Penny Arcade is probably one of the most respected, copied and successful web-comics of late. Mike Krahulik (Gabe), and Jerry Holkins (Tyco) are the co-creators behind Penny Arcade. Their unabashed opinions are hurled with ferocious might on a daily basis as they openly attack their enemies with a salvos of biting humor and coarse language typically found on HBO or fervent internet bulletin boards. As all comic characters are prone to, Penny Arcade’s characters have undergone years worth of fine-tuning and their appearances have changed, subtly. This article attempts to trace the PA timeline and study the evolution of the Tycho and Gabe characters from internet doodles – to web mavens.

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Bum Lee’s website is chock full of great art. Besides being a talented illustrator, Lee also features a fine body of animations and shorts. I love the hard contrasting style he adopts in many of his animations. Its got a very euro-feel to it. He even has a Flash game. We all love those. Throw in some zombies and very smooth animtions and you have Deanimator. An online game and parody of Herbert West: Reanimator, serial short stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

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Put away that protractor, its not that kind of geometry. This third installment of 5 Tips for good logos isn’t going to teach you how to obtain the cosine of the adjacent angle but a simple knowledge of the four basic logo structures, how basic shapes can convey emotion, and proper logo proportions can go a long way towards a successful logo. Math wiz or not.

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Color is not the answer. When designing your logo dont get hung up on color. While color is important, a good logo starts in black and white. The test of a good logo is stripping it of all its embellishments and color and resulting with a logo that is just as recognizable as before. Before you start trying Pantone after Pantone looking for the magic color that will “look right”, try reducing your logo to just black and white.

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Logos are seen everywhere. Everyone’s got a logo. A company logo is the first line of communication with potential clients and peers, yet many logos just plain suck. This begs to ask: How do the popular brands everyone is familiar with come up with their logos? What makes a logo eye-pleasing? How can a logo created in the 1800′s still stand for a carbonated, delicious and refreshing soda? This is the first installment in this “5 tips for good logos” series.

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