Twelve years of vector tracing, one freehand sketch changed my whole process

I used to build every logo in Illustrator with the pen tool, clicking anchor points until my wrist ached. Last month a client in Austin handed me a napkin doodle and said 'just clean it up, don't overthink it.' I freehanded their mascot with a Wacom for the first time in ages, and the wobble actually gave it character. Now I sketch rough shapes before ever opening the pen tool, and I only vectorize after the layout feels right. Has anyone else found that stepping away from precise curves makes a logo feel more alive?

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diana_bell748d ago

Wait, you freehanded a whole mascot and it worked out better than your vector process? That's wild to me because I've spent years deleting my sketch layers out of embarrassment... Actually now I'm kinda pissed at myself for all those hours I wasted fighting the pen tool when a wobbly line could've just done the job.