creator. Using a controlled environment (slider bars to adjust color or graphic rotation, for example), The Logo Creator is far simpler to use than a full-fledged graphics application such as PhotoShop. I was able to design the TOL logo you see on our Web pages –- plus 10 other designs -- in less than 90 minutes.

I played with many of the 25 included templates – each offering a distinct "look," such as bright colorful curves or large circles combined with a unique font. You select a template as a starting point, then experiment with color or fonts, and move or resize the objects as much as you like. You can replace the existing text placeholders (your company name and a separate tag line, in most templates) or add your own text.

The program offers a choice of supplemental downloadable images for emphasis (you can use a graphic image already on your hard disk if you prefer). I liked the library of "swooshes" provided by the vendor. It's easy to change fonts, font sizes, and colors, and I had fun applying special effects (fades, shadows, 3D highlights, and blurs). Default color schemes in the templates tend toward an eye-catching and visually pleasing palette.

When I have a complex document to create, I like using Word templates to get up and running quickly. I've used the resume template, for example, to set up tables and apply fonts. When it comes to graphics, a blank PhotoShop canvas is simply too intimidating. The Logo Creator is like having a Word template for your logo. Having a starting point is a big plus.

When you're ready to create a graphics file, use the Export command to create JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, and EPS files (among other formats), size your image (by entering exact pixel dimensions or using the "Scale" slider control), and select a transparency color (or choose a shades-of-gray image instead).

Some aspects of the program are annoying. Fonts aren't listed in alphabetical order. Pressing "Esc" can often kick you out of the program, forcing you to start over (I learned to save my work often). When starting the application, you cannot immediately open an existing logo -- you have to select a template set, then choose an individual template before you can use the File/Open command to retrieve your previous work. Finally, if you save your work to a folder, the program doesn't remember that folder name when you go to save the generated image (e.g., the .gif or .jpg file). The author acknowledges the problems but won’t say when fixes will be available.

The program is inexpensive ($79.95), especially compared to what a professional service would charge you, and the results were impressive. It's easy to use -– you may even find experimenting with the designs addictive. The templates offer a good variety of themes and basic designs. There’s also enough flexibility to let you create logos for clients, and if you need even more variety, you can purchase a second set of corporate logo templates for $79.95. You can even apply just the second set of templates to the downloadable demo version if you don't like what's in the “regular” (first) template set.

I'm enthusiastic about the program, and I'd encourage you to download the demo version, which lets you work with two of the templates (it's otherwise fully functional). Warning: you'll get several marketing e-mails to the address you supply, but the messages offer some useful tips and suggestions (along with gentle coaxing to buy the full product) -- but they eventually stop.

If you want to create your own logos but are short on money and graphic skills, check out The Logo Creator. (http://www.thelogocreator.com)

Incidentally, the company also produces The eBook and Box Cover Creator ($59.95), which does for product art (book or CD covers, product boxes, and the like) what The Logo Creator does for images.

-- James E. Powell

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