Hand-Drawn Branding: Design Original Logos
A course by Jon ContinoGraphic Designer, Illustrator, and Creative Director of CONTINO Branding Studio
A course by Jon Contino, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Creative Director of CONTINO Branding Studio
Discover how to strike a human connection through bold graphics that reflect a brand's style and personality
A brand identity design is the visual language that is spoken between a company or organization and its audience. When a brand’s visual elements are drawn by hand, there is a much more personal experience for a potential customer. Graphic designer Jon Contino affirms that if a human being made what you’re holding, wearing or seeing, that’s what makes it special.
With clients like Google, AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Nike, Jon takes you through his creative process behind creating hand-drawn brand identities. Bring a sense of style and personality to your branding by creating a one-of-a-kind design that started out with just pencil and paper.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 12 downloads
Keep It Raw
11 minutes, 55 seconds
Market Research
6 minutes, 2 seconds
Mood Boards
12 minutes, 28 seconds
Develop Your Thumbnails
10 minutes, 28 seconds
Self-Editing
6 minutes, 51 seconds
Clean and Ink
16 minutes, 27 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Jon Contino, graphic designer, illustrator, creative director of Contino branding studio, and your teacher for this course. Hear about his early discovery of graphic design when playing in a rock band as a teenager, and how it led him to start his own studio years later. He also shares his sources of inspiration and the influences that have shaped his work.
Start your project by first getting your logo ideas on paper to develop a concept. Once you’ve got your initial ideas sketched, Jon shows you how to do market research to explore existing logos and competition. With a better understanding of your logo design, create a mood board with references that inspire you before putting it all together.
Now it’s time to start making a variety of thumbnails of your logo design and choose the ones that best suit your brand identity. From the thumbnails selected, Jon guides you through expanding on your concept to further develop it. Once your logo concept is ready, see how to edit and finalize your design. Trace your final design in ink before digitizing it.
Learn how to enhance your inked logo with Photoshop or Procreate. Jon then teaches you how to vectorize your design in Illustrator, as well as how to fine-tune the spacing within your logo. Finally, bring your logo to life by adding a color combination inspired by your mood board.
Jon takes you through developing a visual identity for your brand based on your logo. He explores sampling your brand with photography and how to visualize it in a real-world context. Next, see how to add elements like icons, patterns or illustration to your logo to extend the visual language of your brand. Wrap up the course by learning how to create a mockup with your logo, as well as how to create a brand guideline system.
What is this course's project?
Create a logo design by hand and develop a brand’s visual identity based on it.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in creating unique brand identities using hand-drawn techniques.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills, knowledge of basic design principles, and some experience with Illustrator and Photoshop are helpful, but not essential.
As for materials, you will need a pencil, some paper, and a black pen or marker. To digitize and enhance your design, you need access to a computer with Illustrator and Photoshop, or an iPad with Procreate.
Reviews
- molinadeliacePLUS2 months ago
I think this is more a procreate course than a branding course per se. Is branding just drawing or a logo? i don´t think so
- 2 months ago
Un curso donde muy bueno
- 5 months ago
This course exceeded my expectations in every way: the content, the detailed step-by-step process, and the practical tricks for building ideas through to execution. Jon is so passionate about his expertise and I learned a lot. Thank you, and I hope you'll have a new course soon
- 10 months ago
Really great course! Mr. Contino knows how to do it. His process is clear and really insightful. Lots of amazing tips and ideas to come up with a brand that is unique and different. Each piece of content was useful and helped me to understand better the creative process behind a successful designer. I encourage you to give it a try and elevate your design skills!
- 1 year ago
Bem didático, com uma linguagem clara e objetiva. Os ensinamentos foram bastante úteis e simplesmente amei o resultado sinal da marca criada.
Jon Contino
Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Creative Director of CONTINO Branding Studio
Through his branding studio, he has produced award-winning work for household names like Hulu, Google, AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Nike. In 2018, Jon published his first book, Brand by Hand, in partnership with Abrams Books. At the heart of his work, his aim is to create original designs by hand and develop a brand’s visual language with a human touch.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Developing Ideas
- Keep It Raw
- Market Research
- Mood Boards
- U3
Start Making
- Develop Your Thumbnails
- Self-Editing
- Clean and Ink
- U4
Digitize It!
- Import Your Drawings
- Creating Vectors
- Adjust Spacing
- Finally, Color!
- U5
Develop an Identity Around Your Logo
- Sample Your Brand
- Adding Elements
- Mock-ups
- Brand Guideline System
- FP
Final project
- Hand-Drawn Branding: Design Original Graphics
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
This course is designed for intermediate designers who have basic illustration and branding knowledge. Advanced experience is not required, but some familiarity with design concepts and tools will help you get the most from the lessons.
You’ll need basic drawing materials, a smartphone or camera for capturing inspiration, and access to digital tools like Procreate and Photoshop. Optional supplies include tracing paper, sketchbooks, and digital organization platforms like Pinterest or Keynote.
You’ll learn how to create hand-drawn logos, develop a unique brand identity, integrate storytelling into visuals, refine sketches, and prepare artwork for digital use. The course emphasizes both traditional and digital techniques for effective branding.
Yes, the course prioritizes hand-drawn illustration, lettering, and manual logo creation, guiding you through sketching, inking, and blending analog techniques with digital workflows for branding projects.
Yes, you’ll learn practical tips for developing a freelance illustration portfolio, including how to showcase your unique style, attract clients, and present your branding and illustration projects professionally.
Absolutely. The course covers designing band merchandise, vintage packaging, pizza boxes, and other applications, helping you adapt illustration and branding skills to diverse real-world products.
Basic familiarity with Procreate or Photoshop is helpful but not strictly required. The course provides step-by-step guidance for using these tools to digitize and refine your hand-drawn artwork.