[AvisNocturna]

Hi!

We have reached a late beta stage for our new logo design software called Logoist. Here is a short description of the app:

"Logos, Title Art, Icons, Banners, Web Site Elements, Greeting Card Headings, Buttons.... you name it! Create stunning images with Logoist for Mac. Logoist allows you to design images using layers, sophisticated effects and eye-catching shaders. Logoist comes with a large collection of effect presets, clipart and patterns free for you to use in your projects!"

I am looking for some more testers. If you are willing to test the app, please contact me at [email protected]. You will receive a free promo code once the app is released if you find any bugs!

You can find screenshots and artwork done in Logoist here: Looking for Alpha Testers

[Thorzdad]

System requirements?

[AvisNocturna]

10.6.6 or later, Intel Mac (32 or 64 Bit)

[AvisNocturna]

Here are some screenshots and artwork made with Logoist:

[jayparry]

These designs look terrible and dated and cutting a designer out of the process doesn't help the client or the design profession. Why make an app that puts designers out of business and puts bad design out there? Please abandon this ill-conceived effort and try to do something useful.

[AvisNocturna]

The app is surely not putting designers out of the process. If you are a designer, use the app to create great designs. If you are no designer, use it for your personal homepage, greeting cards etc...

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by jayparry 

These designs look terrible and dated and cutting a designer out of the process doesn't help the client or the design profession. Why make an app that puts designers out of business and puts bad design out there? Please abandon this ill-conceived effort and try to do something useful.

You can say the same thing about WYSIWYG web authoring applications, yet they haven't put professional web site designers out of business. I hate the results they produce too, but I don't feel threatened by the existence of these apps.

This is just something that caters to a particular demographic that likely would not have hired you in the first place.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by jayparry 

These designs look terrible and dated and cutting a designer out of the process doesn't help the client or the design profession. Why make an app that puts designers out of business and puts bad design out there? Please abandon this ill-conceived effort and try to do something useful.

Geez. Chill.
Obviously, the samples weren't made by a professional designer.
I AM a professional, and I've been playing around with this. There are actually a few interesting functions in it that I wish Photoshop had. It definitely has its limitations, but I think it's nice little tool for what it's purpose is.

Design is only as good as the person creating it. This tool is very capable of creating good stuff.

[AvisNocturna]

These designs shown above were created by me. I am a cocoa developer and certainly not a designer. Both designs were accomplished in under 3 minutes with Logoist. Many beta testers of Logoist are designers, they certainly can use the full potential of the app. I have seen many works, far better than my own.

[AvisNocturna]

Three new screenshots from Logoist:

[AvisNocturna]

Beta test is going very well, got over 100 testers now. Feedback has been very good, thanks for all the macnn readers who participated!!!

[AvisNocturna]

Some new screenshots:

[AvisNocturna]

And another one from one of the beta testers, hope you like it:

[AvisNocturna]

One of my testers send me this one

[andi*pandi]

Nice!

There's no shift on the line command to snap to right angles?

I like the clip art selection, useful for simple school-type kid projects. Some hover text over the clip art with description could be nice. Plus a search. Is the clip art vector? Sometimes I like to be able to edit the vector, start with clip art and then take it apart.

All those paw prints could be handy for the next scout project I have to do! But I need to know which one is bear.

I would prefer if the font menu was right on the text box, maybe a pulldown with a button to browse. I do like the font browser, but if I know the font I want I should be able to type it in with autofill to save time. Also maybe collapse the font-families in the font browser, as I have a ton of fonts and don't need to preview every single variation of helvetica I have. It was nice that the font browser jumps to a typed letter.

All the filters and warp tools are easy to use.

Letter-based kerning? Convert text to shapes for individual adjustment? Annoying to have to create individual text boxes for each letter.

Stroked path but no pen tool? Annoying to create original shapes by playdohing the default path.

Option-drag to copy.

More later!

[AvisNocturna]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Nice!

There's no shift on the line command to snap to right angles?

It is snapping to 90, 180, 270 and 360 degrees!

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I like the clip art selection, useful for simple school-type kid projects. Some hover text over the clip art with description could be nice. Plus a search. Is the clip art vector? Sometimes I like to be able to edit the vector, start with clip art and then take it apart.

All those paw prints could be handy for the next scout project I have to do! But I need to know which one is bear.

A search tool was requested by other testers, too. You can convert each clip art and text into paths by the using the small triangle on the clipart or text layer.

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I would prefer if the font menu was right on the text box, maybe a pulldown with a button to browse. I do like the font browser, but if I know the font I want I should be able to type it in with autofill to save time. Also maybe collapse the font-families in the font browser, as I have a ton of fonts and don't need to preview every single variation of helvetica I have. It was nice that the font browser jumps to a typed letter.

Ok, maybe sorting by font family would be handy! Added to my to do schedule, thanks!

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

All the filters and warp tools are easy to use.

Great!

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Letter-based kerning? Convert text to shapes for individual adjustment? Annoying to have to create individual text boxes for each letter.

Split-to-letters is already planned but I cannot promise it for 1.0!

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Stroked path but no pen tool? Annoying to create original shapes by playdohing the default path.

Another tester requested a pen tool, I see what I can do!

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Option-drag to copy.

Option-Drag is already for disable snapping. Maybe you can just hit command-c and afterwards command-v?

THANKS for testing!!

[AvisNocturna]

Another great logoist creation:

[AvisNocturna]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Also maybe collapse the font-families in the font browser, as I have a ton of fonts and don't need to preview every single variation of helvetica I have.

In the next beta, fonts can be grouped by font family

[AvisNocturna]

New pic from one of my testers:

[AvisNocturna]

Thanks to all who participated in the Logoist beta test and thanks to MacNN for featuring this thread in the forum roundup on the front page!

