Quick Draw Round 8
Feb 2nd, 2011 | By Nikita | Category: Feature, Quick DrawHello everyone, and happy February! I apologize this Quick Draw post is a few days late, but yours truly escaped the cold weather for several days and came back late Monday morning. But if you still think it should’ve been posted on time, please direct your comments to our new complaint department. I’m sure they’ll be happy to take care of any issues you may have.
For the latest Quick Draw, Sharath Kumar and Homero Larrain were asked to take on the word perestroika. Keep reading to find out more about their process, results, and any other challenges they may have encountered! [NOTE: All designs are copyrighted by the respective artists. We have permission to post them here, but you must get permission from the artist for any other use of their design, or to post them elsewhere.]
Homero Larrain
At first, when I received this challenge, I thought this was a very cool word to work on. I always liked russian constructivist posters, but for some reason I’ve never done any ambigrams in this style, so first thing I did was a quick search for Russian posters for inspiration.
Sketches.
I experimented with some different styles, but I knew that in order to convey a soviet aura to the ambigram, I had to try to use capital letters with a mono-weight lettering style. Amongst other ideas, I experimented with using a reflected R, to give the design a Russian feeling. After some attempts, I thought that STRO was a good starting point. The trick here was one that many ambigrammists seem to use a lot: focus on the upper part of the word, because it features the most recognizable elements of the letters. That’s why that O (kind of) works, even if it’s still shaped as an S.
Image 1.
Then I started working on Photoshop. I wasn’t very happy with my first results; first of all (and probably the most important) this design was very difficult to read. I also wasn’t convinced by the letter height and spacing (like that tight ERE in contrast to that wide K), or by the shape of some particular letters (mainly the K). On my second attempt, I lowered the letters and modified the height of the middle bar of both E’s. I liked better how the K looked now, but the I looked like a reflected E. In a different context this might work, but in a Russian poster a reflected E is read as an E. Also, the P dindn’t convinced me either, and the first letter is, at least in my opinion, the most important one for the ambigram to work. If you can’t figure out the beginning of a word, it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to read it. On the other hand, if you can read the first half of a word, your mind is able to predict the rest of it.
On my third attempt I thought I was almost ready, but something was missing at the center of the word… I realized two things: the T would be easier to read if I extended its stem (also making the two R’s more consistent), and bringing back the dot of the I would help avoiding readers to see it as an E. In addition, these changes attracted the attention to the upper side of the design, helping the O to look as an O instead of an S.
Image 2.
Sharath Kumar
Perestroika! (restructure, rebuild), what an amazing word. As soon as I got the word I took my paper and pen and started looking for the combination I should go for. The word had ‘O’ in it. So I decided to choose the best letter to tackle ‘O’ with and to my look ‘e’ was right at the place. So, I decided to go with ‘T’ at center. ‘A/P’ solution is well known. I had tackled ‘R/S’ quite a few times. ‘er\ik’ looked to be little tricky but not too much. So, there was no blocking letter in the design and I had do give a nice design.
Image1 shows the initial few sketches on the paper. I decided not to go for all upper case or all lower case rule but to concentrate on the consistency of letters first. ‘E’, and ‘R’ were the repeating letters and I was converting them to ‘O’ and ‘ik’. I came up with the solution shown in image1 (half drawn).
Then it is to do with implementation. I use inkscape to implement. Image2 shows the imported picture on inkscape. Image3 is after completing the version1 of the implementation. Size of letter ‘e’ and ‘o’ were very small in size. So I had to arrange the letters to hide the awkwardness.
Finally I came up with image4. When I asked my friend to read it, he struggled to read it properly. It was disappointing to me but I had made up my mind that image4 is the final version. I gave some effects and drew the background to give a feel of what the word mean and my done with my final version image8.
I wasn’t too happy with the final version. Though I succeeded to maintain the consistency of letters to some extent, the overall feel wasn’t pleasing. ‘O’ had the feel of ‘a’ and ‘k’ wasn’t strong. So I started scribbling few more designs. Image5, image6 and image7 are the outcome of it. I was satisfied with image7 and hence decided to submit them. Image8 still remains my final version to maintain the true spirit of Quick Draw.
Image 1.
Image 2.
Image 3.
Image 4.
Image 5.
Image 6.
Image 7.
Image 8.
Dear Homero and Sharath, thank you for tackling such a challenge word and making another Quick Draw a success! The next pair has already been notified…
@homero I liked too much of first design of image 5.
@Sharath very good! I liked solution to “E” “K”.
great solutions guys !!!
Thanks Nikita for organizing this round! It was a lot of fun, and you were very patient
@cleber that was my first attempt at photoshopping this ambigram – for the rest, image 5 is now image 1 (I asked Nikita to take down some of the images from the original post) – I’m glad you liked it, I’m kind of surprised because I honestly wasn’t very happy with it… anyway, it’s not very different to the final version. I guess I should have made a simpler version of the final design too (black letters on a white bg), it would look cleaner, but I really wanted to do something inspired on the russian posters.
@sharath I love the variatons you tried, very creative. Your STR (smilar to one I discarded because I couldn’t make it work) suits your design very well, maybe I should have tried that combination too. I also love the consistency of your Es and Rs. Great work!
I’m looking forward for further feedback, and to see what the rest of you come up with for this word!
From where to start?
It is undoubtedly a great word for an ambigram! Thanks ambigram.com for creating a platform to showcase ambigrams of hobby ambigrammists like me.
