Thanks go out to Tjaard Du Plessis for this Photoshop tutorial. See more of his work at www.behance.net/tdp1
Step 01: Document Settings
One of the most important aspects is setting the document’s colour mode and resolution. Print media and digital media have different settings, and this should be taken into consideration when designing. Set up a new document (File>New) and set the colour mode to CMYK and the resolution to 300dpi.
Step 02: Place Source Files
In order to begin, you will need to download both the logo and the card motif sketch from the disc. Firstly, open a new document, then go to File>Place to place the sketched logo. Make sure that the sketch is centered and locked from the Layers panel.
Step 03: Select the Pen Tool
The next step would be to select the pen tool (p) and start tracing the shapes of the sketch. It is important to make sure that the pen tool is set on Shape mode and not Path mode. The path operations should be set to New Layer. All of these options can be accessed from the top-left bar.
Step 04: Trace the Shapes
With the Pen tool still selected, start tracing the shapes from the sketch by clicking on a point and following the sketch outlines. It is easier to trace small bits of the sketch in rectangular shapes and merge them later than it is to trace one large shape at a time. This will increase the accuracy of the tracing process. Do not worry about the inner shape cutouts at this point.
Step 05: Subtract from Shape
Specific shapes may require inner cutouts, such as the letters ‘a’ and ‘e’. Select the shape that requires a cutout from the Layers panel. Make sure that the Pen tool is still selected. Go to the Path Operations setting by the top bar containing the Pen tool selections and select Subtract Front Shape. Lower the opacity of the previously drawn shape in order to see the sketch, then trace the inner cutout. This should subtract the new shape from the other.
Step 06: Transform the Shapes
With a shape selected in the Layers panel, go to Edit>Free Transform Path. Readjust the size, position and angle of the shapes so that they fit together more fluently. This is similar to adjusting the kerning of text. Make sure that she shapes are placed at differing heights in comparison to one another.
Step 07: Colour Swatches
The next step would be to decide upon the colours/swatches. If the colours need to be swatches, go to Window>Swatches in order to display a broad range of colours to choose from. Pick colours that complement each other and research colour theory. It is generally safer to make use of a limited colour palette and incorporate between two and three colours. You can use the Eyedropper tool to select the appropriate colours.
Step 08: Colour Application
It is fairly easy to change the colour of objects when they are still in shapes and have not yet been rasterised. Select the shapes from the Layers panel – you can hold Cmd/Ctrl to select multiple shapes. Select the Rectangle tool (U) then move to the top bar and select Fill. You will then be able to select a new or recently eyedropped colour for the shapes.
… to be continued