The current mothly challenge reminded me to took up this post-poned idea for a long time.

https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/inkscape-challenge-1-february-2023-28-february-2023/

There is a tiny forest nearby where I live with the name Farkas-erdő, literally translating to Wolf-wood. 

In the forest there were at least 2 signs with a sort-of logo representing the name and a bit of a caption. 

As far as I know wolves were never living in the area and the name came from a ranger.

It's unfortunate but couldn't find a source on the history of the forest. 

Here is a clear image of that sign:

It depicts  a grey wolf howling, two trees and the writing is 

„FARKAS-ERDŐ

»A MI ERDŐNK!«

VÉDJÜK, ÓVJUK, GYARAPÍTSUK.”

Which translates to:

„WOLF-WOOD

»OUR FOREST!«

PROTECT, PRESERVE, (and) AUGMENT (it).”

The forest itself in its current form is no more than 40 years old. 

There was some landscaping done at the time, around building the commie block next to it.

First the forest was mentioned in a map dating back to 1887, next to cultivated lands.

Before that time it was considered as somekind of steppe.

These days the forestation is run down. 

The number of people visiting is way more than of a regular forest and the size of it is way smaller as well. 

Officially it is 0,291 square km or 0.112 square miles.

When I first took photos of this sign, one of the planks fell off from the board. 

It used regular screws and the wood just gave away upon a slight touching.

Looked something like this after 2 planks missing:

Today, it looks more like a frame only.

The idea is to come up with an improved design (in the name of agmenting it).

This is square one - the design, it used to be:

@Lazur Really interesting. Great backstory. A worthy project also. Thanks for sharing.

Thank's @pacer! Stay tuned, just getting started. 

The implementation suggests some of the authorities put up those signs maybe a decade ago?

On the other hand, they seem they didn't have a budged/means to work with a graphic designer.

Seems they used a stencil and added extra paint to make islands without bridges.

Lettering take half nof the sign and is a typesetting abomination.

The rythm is non-existent, there is not enough space between the letters. 

The "font" is monotype, probably the individual stencils were placed next to eachother. 

For a re-design, will have to consider the implementation. It should be easy reproducing with stencils 

or maybe as a "centerline" image. Probably the best would be as simple as a design, that can be carved into wood. 

No room for unnecessary embellishments.

Should work in that scale (around 1/1 m) and also in a 6/6 cm sticker.

The wolf silhouette has specific characteristics which is challenging for abstraction. 

On the other side, the woods/trees are very generic, with alot of options.

Will focus on the wolf part first. 

Lazur

The wolf silhouette has specific characteristics which is challenging for abstraction. 

Exactly - and that is not a wolf imho. (And the hand-lettering looks terrible)

Have to agree @Polygon  there is alot of work to be done. 

I never was good at drawing characters so should focus on the groundwork. 

Regarding the forest and related organisations, here is the log of the rangers who organise the cutting of old/dead trees

Their logo keeps appearing on maps and large signs on the spot.

The raven holding the ring in his beak has a historical background based on the organisation's main location. 

It's connected to the heraldry of the Corvin family. For reference here is an image from 

the Illustrated Chronicle Johannes de Thurocz dating back to the 15th century, 

showing King Mathias, former king ofthe country: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Matei_Corvin_Johannes_de_Thurocz_f137.jpg

On the other end of the spectrum, there is a local running group who created a route in the forest, 

called "Crocodile-lap". They based their point of reference on the map of the area, 

saying their lap almost looks as a crocodile. Or a cartoony one? 

All in all they created this kind of mascot to mark the lap on small signs. 

Here is one of their most recent signs they mounted a few weeks ago.

They had some fights with other individuals/authorities, so they are not using permanent mounting or painted signs.

Those are laminated regular prints. Not the sturdiest solution, still they produced those without outside funding. 

Design-wise it's important to note the detail they added were possible with that print technique

but a qrcode wouldn't work with applied paint or in general, if viewed from a running distance.

Another route is also present, marked by officials -painted straight to the tree bark.

It's the "Route for Health". Was created from a pulmonology avareness organisation,

focusing on simple hiking. Unlike the "Crocodile-lap", there are a few more of these official routes 

in other forests around/in the city. 

Here is how it looks under ideal conditions:

Saying in ideal conditions, because vandalism is prevalent and some signs are overpainted. 

Also the previously mentioned crocodile-signs have fallen off here and there. Either by the strong wind or by some individual's hands.

Or the tree on which they were mounted on just fell down.

Other, lesser prevalent organisations/signs that are semi-related to the forest.

The sign of protected nature conversation area ->https://hu.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A1jl:V%C3%A9dett_ter%C3%BCletet_jelz%C5%91_t%C3%A1bla.jpg

Previously it was a protected area and now there are people advocating to make it protected again. 

By the law that would restrict most activities there, like using bikes, holding events without an official permit or walking dogs without a leash. 

