The Dream Logo Wiki:Tutorial Guide

Tutorial descriptions by emini4 and PaPaLuigi

Editions by WillWill45, emini4, PaPaLuigi, Chace1204 and Mariofan88

Hello, there. The Audiovisual Identity Database's Dream Logos team of admins and mods are glad you've joined! Now what's the most important thing you do to improve the site? Why, writing articles! This tutorial will show you how to write a suitable entry for the site, and how to improve your pages. For a great example, look at DUMB Animation, INC or Garfield Pictures page.

All pages have a basic form that everyone follows. They are:

Background (optional)
This shows the history of your company whose logos you're describing. They can include when the company started, their business practices, who runs it, or business acquisitions they've made. You do not have to include this on your page, but it is very informative.

Note(s) (optional) : If you need to tell something about your logo, put it in this section. This is optional, so you don't have to do it. But you can if you want to.

Nickname(s) (optional) : Just something people call the logo by. Nicknames are made from how cheesy the logo is, how scary it is, a certain theme shown in the logo, etc.

Logo/ID/Opening/Closing/Warning/Trailer/ID: The heart of it all. This is used to describe what happens in the logo. Start by stating what the background looks like, and then describe any animations that happen during the logo. Be very descriptive on this part - use adjectives if possible, and try to describe every little detail.


 * If the logo is still, describe the image as best as possible, including the background and whatever else is on it.
 * Take your time on these, and make sure you revise, because if you leave an important detail out, you can easily confuse people.

Byline(s) (optional) : If the logo uses multiple bylines during its period of use, add them here.

Variant(s) (optional) : If there are different variants of a logo (such as a prototype or an extended variation), add and describe them here.


 * Do not describe one-off variations here. In other words, the variant is specific to only one movie/show. These should go on a separate Portal:Logo Variations page.

Technique: This is a short section. State the animation technique and/or the type of effects being used in the logo. These are some of the usage examples:


 * Analog computer/Scanimate animation/effects: This logo was animated using effects from an analog device, such as Scanimate. This animation style can be characterized by the use of trail effects, shines, panning/zooming, etc.
 * (2D/3D) CGI/computer animation/effects: This logo was made using computer software, whether 2D or 3D.
 * Live-action: This logo was produced entirely using live-action footage.
 * Motion/Camera-controlled animation: This logo was designed/animated using a computerized stop-motion camera. More often than not combined with cel animation.
 * Traditional/Cel animation: This logo was drawn traditionally using ink and/or animated frame-by-frame on cel sheets.
 * None: This logo is still.

If two or more of these techniques are combined, you can put both in this manner: "A mix of (TECHNIQUE) and (TECHNIQUE)."

Trivia(s) (optional) : If there is some trivia about the logo, put them in this section. Examples include: the person/company that designed the logo, what software was used, some behind-the-scenes facts, official or notable nicknames the logo was given, etc.


 * Avoid putting information that is pop culture related/doesn't relate directly to the logo or its production. Instead, put those here.

Cheesy Factor(s) (optional) : This section is used to describe what kind of outdated effects, what doesn't make sense, and how much effort is put into the indent. Humor is key in this section - sly remarks about what is cheesy in the logo always get a laugh out of the reader. Remember, though, not all logos are cheesy for the logo.

Music/Sounds: Describe the music theme played, whether as a genre (e.g., rock) or as specific instruments (e.g., guitar and drums), and/or the type of sounds are being used in the logo.

Music/Sounds Trivia (optional) : If there is some interesting trivia about the logo theme or sounds, such as who composed it, add them in this section.
 * If possible, also mention how the theme or sound is made and who made it.
 * If a specific piece of music is used, identify it and consider inserting a link to an upload of the music on YouTube, Vimeo or a similar site if available, in cases where the music and/or artist is less well-known. One way you can try identifying specific pieces of music is to use the Google app's Voice Search function (specifically "Search a song") and playing the logo's audio for Google to identify, though make sure to double-check to confirm it is indeed used before adding it to the section.

Music/Sounds Variant(s) (optional) : If there are one or more variants of the logo theme or sound, add them here.

