i know a few guys using the graphire pen & tablets to do nametags on their computer ... it always takes a whole bunch of tries though .... freehand and Illustrator offer to use calligraphic pens, which come close to markers, yet its usually not as large as a pen, u cant easily create drips and also the fading effect when lifting up the marker isnt there ... so u miss out on some original effects when using just the computer
i guess it depends wheter you want to use it "commercially" or not.
there is a documention on the "Dark Days" DVD how the grapher has gone through many stages of doing single lettering, then replacing the letters one by one on his computer, trying to find the optimal combination of tagged letters to create the logo ... but he drew the letters with a white marker on black paper!
the computer can only be a medium:
- either to create it directly with expensive close-to-real methods (you'll need a good usb-tablet, a very good pen with a sensitive tip, and the right setting and the knowledge of illustrator (i think the only program where you can use better brush-presets with more variablility)
- or to simply scan your source material and fix it together in another program (preferably photoshop or freehand if u convert your letter in vector paths).
the computer wont make a better logo for you. it can only help you and be your tool, so focus on a more complicated technique that your computer can again make a lot easier. for example "building" your logo/nametag from single letters or groups of letters ...
if u intend to create a logo, and your goal is to create a logo that the general public can simply read (well, some might go deeply into the lines and flows of your creation) then it's usually better to go that way, and find a good combination that a**ures an authentic look and a good readability at the same time.
but creating the whole thing just on the computer sucks for me ... and surely everyone else who wants to give it a real feel. i think you're getting better results with using paper and a marker and just scan your raw material ... u can add scanned drips or brushed-out lines ...
if u want the tag to look close to a script/handwritten type, like those baseball jacket logos, u might use some script-font on your computer and just print it out in 10% grey .... and work over it with your marker ...
i don't consider myself a grapher, i was more busy "remixing" a few cla**ic fonts and collected a bit of typographic knowledge through my co-workers, but i did a few artworks/logos that some graffitti-heads were all curious about ...
and the good thing is that u actually dont even need a computer with that technique. u can even do that in the copyshop with a pair of scissors and some glue, like i did my first flyers bout 17/18 years ago
and also on this technique, whether u use a computer or xerox-machine as tool, it's somehow still 100% handmade hiphop!
sampling ... mixing together ... there u have it