Sure it would prevent any possible buildings in the future. Judged by the current state ofthe forest have doubts if it'd be kept better just by placing a few more signs on posts here and there.

The coat of arms of the district ->https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A1jl:Coat_of_arms_of_the_4th_District_of_Budapest.svg

or the logo of the corporation in charge for the local (park) maintenances ->https://ujpestivarosgondnoksag.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ujpesti_varosgondnoksag_logo2-1.png

There is the "Forest rescuers", who have their logo on the maps in the forest (but  of whom I don't know if I saw any actual work done) ->https://ujpestmedia.hu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/9340_kep01.jpg

Last but not least here is the logo of the local "League of Animal Rescuers" ->https://4.kerulet.ittlakunk.hu/files/ittlakunk/styles/large/public/upload/company/1256/allatmento_liga_logo.jpg

Which logo is also presented here and there, because we had a visiting boar for a short while (and which looks more like a hooligan group's logo).

On the wolf character.

We had a challenge in June 2021 on tales which was semi-related. 

https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenge-tales-04-16-june/

Hungarian Folk Tales was very popular cartoon series around here, which I used in that mentioned challenge as a base. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Folk_Tales

Graphically the wolf in that cartoon is one of my first go-to-s on how to approach drawing one.

And culturally the wolf character has a bad reputation like in the larger part of the world I'm guessing,

so it's again adding to the challenge making it's regular characteristics more friendly towards a young audience.

Here is the episode I was referring to in that challenge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RW45ij8Fr8

Here is an excerpt of the character:

"Nu, pagadi" may also come to mind for cartoon wolf characters but with a russian origin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well,_Just_You_Wait!

Another cartoon reference could be one iconic local thrash metal band's clip, 

for the song titled "Black Sheep".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMQcCljSeMM

Well these are my base references. 

Next step would be, looking at logo references for wolfwood and analising them -already did that to some extent.

Or use  midjourney/dall-e to see what solutions wouldbe possible to be reconstructed based on already existing material. 

That's for it now I guess; no more excuses not to hit the sketching block with a pen and doodling away.

Just one more note. The forest is full of squirrels. 

That's an other possible character to be used as a "mascot".

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Farkas-erd%C5%91/@47.5884009,19.1095984,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipM15Fs3uvOAOjpZGfdZkTTj2mIQ33r1yy_U5OEu!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipM15Fs3uvOAOjpZGfdZkTTj2mIQ33r1yy_U5OEu%3Dw203-h135-k-no!7i6000!8i4000!4m12!1m5!8m4!1e2!2s109489294474314804902!3m1!1e1!3m5!1s0x4741da0b1def3c25:0x600b56ddcad7b112!8m2!3d47.5884009!4d19.1095984!16s%2Fg%2F11bzv4fwl3

After more digging, looking at existing material wolf - forest logo search results- 

came to some conclusions and made initial sketches. 

A full-sized depiction of the animal is better used in the context of a crest in heraldry, but rather not go that way.

It needs a simpler appearance, thus focusing on the head.

To capture the wolf a frontal portrait won't really work on a badge. 

It needs too many details and without the depth it  either looks silly or cannot be recognised as a wolf. 

Just like in that  cartoon capture above, sideways it is. 

Then, for a badge/logo/sign, it'd be useful if it was somewhat symmetrical/balanced, composition wise.

Here are some of my better sketches I'll work with.

Now, put that into inkscape. Manual tracing, moving objects around, playing with shapes. 

This evolved further -calling it a day. 

The face is nice and simple. Wanted to play with the negative space of the mouth, and making it symmettric too. 

Conceptually it is a bit similar to the old orion logo, which had a well designed art-deco style.

(here is an example from a poster: https://designcampus.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Nevtelen.jpg)

This is simple enough to be used as a stamp but maybe bit too complicated for painting it on tree bark.

Getting closer to the "final" design.

Overall I like how the face and the concept turned out, but feel the background/tree silhouettes a bit over the top.

Will see next time, looking it fresh  -and probably go with it, turning it into some form of abadge.

Some more back and forth but mostly hours of tedious work. 

Maybe will tinker with the colours and pop in some filters. 

Here is an embroidered badge/patch variant.

Reworked parts of the design so now it looks less if the wolf wear glasses, and made the foliage direction more consistent.

Added in filters for some 3D look. 

Still I'm not satisfied with the trees nor with the colouring.  

For the latter, made adjustments in gimp in "post production".

At this stage it's tedious to make large changes.

At this stage it's tedious to make large changes.

Still unsatisfied with the trees in the background and whatnot, but pushed it forward anyway so I can put it aside for some time. 

Like, there is an about screen contest at the moment too?  Just two weeks til the deadline.  

Anyway, here is how it ended up for this time.

Having some issues with the uploading so splitting this into two.

OK, couldn't let it go so proceeded forward -this case by stepping back a few steps. 