Availability: This section is important - gather all of the information about where this logo can be found. State any programs, movies, etc. the logo is found in and/or where it was last seen. Don't forget to italicize titles (or use "quotation marks" for episode names of television shows) from where the logo can be found.


 * To help determine the availability of a logo, we've provided the below scale at your disposal. Remember, you are NOT required to mention a tier from the scale in this section. Preferably, only use this scale if the rarity of a logo is notable. The scale is as follows:
 * Ultra common/Extremely common: Either this logo is found on nearly all shows/movies released from this company, or it plasters a large amount of older logos on newer prints.
 * Very common/Common: You find this logo on newer releases of shows/movies of that company, or is seen/intact on reruns, home media releases or streaming prints.
 * Uncommon: While not too common, you may be able to find this logo on a few releases/prints of films/shows of that company.
 * Rare/Very rare: You don't find this logo much; it only appears on a small number of releases/prints from the company.
 * Extremely rare/Ultra rare: You don't find this logo many times, if at all; it only appears on old releases/prints that haven't been widely distributed. Sometimes, only find the logo on one release from the company itself.
 * Near extinction/Extinct: This logo is no longer current, and/or it has been replaced with newer logos on later prints. Likely can be found on older releases/prints.
 * Unknown: Very little information on which films/shows the logo has appeared.
 * Unused: This logo has not been used officially by the company.
 * Current: This is the current logo being used by the company.
 * Brand new: For logos that debuted within the past year.
 * Please note that some factors may affect if a logo is actually "rare" or not. For example. older home video logos that at first could be considered "rare" may potentially be found on many prints, if one knows where to look.
 * When describing where logos are found, include specific examples where possible.
 * Also specify if something that should have the logo doesn't for some reason.
 * Personal online uploads of logos are NOT credible sources. The point of Availability is to describe what PRIMARY sources the logo appeared on, such as movies or television shows. However, if the logo upload came from the company itself and/or the person/studio that created it, it is acceptable to include that in the section.
 * Be specific! Don't just say "found on the company's releases at the time", name at least some of the releases the logo is known to be on.
 * Don't make predictions on any upcoming shows or films that you think new logos will appear on, as they may not even use them.
 * For similar reasons, do not attempt to predict when a logo will make its final appearance.

Legacy (optional) : Write about how the logo has affected the logo community and/or broader popular culture and how much of an impact it's left on them (i.e. if the logo is well-liked by the community, such as for the visuals, music, or it appearing on a specific program). If not that important, omit this section.


 * Do not add comments that are opinionated and are only based on your sole judgement (e.g saying things such as: "the logo looks ugly", "the CGI is nice", etc.). All statements need some form of community consensus.
 * Legacy is also not a place to be talking about how similar it looks or sounds to a specific logo, or how that logo was the first/last appearance of a specific element. For specific elements, those can be in the Trivia section.

Scare Factor: This determines if the logo frightens in your dream you or not. The music, animations, and cheesiness are huge factors playing into the scare factor. If a logo scares you, but no one else, try to average out the factor. Putting "Nightmare" on something that only scares you will get the readers annoyed, but if you put "Low to medium", readers can better relate to you. The scale for the scare factor is:

You may also put any year in the Scare Factor section if any logo depends on the variant.
 * None(0, 0.5) (to)
 * Minimal/Minimum(1, 1.5) (to)
 * Low(2, 2.5) (to)
 * Medium/Median(3, 3.5) (to)
 * High (4, 4.5) (to)
 * Nightmare(5, 5.5) (to)
 * Very Creepy (6, 6.5)
 * Utlra (7, 7.5) (to)
 * Hyper Creepy (8, 8.5) (to)
 * ''Mega Creepy' (8.5)

Final Note (optional)
This can be used on defunct company pages. Here, write on the fate of the company and/or how it became defunct, whether if it merged with another company or if it filed for bankruptcy.

'''So, that's the guide to a great description. If you want to try it for yourself, click HERE. Now go out there and have fun in the world of dream logos!'''
 * Thanks again for joining AVID's Dream Logos Database!
 * Thanks again for joining AVID's Dream Logos Database!

-The AVID's Dream Logos Database Team