How to Make Y2K Logos Easily | Design Tutorial (2024)

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How to Make Y2K Logos Easily | Design Tutorial

How to Make Y2K Logos Easily | Design Tutorial

When we talk about the Y2K style, we’re talking about the type of design that goes back to the early 2000s. They were memorable types of logos that stood out with their loud, bright neon colors and massive lettering. The Y2K style isn’t just a novelty compared to earlier styles or a design that invokes nostalgia. It’s a unique visual style with an attitude.

If you’re interested in creating your own Y2K logos, you’ll find that the process isn’t overly complex – if you’ve got the right tools. And Kittl is precisely what you need for the job. This tutorial will give you a step-by-step process to create genuine Y2K graphics with Kittl. And if you don’t have Kittl, you can sign-up for free right now and follow along.

1. Make a New Kittl Project

The very first thing you’ll need to do to get started is to create a new project in Kittl. This will be as simple as signing up and hitting “New Project.” Then, you’ll get a new canvas for your graphic and adjust it to your liking. For instance, you can tweak settings like size, grid, and orientation.

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2. Choose a Y2K Font

When it comes to the Y2K design, the font choice will be at the center. The font will determine the rest of the graphic, so you’ll need something that makes an immediate impression.

In Kittl, you can select a font by going to the “Text” menu on the left sidebar. You’ll see various presets arranged by categories like “Vintage,” “Modern,” “Decorated,” etc. However, we won’t go for those options in this case. Instead, you should choose the “Add Headline” option at the top.

You’ll see the text “Headline” pop up at the center of your canvas. For this example, we’ll type in “Orbit,” but you can enter whatever words you want. Now, while the text is selected and active, you can go to the right sidebar and adjust the basic settings. In particular, the font selection menu is located right under “Text Settings.”

As mentioned, the font in a Y2K design needs to be bold and powerful. We’ve chosen Basement Grotesque and made it all caps.

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3. Slant, Shadow, and Border Your Text

The next step in our design will be to tweak the text and make it more exciting. For starters, we’ll want to make it look italic to get that slanted look.

You’ll find that certain fonts don’t have the italic option by default. Luckily, we can create the same effect with some visual trickery.

While your text is selected, go to the right sidebar and choose “Angle” under “Transformation.” This option will, of course, slant the text on an angle. But we don’t want to keep it slanted – we only want the italic effect. To that end, we’ll confirm the angle transformation and click and drag the round arrow beneath the slanted text. This will rotate the lettering until it’s laying horizontally.

You can make the rotation process more precise and easier by turning on the grid for orientation. To toggle the grid, simply tap CTRL + apostrophe (‘) on Windows or CMD + apostrophe (‘) on Mac.

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4. Add Shadow and Border to the Text

Once your text is italicized, you can proceed to give it some shadow and border. This is a relatively simple process that you can complete using the sidebar on the right.

In the text sidebar, switch from the “Text Settings” tab to the “Effects” tab. You’ll see two main categories: “Shading” and “Decoration.” Under “Shading,” you can select the type of shadow to apply to the text. The types in question are Drop, Line, Block, and Detailed 3D shadow. We’ve chosen the Block shadow for this example. We’ve also adjusted the shadow offset to 5 and the angle to -90.

The next crucial element for a Y2K-style text will be color. This setting is easy to adjust as well – you’ll find the color menu right beneath the four shadow options. We’ve chosen a bolt of neon purple for the shadow and turned the main body of the text white.

For the border, we increased the outline width to 18. Finally, we made the lettering a bit tighter by decreasing the spacing between the letters. We also added another word – “Works” – by simply copying the first word and dragging the copy just beneath the original.

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5. Add Y2K Elements

When the text is in place, it’s time to add some unique decorative elements in the Y2K style. To do that, go to the “Elements” menu in the left toolbar, then navigate to the right-most tab named “Abstract.” Scroll down until you get to the “Y2K” section and choose one of the elements to serve as the centerpiece of the graphic.

In this example, we went with the globe. We positioned the globe at the very center and brought it behind the letters. We also changed the color of the globe to match the letters. Also, we increased the border weight to 11.30 from the “Object Settings” in the right sidebar. We used a similar process to add a star to the graphic.

Finally, we added an orbit ring, placed it in the background, flipped it, and changed it to the same color as the rest of the elements. With this step, your graphic will be done. Next, we’ll have a quick look at one other Y2K logo idea.

Kittl allows you to send elements to the front or back with great ease. You only need to right-click the desired element and select “Forward,” “Backward,” “To Front,” or “To Back.”

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6. Alternative Y2K Design

For this design, we took the blocky Liberation font and typed in “DNA.” Then, we italicized the lettering using the same technique from Step 3 of this tutorial. We changed the color of the text to neon blue and made the background grey.