First, the background as is doesn't really work to represent a forest, yet alone a single tree. 

Main issue here -besides the overall broken shape- is the positive-negative shape issue. 

The supposed wolf head works in positive, effectively with no outlines at all. 

The trees, not so much. They sort of a negative space attached to positive outlines.

So started that over. 

After looking at related logos, remembered the logo of another forestry on the other side of the country that I kind of liked. 

This is what they are using:

http://mecsekerdo.hu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Mecsekerdo_2020_logo_fekvo1.png

https://www.vadaszmester.hu/images/stories/napisajto/2019/mecsekerdo_logo.jpg

I'm not fond of the goofy distorted style or the gradients, but as the overall shape that's what I wanted to go for. 

A tree shape that has just the right spirals to represent wolves. 

So came up with a similar one, and tried lots of things how to composite that with the existing head. 

Still somewhat mixed about the positive-negative shapes. Gave it a try anyway -knowing how Toblerone could cleverly hide a bear in their iconic mountain logo.

Here is a mid-step.

Now the head shape got an iverted form and the treeshape still doesn't work. 

One of  the newfound problems were how to start the tree visually. 

The forestry logo added a dropshadow just for  that purpose -lets try something better. 

This variation sort of fixed the issue, stemming the tree shape from the silhouette from the head, yet the trunk is almost cut through by the tip of the nose. 

Compositing the two shapes atop eachother just doesn't work.

More sketching followed. 

At the time I got to a conclusion, this is what the canvas looked like:

And here is more or less the final design:

A simplified version, to be used as a profile picture here and there:

"Outline only" variations - both as a filled path and with a stroke only path. 

If it gets to laser engraving, it may come handy.

And finally, a fullcolour design -for the base to fancy up just like before, in the future.

This is truly a masterclass on logo design with intention. 👏

Thank you @TylerDurden! 

That's probably the result of a passion project. Experimenting, and starting over when necessary. 

In a professional approach there would be much less room for errors and most importantly time to develop decent results.

Guess that's the value one has to pay for when hiring a graphic designer. 

Speaking of starting over. Got a decent layout for the tree/stem shape, but the head needs reworking.

There shouldn't be two left ears mounted on the top of the head and it's hard to distinguish wether a shape represents a pattern or emphasizes the form/anatomy. 

Here is what I'm working on right now:

After some adjustments. 

Still unsure if it cannot be improved further. 

Will try with the embroidery pattern and see.

Although the ear improved alot the side of the head regressed? 

Looks a bit like a badminton ball. 

More  going in circles. 

The side/fur doesn't really seem to work. The side covering the jawline may be closer to an anatomically better structure but doesn't help the image either. 

So then, another step backwards for refining the basic structure. 

With a different approach. 

At this point, it's getting more obvious that the overall shape, regarding the spikes in the fur needs to be changed.

The head is too small and rounded at that part. 

If the sidewas taken down after the first spike at the top it all looks much better. 

Let's build from that.

Continuing this one, here is some progress.

Removed the spiky part and made duplicants of the top. 

This kind of arrangement seems fitting to create a scale/shingle-like texture.

As a next step, took all what I had and redrawn it from scratch in a cad program.

To ensure everything which is supposed to be a circular arc remain as such and make them parallel and tangent in an accurate way.

Once  having the design cleaned up, importing it back to inkscape for convenient styling.

Interestingly enough this drawing will also be a perfect candidate for the current challenge, using custom brushes. 

https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/inkscape-challenge-1-april-2023-30-april-2023/#c55556

The embroidery styling is added by a pattern along path effect, which can be changed into something more complex from a repeating rectangle.

Some more progress, following the previous post. 

The new shape may not work as good as the previous one when used with thick outlines only, but shouldkeep it anyway. 

The striped version will be a good base for a pin or a wax seal stamp. 

More of that sometime later as that'd take a huge reconstruction of what's at hand. 

Here they are without any additional shading.

Proposed design approach for the future:

And now, back to the original style of an embroidered badge/patch design.

A slightly larger version with toned down shading is available here:

https://www.deviantart.com/lazururh/art/Wolf-wood-badge-959163622

With some diffuse filtering.

As a logo designer it's always a pleasure to see a project that's being done with such love and described in so much detail. Are you considering replacing the sign with the one you designed? Seems like a waste not to.

In any case thanks so much for sharing!

Thank you for your feedback @JohneryCreatives!

Yes, I do have production in mind.

From a sign to T-shirts and pins, embroidery too. (For what it worths, this kind of image would be perfect for creating a mosaic as well, though that's nowhere to be placed in the forest.)

Just getting more and more lost with the design.

Whenever I feel there is an issue and create revisions, once finished find another problem and start over.

I like to post in bulk so it appear less chaotic as it is in reality.

Having said that, was about to post some updates on Monday -will be happy if it will be up to my expectations this week.

Stay tuned a little more.