Four-Color Logo

Step One: New Canvas

Open Photoshop and create a new canvas (File, New). It needs to be sized about 500 x 500 pixels with a white background in RGB mode.

It's important to work at a large size on your logos. They can be sized down later, but working large lets you use them for the widest variety of purposes while retaining quality.

Step Two: Make a Selection

This logo is fun to make because it uses a lot of selections. Instead of grabbing shapes, you get to create something totally original.

First, we're going to make the X that will be a body. Create a new layer (Layer, New, Layer) and use your polygonal lasso tool and black fill to create something like the example in Illustration 02.

It doesn't have to be perfect - we're going to cut a lot of stuff off before we're done.

Step Three: Draw a Head

This is the only shape we'll use, just because it makes it so much easier to create a perfect circle.

Grab your ellipse (circle) shape tool and draw a small circle out for the head. Hold your shift key down while you draw to keep the circle a perfect circle. Don't make the head touch the body.

Step Four: Add Color

We're ready to add some color, but we need to do a couple things first so that it's really easy to add.

First, add a 5-pixel white stroke to both the head and body layers. Then, turn off your background layer and Merge Visible.

To add color, create a new layer (Layer, New, Layer) and use your magic wand to select 1 of the quarters of the image. Fill it with a bright color. Repeat around.

Step Five: Resize & Add Text

Keep your background layer turned off and Merge Visible once more. Then, resize the image slightly (Edit, Free Transform - Hold your Shift key down!).

Your last step is easy as pie - add some text and you have a fantastic 4-color logo.