Make a Web 2.0 Logo with GIMP
Like the “Fuzzy Tolerance” image at the top of the page with the reflection bit? How about something like this:*
Or event this:
It’s a snap to make with GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. Just follow this great tutorial and you’ll have a Web 2.0-ish logo in no time. Note you can find the font used (Bauhaus Heavy Bold) here.
As summarized in the post on Scientific Web Design, text grabs attention well before graphics. Text headers are where it’s at from a usability perspective. Besides this great tutorial, GIMP comes with a plethora (25+) of Script-Fu scripts that do nothing but make snazzy text-based headers.
GIMP is Free/Open Source Software, so have at it. There are good reasons to dump a ton of money on Photoshop, but making snazzy header images for your web pages definitely isn’t one of them.
If you’re new to GIMP, check out the Meet the GIMP! video podcast. Even if you’re an advanced GIMP user, I’d still check it out. I’ve been using GIMP for quite a while now, and in every podcast I learn something new.
*Note the images are PNG’s with alpha transparency, so they may not look as nice in IE 6. IE 6 users are used to things not looking particularly nice, making IE 6 users masochists in my book; I figure they enjoy this sort of thing. It takes a big man to render a PNG with alpha transparency as a JPG just for the IE 6 crowd. I am not a big man.
I still have that one as a XCF you can download - GP Logo. The planet and house are from the Open Clip Art Library and were originally SVG’s.