You'd be hard-pressed to find a family organization structure that's as tight-knit as the Scottish clan. Loyalty and history have kept families together for centuries and there are few cultures on earth as proud of the symbols that represent family ties as are the Scottish people. Overseen by the Court of the Lord Lyon, Scottish clan rules, regulations and protocols haven't changed much despite the passage of centuries. Happily, you don't have to go to Scotland to get their approval for your logo design---unless, of course, this is your excuse to visit the home of your ancestors.
Instructions
1. Research your genealogy if you like, but if you prefer not to spend the time and money making certain you're a Clark or a Dumfries, take advantage of the Lyons Court ruling that declares every person with the same surname a member of that clan. Search for your clan's coat of arms. Check out links below to sleuth out symbols related to the clan's graphic identification, including colors and images.
2. Research a variety of logo designs by visiting sites listed at the end of this article to get an idea of the elements award-winning designers employ each time they design a logo.
3. Find copyright-free .jpeg images that represent your clan (e.g., lions, crests, tartan plaids) by surfing the Internet. Choose one or two that offer the cleanest, sharpest and simplest graphics. Download them to your computer, saving them on your desktop. Locate fonts on your computer's menu that are simple and offer lots of contrast (e.g., Impact; Arial).
4. Open a new document in your choice of word processing, page layout or draw programs for the purpose of creating your clan's logo design. Import graphics from your desktop. Move them around until you have a nice composition (e.g., your clan tartan plaid as a background with a gryphon image beside it). Drag a text box over the art and keystroke your clan's name. Alter the font to match the one you selected.
5. Output a copy of your finished clan logo design to see how it looks on paper. Adjust the logo if necessary before putting it to the logo test all designers employ: shrink the logo down to about an inch in size to make certain all of the design elements hold up.
6. Circulate your finished logo to the rest of the clan to get their feedback, remembering that clans have survived for thousands of years by making certain everything done in the name of the clan is universally accepted. Get a thumbs up from your relatives and you can set about the business of imprinting your clan logo on everything from shirts to towels so everyone has an opportunity show off their pride in your shared culture plus your creative design talent.
