How to Make a Cool Emblem in Photoshop

What You'll Be Creating

In the following steps, you will learn how to make a cool emblem in Photoshop and how to better highlight your final design.

What You Will Learn in This Photoshop Emblem Tutorial

• What is an emblem?
• How to create an emblem in Photoshop
• How to better highlight your final emblem design

If you want to cut out the hassle of learning how to make an emblem, you can always try a custom emblem maker. Explore an amazing collection of gaming emblem designs from Placeit to easily create your own emblem design!

What You Will Need

You will need the following resource in order to create an emblem in Photoshop:

• BoldenVan font

1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Grid

Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu and set the Width and Height to 850. Select RGB for the Color Mode and then click the Create button.

Enable the Grid (View > Show > Grid) and Snap to Grid (View > Snap to > Grid). You will need a grid every 5 px, so let's go to Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid & Slices and enter 5 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. Try not to get discouraged by all that grid—it will make your work easier, and keep in mind that you can easily enable or disable it using the Control-" keyboard shortcut.

Now that everything's set up, let's learn what an emblem is and how to make a cool emblem in Photoshop.

An emblem is a representational design used as a distinctive badge for a particular entity. In this tutorial, you will learn how to make an emblem design for a gamers' clan.

2. How to Create a Shield for the Emblem Design

Step 1

Now that you know what an emblem is, let's learn how to make an emblem in Photoshop.

Pick the Ellipse Tool (U) from your toolbar and create a 460 x 530 px shape. Remove the Stroke color applied to this shape and change the Fill color to R=0 G=156 B=255.

With this shape selected, switch to the Convert Point Tool from your toolbar and simply click on the bottom anchor point.

Step 2

Pick the Rectangle Tool (U) from your toolbar and create a 460 x 265 px shape. Change the Fill color for this rectangle to a random yellow. You can lower the opacity of this new shape to make sure that you're placing this new shape exactly as shown in the following image.

Step 3

Reselect the Ellipse Tool (U) from your toolbar and create a 460 x 100 px shape. Change the color of this squeezed circle to a random red.

With this shape selected, switch to the Convert Point Tool and just click the left and right anchor points.

Step 4

Go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers), select the three shapes made so far, right-click on one of these layers, and go to Merge Layers.

Make sure that the Opacity of your merged layer is set to 100% and change the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

Step 5

Keep focusing on the Layers panel and double-click your shield shape to open the Layer Style window.

Activate the Stroke and enter the settings shown below.

Use the plus button to add a second Stroke for your shield shape and enter the settings shown below.

3. How to Add Text for the Emblem Design

Step 1

Focus on the bottom side of your shield shape and pick the Rectangle Tool (U).

Create a 490 x 160 px shape, place it as shown in the first image, and set the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

With this rectangle selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Select Arc Lower from the Warp drop-down menu and set the Bend to -15, and then press Enter.

Step 2

Select the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and type "PANDA". Use the BoldenVan font for your text, setting the size to 150 pt and the color to white (R=255 G=255 B=255).

With this text selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Again, select Arc Lower from the Warp drop-down menu and set the Bend to -20, and then press Enter.

Step 3

Using the Rectangle Tool (U), create a 290 x 70 px shape, place it as shown in the first image, and set the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

Switch to the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and type in "GAMING". Again, use the BoldenVan font for this text, setting the size to 40 pt and the tracking to 500, and don't forget to change the color to R=0 G=251 B=159.

4. How to Add a Panda Mascot to the Emblem Design

Step 1

Select the Ellipse Tool (U) and create a 350 x 330 px shape. Don't bother to adjust the Fill color.

With this shape selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Select Shell Lower from the Warp drop-down menu and set the Bend to 5, and then press Enter.

Step 2

Keep focusing on the shape made in the previous step, change the Fill color to white, and then double-click it (in the Layers panel) to open the Layer Style window.

Activate the Stroke and enter the settings shown below.

Activate the Inner Shadow and enter the settings shown below.

Step 3

Select the Ellipse Tool (U), create a 70 x 30 px shape, and set the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

With this shape selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Select Arc Lower from the Warp drop-down menu and set the Bend to 30, and then press Enter.