Logoist will soon be submitted to the Mac App Store, I'm currently preparing the marketing (PR, screenshots, homepage, Facebook page etc etc).

The Facebook page is almost done: http://www.facebook.com/Logoist

Again, thanks for your support, really appreciated. Promo Codes for the final version will be sent out by mail to all who participated in the beta!

[freudling]

Originally Posted by AvisNocturna 

Thanks to all who participated in the Logoist beta test and thanks to MacNN for featuring this thread in the forum roundup on the front page!

Logoist will soon be submitted to the Mac App Store, I'm currently preparing the marketing (PR, screenshots, homepage, Facebook page etc etc).

The Facebook page is almost done: Logoist | Facebook

Again, thanks for your support, really appreciated. Promo Codes for the final version will be sent out by mail to all who participated in the beta!

Curious: what libraries did you implement for draw tools (fills, shapes, etc.)?

[AvisNocturna]

Hi Freudling!

No external 3rd party libraries at all. On-Screen-Drawing is done using the Core Animation framework, layers are mostly painted using Core Graphics (the "CGContext" stuff) and some effects are from the Core Image framework. All other effects like the text shading for example are custom coded by me.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by AvisNocturna 

Hi Freudling!

No external 3rd party libraries at all. On-Screen-Drawing is done using the Core Animation framework, layers are mostly painted using Core Graphics (the "CGContext" stuff) and some effects are from the Core Image framework. All other effects like the text shading for example are custom coded by me.

Ok, thanks.

[AvisNocturna]

Logoist is finally live in the Mac App Store after three weeks in review: Home - AvisNocturna

MacAppStore Link

All beta testers will receive their promo codes over the weekend!

[andi*pandi]

Woo!

[Thorzdad]

Congratulations on going live! Well done.

[AvisNocturna]

Thank you so much! Most of my beta testers came from the macnn forum and were of tremendous help!

[msuper69]

Just bought your app on the Mac App Store.

First impressions are generally good.
I'm running Lion and when quitting your app, the latest changes to the design are not saved.

Isn't a Lion-enabled app supposed to not require a save dialog when quitting said app?

[AvisNocturna]

Hi,

yes, it should autosave the document. No sheet is appearing when you quit Logoist, right?

I've just tested it and it is working here...maybe there is something wrong at your system. I once had the issue that the permissions of the autosave folder in the library was wrong so no app could write in this directory. The first thing to try would be a restart of your mac. After that, repair your disk permissions in the disk utility.

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by AvisNocturna 

Hi,

yes, it should autosave the document. No sheet is appearing when you quit Logoist, right?

I've just tested it and it is working here...maybe there is something wrong at your system. I once had the issue that the permissions of the autosave folder in the library was wrong so no app could write in this directory. The first thing to try would be a restart of your mac. After that, repair your disk permissions in the disk utility.

The problem is that you're not saving/restoring the entire application state. The design I was working on does appear but the tools that were in use on said design are not active upon restarting the app..

[AvisNocturna]

Ah ok, now I get what you mean. I will look into it, thanks!!

[AvisNocturna]

All beta testers should now have received their free promo codes for the Mac App Store. If you have not received your code by now, please contact me at [email protected].

[AvisNocturna]

Logoist is doing very strong at the MacAppStore, it even peaked a position 18 in the US Mac App Store Top Paid List. Again, thanks to all beta testers, you were of tremendous help!

Version 1.0.2 will be out soon, here is what's new:

- Enhanced for Retina Display of the new MacBook Pro
- Improved reflection effect including a new wave effect
- Better path handling
- Image effects added
- User interface improvements
- Option to delete saved templates
- Options to turn of filters when moving handles
- New Barrel distorter
- More Patterns added
- Critical bugfix which can cause Logoist to hang when editing a Text Box

[Waragainstsleep]

Any reason its not available on the UK store?

[AvisNocturna]

Hi, it is available in the UK Mac App Store. Actually, it is doing very well there, it is the #2 Graphics App, just after Pixelmator in the UK!

Here is the direct Mac App Store link, tell me if it worked: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logoi...02501999?mt=12

[Waragainstsleep]

Oh yeah, that worked. Odd, they usually link the versions in different stores but I followed the US link and it said it wasn't available in the UK store.

[AvisNocturna]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Oh yeah, that worked. Odd, they usually link the versions in different stores but I followed the US link and it said it wasn't available in the UK store.

Strange, could be a temporary MAS problem...but good to know that it is working now!

[AvisNocturna]

Version 1.0.2 is now live in the Mac App Store, here is what's new:

- Enhanced for Retina Display of the new MacBook Pro
- Improved reflection effect including a new wave effect
- Better path handling
- Image effects added
- User interface improvements
- Option to delete saved templates
- Options to turn of filters when moving handles
- New Barrel distorter added
- More Patterns added
- Improved Preset preview
- Size to fit canvas function added
- Critical bug fix which could cause Logoist to hang when editing a Text Box
- Several other bug fixes

http://itunes.apple.com/app/logoist/id502501999?ls=1&mt=12

[Thorzdad]

[AvisNocturna]

Public Beta of Logoist 1.1 is now live: http://www.avisnocturna.com/www/index.php/component/kunena/12-logoist/600-logoist-11-public-beta?Itemid=0

[AvisNocturna]

Logoist 1.1 Public Beta 3 is now available: http://www.avisnocturna.com/www/inde...-beta?Itemid=0

What's new in PB3:
- User interface improved
- Improved path editing tools
- New presets added
- New samples added
- Several crash issues fixed
- Faster startup time

[AvisNocturna]

I've submitted Logoist 1.1 to the Mac App Store 1,5 weeks ago....sadly it is not even "in review" yet, just waiting for review. I am crossing my fingers for a release this week!