Alright, so the other day, I decided to spend some time with the Washington Nationals logo. Not for any big project, just, you know, to kind of explore it a bit for myself. Sometimes you just get an itch to mess around with designs you see often.
My First Steps and Thoughts
So, I pulled up the logo, the classic curly “W”. My first thought was just to get a good look at it, really see the shapes and how it all comes together. I wasn’t planning a total redesign or anything crazy. More like, how would I approach it if I were sketching it out from memory, or maybe trying to simplify it or even add a tiny personal touch.
I grabbed my trusty tablet and stylus. Some folks like paper, and I get that, but I find it easier to iterate digitally these days. I just started by trying to replicate the basic form. It’s one of those logos that looks simple, but getting those curves just right, the thickness of the strokes, that takes a bit of focus.
Getting into the Nitty-Gritty
After I had a decent base trace, I started playing around. What if the serifs were a bit sharper? Or maybe a tad more rounded? I zoomed in, pushed and pulled some anchor points. It’s funny how much you can tweak a simple letterform. I spent a good chunk of time just on the main “W” itself.
Then, the colors. Red, white, and blue. Can’t go wrong with that classic American combo. I used a color picker to grab the official shades first, just to have a baseline. Then, I experimented a little. What if the red was a tiny bit brighter? Or the blue a shade darker? It’s subtle stuff, but it can change the whole vibe. I made a few versions, just comparing them side-by-side.
I also thought about the beveled effect you often see on one of their main logos. Recreating that kind of 3D look, even subtly, was a good exercise. Layering shadows and highlights, trying to make it pop a bit without looking too overdone. That took a few tries, believe me. Getting the light source to feel consistent is always a little puzzle.
Finalizing My Little Experiment
In the end, I didn’t create anything revolutionary. It was more about the process for me. I ended up with a few variations. One was a slightly cleaner, flatter version, and another had a bit more of a modern, subtle gradient feel to the bevels. Nothing I’d submit to the team, mind you! It was just for my own practice and fun.
It’s always interesting to deconstruct and reconstruct familiar designs. You learn a lot about what makes them work, or what little things you might do differently if you had the chance. Plus, it’s just good practice to keep those design muscles working. So yeah, that was my little adventure with the Nats logo. Time well spent, I’d say, just for the sake of doing it.
