ToxicSquiid Motion Graphic -- Portfolio Publish

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ToxicSquiid:

Now for something a little bit different; a brand that is representative of me and my work rather than a coffee company or an environmentally conscious lightbulb package. ToxicSquiid was created, originally, as a gamer tag which I would use to be identified across the web, but once I became interested in Graphic Design, I had considered using it as my personal mark or brand, as something that would represent my work. Across 3 years (2018 - 2020) I had created this identity that embodies the essence of my work.

It is fun and playful, encapsulating some of my favorite elements as well the things that inspired my artistic career. Those unaware of who I am personally will not understand such inspirations and as such, I will lay them out here. The squid itself is a representation of my fascination with aquatic life and bizarre creatures -- I have always had an affinity for monsters, even at the cost of the protagonists or more humanoid characters. The hook on the character is a nod to my childhood fascination with nautical conquerors of the New World, the pirates, privateers, conquistadors and many others infamous across history. The word "toxic" does not refer to personally attacking someone on the internet, but rather a physical essence of poison, which originates from my childhood, yet again, as a fascination with poisonous creatures, such as the Blue-Ringed Octopus or the more well-known Cobra or Jellyfish.

So what does ToxicSquiid do? It acts as my identity online and as a stamp of approval across anything that I do. If I design a character and upload it online, this acts as a signature, and as a brand that separates me from other designers and artists. It has, however, had its own projects, and one may be found here, containing many design elements commonly used alongside my logo.

History:

As stated prior, ToxicSquiid has been in my creative mind's warehouse for roughly 3.5 years, and it has gone through a recent facelift that has completely changed the design of the logo, as well as cemented it with more firm design choices. The first ToxicSquiid sketch was composed in late 2018 while I was dog-sitting for family friends and I began to realize this concept in GIMP; the poor man's PhotoShop. Here are a few of the earliest incarnations of ToxicSquiid.

The first being clearly ruled out for its severe similarities with Pirates of the Caribbean's Davy Jones; there would be dozens of other sketches before arriving at the sketch pictured in the grid below.

Before long, it started to take shape, and I begin cementing its design by cleaning up the lines and looking at potential color options. After testing quite a few combinations, I settled on the purple and yellow combo that existed for the first 2019 logo. Though satisfied with the initial logo, I felt that I could do better, and decided to push myself further and redesign the logo again, using the initial as a basis for its evolution.

Transition to 2020:

In late 2019, I began the redesign process, using that initial design to fuel my new logo. Although initially conflicted, I decided that the squid itself should look more unique than just another squid, and found that by exaggerating its proportions, I could create a vastly more interesting form. I also began experimenting with different colors, which would be slightly darker than the original, holding on to only the original yellow.

Final Re-Design:

After seemingly months of experimenting with colors and forms, I arrived at the following conclusion to the design process. It encapsulates much more of the feel I initially desired the brand to carry and as such, I am much more satisfied with the piece.

Animated Sequence:

In late 2019, I began work on an animated motion graphic for one of my extra Graphic Design courses in which we were tasked with brining a brand to life via a short, minimum 10 second animation. As implied by its presence here, ToxicSquiid was the brand of my choice, and I decided to create something that would overall represent my identity and brand. Going back to its inspirations of pirates and sea monsters, I decided to make the brief encounter between these two, only my logo would serve as the beast instead of your average kraken or leviathan. The design was to be simplistic and brief, but I am quite happy with the end result. The original can be found on my YouTube channel, which is accessible via the 2020 re-edited version if you follow the link.

Audio Usage:

All audio was used through YouTube's creative commons library. Voice acting, mostly just piratic "yarrs" and "harrs," was done by me. The roar of the ToxicSquiid was also done by me, with some voice editing software to make it sound more like a creature.