Step 4

Select the Ellipse Tool (U), create a 125 x 85 px shape, and set the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

With this shape selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Select Fisheye from the Warp drop-down menu and set the Bend to 30, and then press Enter.

Go one more time to Edit > Transform > Warp. This time, select Arch from the Warp drop-down menu, set the Bend to 20, and then press Enter.

Step 5

Make sure that the shape made in the previous step is still selected, press Control-T to rotate your selection 45 degrees, and then press Enter.

Place your shape as shown in the second image and then duplicate it (Control-J). Select this copy and flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal), and then place it as shown below.

Step 6

Using the Ellipse Tool (U), create two 30 px circles. Fill both shapes with white and place them as shown below.

Using the same tool, create a 40 px circle. Fill this new shape with R=10 G=9 B=25 and place it as shown in the following image.

Step 7

Using the Ellipse Tool (U), create two 130 px circles. Fill both shapes with R=10 G=9 B=25 and place them as shown in the first image.

Apply the Layer Style effects shown below and then move these two circles to the back, behind the rest of the shapes that make up your panda.

Activate the Stroke and enter the settings shown below.

Activate the Inner Shadow and enter the settings shown below.

Step 8

Select the Ellipse Tool (U), create a 100 px circle, and set the Fill color to R=10 G=9 B=25.

Make sure that this shape stays selected, hold down the Alt key, and create a 130 px circle, exactly as shown in the second image.

Switch to the Rectangle Tool (U), and remember to hold down the Alt key again as you are creating a 50 px square, as shown in the third image.

Step 9

Select the shape made in the previous step and place it as shown in the first image.

Add a copy of this shape (Control-J), flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal), and place it as shown in the third image.

Step 10

Focus on the Layers panel, select all the shapes that make up your panda, and Group them (Control-G). Add this group to your emblem logo design, as shown in the second image.

5. How to Add a Background to the Emblem Design

Step 1

Focus on the Layers panel, select all the shapes that make up your emblem, right-click on one of these selected layers, and go to Convert to Smart Object.

Step 2

Double-click your background layer from the Layers panel to open the Layer Style window.

Active the Gradient Overlay and apply the linear gradient shown below.

Step 3

Double-click your smart object in the Layers panel to open the Layer Style window.

Activate the Stroke and enter the settings shown below.

Activate the Drop Shadow and enter the settings shown below.

Step 4

Finally, duplicate your smart object (Control-J).

Select the copy, move it below the original smart object (in the Layers panel), and press Control-T. Increase the Width to about 200%, press Enter, and return to the Layers panel to lower the Opacity of this scaled smart object to 10%. With this final touch, your Photoshop emblem tutorial is complete.

Congratulations! Your Photoshop Emblem Tutorial Is Complete!

Now you know how to make a cool emblem in Photoshop. Here is how your gaming emblem should look. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future projects. Don't hesitate to share your final gaming emblem in the comments section.

Feel free to adjust the final gaming emblem and make it your own. You can find some great sources of inspiration at GraphicRiver, with interesting solutions to improve your emblem logo design.

Gaming Emblem Ideas From Placeit

Cut out the hassle of learning how to make an emblem and try a custom emblem maker. Explore an amazing collection of gaming emblem designs from Placeit to easily create your own emblem logo design!

Brutal Squad Gaming Emblem Design

Don't have the time to learn how to create an emblem in Photoshop? Try the custom emblem maker from Placeit and choose from hundreds of design variations to easily build your own gaming emblem design.

Savage Agent Gaming Emblem Logo Design

Using Placeit's custom emblem maker, you can adjust this emblem logo design and make it unique.

Masked Killer Gaming Emblem Design

Build your own gaming emblem design with a few clicks. Use the custom emblem maker from Placeit to make a gaming emblem that meets your expectations.

Terror Squad Gaming Emblem Design

Want to learn how to make an emblem with a couple of clicks? Try out Placeit and build your own gaming emblem design.

Midnight Assassin Gaming Emblem Logo Design

Thanks to the amazing custom emblem maker from Placeit, you can edit the font, the text, the colors, or the characters used for your emblem logo design.

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