@Homero: Great design!!! You have tackled ‘O’ very efficiently. In your sketches you have displayed some great variety in style. I liked almost all. I would have opted design 2 or 4 (in sketches) as they are really very stylish. Good that you rejected the center ‘t’ design. That creates the difference in our designs. Your final design is pleasing (Liked the consistency in the arrangement and letter ‘r’. Bringing consistency of ‘E’ in your design would have been too demanding.)
The only sad part in my design is that I couldn’t provide some innovative design ( like Ryan’s I AM SPARTACUS) but hope I have provided a legible solution. I would like to get some honest input on the final photoshoped version.
Looking forward for the solutions from my fellow ambigrammists as well
@Cleber: Thank you. I was desperate to maintain the consistency of letters. Hope I could produce a legible solution. (image7 is my personal favourite)
I think that was a rotten set of letters! Kudos to both of you for managing to make something decent out of them: I know I’d have given up on that one :^) Sharath, I do like your er->k
Homero & Sharath….Beautiful designs!! The only difficulty reading the designs is that I had never heard of the work before, so I had to read the text first.
@Homero – Very clean ER/K solution. Overall, perfectly consistant.
@Sharath – Way to make both of your E’s consistant and work on the “flipside”. Cool stuff.
I created a mirror on my site. Check it out if you get a second…
Link:
http://customambigrams.com/art/perestroika
@ Homero: I like your russian look (of your work, of course).
@Sharath: How many option have you done? I like all your moving of the ‘e’ wishing to be a ‘k’.
I wonder how do you do those thing with inkscape. I have so much to learn…
@Clayton: I like your ‘k’ being ‘p’.
@everyone: i’m sorry, i’m spanish. I could say more…. but, it’s sooo difficult.
@Clayton: Very nice work Clayton
You are mastering mirror ambigram. How about a reflection of the same word? 
@ Sharath – Not sure if I have time to do a quality rotational design, but I could try a quick sketch. You know…a quick draw
Homero, Sharath, you both came up with very creative solutions, even though I’ll have to say that I like Homero’s version better. It’s more consistent and more ‘closed’. Sharath’s design is falling apart a little bit and I have problems reading the second ‘R’…
If anybody’s interested, here is my version of ‘Perestroika’: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasty_basty/5415571603/
@Bastian – Brilliant. I love the style and the consistancy!
I just attempted a rotational as well and there are similarities in our solutions, but very different in style. I simply scanned my drawing….very rough.
Rotational Verstion:
http://customambigrams.com/art/perestroika
@Bastian: I like the look of that ambigram, it looks like an 80s rock band logo. The Pe / ka combo is very innovative. I’m not sure if the center of the ambigram is readable, specially the “es” part.
@Clayton: Are those hand drawn? Both versions look very cool and stylish, I love your hand drawn letters. The only problem I see is that I think they are a little hard to read. On the vertical symmetry ambgram, I can’t stop seeing an A at the begining of the word (I kind of read Aerosmith instead of Perestroika). I think you could sacrifice a little the last A in order to make the P stand out, that would help the word as a whole (or maybe make a big P with some ornaments and a double stem, you could hide an A in there I think). Also, I think the center part (STR) is too tight, I would make the S and R wider. On the rotational one, I like your idea for the center… I would adjust that R to make it look less as a P (it wouldn’t affect the S), and I would try something different for the PE / KA part (by the way, that’s a very beautiful P), bacause that A looks like an I (the double traces are intended to separate the K from the A?). Again, I think a bigger P could hide an A in it.
Hi all!
@Homero: I like the fact that you used a monoweight font and this gives a nice touch to the ambigram. These details are the ones who guide to a success, but a success is not a detail.
@Sharath: I like the eR-iK part, but I think you should try not to blend too much the capital letters with the lowcase ones. I like the tail of your Ts.
@Bastian: As said, wonderful thought of Pe-ka combination. You should try a new version not so quick (then why is it named a quick draw?), so as to give a better result .
@Clayton: I will agree with Homero here. I see an A all the time at the beginning of the word and I would give more spave for the curves of S and R. I admire how you worked pe-ka and then I realised it was this combination who gave the look to your ambigram.
Very nice! 
If you want, check out my solution to Pelestroika. I used mirrored Rs, an O with this little horizontal line below it, as I’ve seen in many russian-like fonts.
http://www.imbah.net/imbahnet
@Bastian: Amazing. Very innovative! Consistent letters and quite legible. I didn’t understand what you meant by ‘closed’ ambigram – is that the extra line on the head of ‘e’ and a line below ‘T’ should be avoided? Second ‘R’ solution was a lesson which I recently got to know. ‘S’ is very strong and entering in ‘R’ as well!
@Clayton: who can beat you in the style ( no photoshop. Only hand drawn). Too good. But I would have had problems reading the last ‘a’ if I wasn’t aware of the word.
@Homero: Your hand drawn letters also very cool and stylish! (sketch1)
@Stergioudis: I am very impressed by your ambigram. Perfectly matches the theme. But I guess you are benefitted by the ‘russian R’. I always love to give a constant case(upper or lower) solution but never do it. May be thats the area I need to concentrate. My image6 is a complete lower case solution (apart from P) but not eye catchy.
Thank you all for the feedback. I completely agree with you. I definitely sacrificed readability for style. I guess that’s what I get for quick draw. Plus, I think my “flowy” style design isn’t as effective as Homero, Bastian, and Stergioudis’ rigid line designs. The rigid letters work well to represent the Russian political movement.
@Stergioudis – Your design is awesome. I had a hard time making out the R’s, but after reading that they are Russian R’s, you are forgiven.
These are so much fun!
Thank you men for your words. Keep improving everyone!
Have a nice day! 
Bloody difficult challenge.