Perhaps not a map, but a Request/Opportunity Nonetheless!

[The Cartographist]

The "black parchment thing" is not quite where I want it but I may settle, RR, because I really like the general look of what you've done. The "black" on your latest (and the last few) looks to me like black tree bark or burned char. Really, I'd prefer neither of those, but more of just a black grime or ink covering the parchment.

Another minor issue is that, in the latest, you've chosen a piece of the map that has buildings on it (I'm assuming that is what the red rectangles are) for the three visible portions of the map. Buildings aren't appropriate because it is supposed to be a regional scaled map. [The "point of light" should be a whole city or village on the map.]

I know that you've just picked a font to show me the general idea that you have, but your font is too "olde english-y" for my taste while mathuwm's font is too modern. I don't know if anyone knows what it is, but the font that is used in the Guild's logo is kinda nice. That font, in bold lettering, larger, would look pretty spiffy in my opinion.

Last thought: The areas of land that are visible are all perfectly round circles--is there any way to vary that just a bit so that they aren't perfectly round?

[jfrazierjr]

The "black parchment thing" is not quite where I want it but I may settle, RR, because I really like the general look of what you've done. The "black" on your latest (and the last few) looks to me like black tree bark or burned char. Really, I'd prefer neither of those, but more of just a black grime or ink covering the parchment.

When you started talking about this, my mind went toward something in style like the edged of a recent post by TheRedEpic: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...42&postcount=5

With the whole thing having the charredor stained look like the above's edges except the points of light. Is that the type of effect you are really going for?

Last thought: The areas of land that are visible are all perfectly round circles--is there any way to vary that just a bit so that they aren't perfectly round?

One a side note, what would you think about slightly blurred four pointed star instead of circles? Just an idea noodling in my brain as it goes with the title. Points of light tend to translate naturally into stars to me.

In any event, I look forward to seeing out this translates out. If I had some 3D skills, I would probably give it a go myself...

Joe

[The Cartographist]

I haven't really gone into much detail about what the project is or why I am looking for what I am looking for. Maybe this will help clarify a bit.

In case anybody didn't know, "Points of Light" is the shorthand phrase for what Wizards of the Coast is saying is their implied setting with 4E DnD. They have said, "But one of the new key conceits about the D&D world is simply this: Civilized folk live in small, isolated points of light scattered across a big, dark, dangerous world. Most of the world is monster-haunted wilderness. The centers of civilization are few and far between, and the world isn’t carved up between nation-states that jealously enforce their borders. A few difficult and dangerous roads tenuously link neighboring cities together, but if you stray from them you quickly find yourself immersed in goblin-infested forests, haunted barrowfields, desolate hills and marshes, and monster-hunted badlands."

Additionally, the following comes straight from my project, further explaining the "darkness": "In any event, that Empire fell and darkness spread across the world. [Generally and throughout this supplement, this darkness is taken in the figurative sense, i.e. the replacement of law with chaos, of security with danger, of civilization with anarchy, however, the enterprising DM might choose to also take it literally, where the darkness is some magical or malevolent force that literally prevents daylight.] The exact nature of the darkness will not be touched upon in these pages, nor will its cause; this is to be determined by each individual DM for the sake of his campaign world."

My idea for the logo is that it include a map of the "world" [or a small region of it] and depict those points of light surrounded by the darkness. As above, the darkness can represent evil, chaos, or perhaps actual darkness. Perhaps clouds or inky blackness would best depict the idea.

Anyways, this may or may not help, but it gives a little of what I am hoping that the logo will achieve.

[The Cartographist]

jfrazierjr - Yes, I think that it is. The Red Epic's edges are pretty sweet.

[Redrobes]

Do you or anyone know the name of the font used for the CG title or would you like to pick one similar from here ?

http://www.dafont.com

I can make the black just plain black. I was using a burnt wood texture darkened as I thought that the blackness of the parchment was burnt areas but ink is basically plain jet black. I can make the map just trees, & rivers over ground no problem and I can make the spots not perfectly circular also - sorta splat type shapes I guess.

[mathuwm]

POints-of-light2.png

It sounds as though you are asking for two things

1. a logo: The simpler your logo is, the easier it is to remember

2. and an art/map element

also think of all the possible mediums where you might use your logo.

website?
newspaper?
magazines?
Black and White printed material

[mathuwm]

http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/

upload a sample of the font you like and this site can often identify the font

i use this site all the time at work

[ravells]

With Logos, it's often better to have them in vector format, so you can resize them without losing visual quality.

[mathuwm]

too right

Vector is always preferable when printing logos

[The Cartographist]

Redrobes - Went to dafont.com. Pretty sweet site; I actually downloaded about twenty free fonts for further use.

But I couldn't find one that jumped out at me. After much agonizing, I think that I'd like to see the text in either:
Dwarven Stonecraft from their Gothic Modern catalog (or)
VTC Belias Blade also from their Gothic Modern catalog

I'd rather not incorporate the points of light into the text as I want the text to appear as if it is floating "above" the map. That would then obviously control where the points are placed on the map so that the text does not hinder the view of them.