Next, we added the same type of shadow as in the first graphic. However, this time, we made some adjustments to the offset – in particular, we reduced it to zero. We also gave the shadow a more massive width, bumping it up to 18. We also colored the shadow white.

To complete the lettering, we added the word “Labs” in a different font (Syncopate). We preserved the shadow style and coloring by copying the original text.

Finally, we gave the logo a double stroke. We did this by duplicating the entire text, increasing the outline width on it to 30, and changing the color to the same neon blue of the letters. This way, the background shadow popped up behind the original lettering, creating a double-stroke effect. For easier manipulation, we grouped the words “DNA” and “Labs” with their copies.

We wrapped the entire design up with some elements resembling lava-lamp patterns. We placed the elements in the background and made them the same color as the letters. The result is a genuine Y2K logo with the words “DNA Labs” and an interesting splash behind the lettering.

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7. Alternative Y2K Design 2

Now let’s try a design inspired by disco. We’ll start with the Balinera font and the word “Disco.” As in the previous examples, we’ll create an italic effect by putting the text at an angle and then tilting it to get it in line.

We added Block Shadow to the text with an angle of 35 degrees and a width of 30. Then, we copied the word “Disco” and dragged the copy below the original. We changed the font to Righteous, and the word to “Girls.” The slogan on our logo became “Disco Girls.”

From the “Add Elements” menu, we went to the Y2K section and selected a star symbol. We copied the symbol two times, making each copy a bit smaller than the original. Then, we positioned the stars in a semi-circle from the “S” in “Girls” to the top of the letter “O” in “Disco.” We also pushed the stars to the back to create the impression they’re going behind the letters.

For the color of the stars, we chose a bright green with a thick black border.

At first, the word “Girls” was leaving some of the background visible. We wanted the letters to pop, so we made a black rectangle from Basic Shapes, stretched it over the letters, and placed it to the back. This filled the gaps in the lettering.

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8. Alternative Y2K Design 3

The final design we made had an oval Y2K-style grid at the center. We changed the color of this object to a neon green with a black background.

We went to the text tool and chose the Generic Techno font. Using this futuristic font, we wrote the word “Orbital.” Then, we increased the text, changed its color to match the grid, and placed it across the central object. Here again, we used Block Shadow for the text, this time with a 90-degree angle and width of 35.

Next, we copied the word “Orbital,” changed the font to Syncopate, and wrote “World” instead of “Orbital” on the copy. We placed the new word beneath the previous one to get the “Orbital World” slogan at the center of our oval grid.

To get the words to pop out, we repeated a trick from the previous design. We went to “Add Elements,” then “Basic Shapes,” and took a black rectangle. Then, we stretched the rectangle over the top word and pushed it to the back. We did the same for the second word.

To top the design off, we took a four-pointed star from the “Add Elements” menu, colored it the same as the rest of the elements, and placed it at the top left of our grid. We copied that star and pasted it to the opposite side of the oval.

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Y2K logo template in Kittl

How to Make Y2K Logos Easily | Design Tutorial (2024)

FAQs

What app makes Y2K logos? ›

Kittl has an extensive library of fonts and text effects to create instantly recognizable logos in the Y2K style. And don't worry – controlling the online editor is simple enough, even for inexperienced graphic designers. Slant, shadow, border, or angle rotate the lettering to make your vision come true.

Where to make Y2K logos? ›

Make your own y2k logo using Placeit's Online Logo Maker. Simply pick a template from the grid and customize it in a few clicks. Once you're satisfied with your logo, hit download and start using it!

How to make a Y2K video? ›

How to Create a Y2K Video in 3 Easy Steps
  1. Add videos or photos from computer or stock libraries to the scene.
  2. Add text, music, and voiceover to customize your y2k video.
  3. Download your y2k video in various ratios and definitions or share it online with the world.

What is the best Y2K filter app? ›

YouCam Makeup is the best Y2K photo editor in 2024, offering a wide range of Y2K filters, including photo effects, makeup looks, backgrounds, and much more. The app is easy to use, making it simple to transform your photos with nostalgic Y2K aesthetics.

What app is used to design logos? ›

We tested out the most popular logo apps
Ease of useBest for
Logo Maker by Bizthug PteEasyCasual brands
Watercolor Logo MakerEasyCute brands
ICONAEasyFans of minimalist design
DesignManticDifficultB2B/Professional brands
4 more rows
Jan 6, 2023

What is real Y2K style? ›

The Y2K look actually spans from the late 90s to the mid-2000s and was typified by scarf tops, boot cut jeans, velour tracksuits, pastels, metallics, cowl necks, pedal pushers (aka capri pants) and showy accessories, from furry bucket hats and trucker caps to bowling bags and butterfly clips.

Is Y2K aesthetic back? ›

Originating from the late 90s and early 2000s, this style was all about optimism, embracing technology, and standing out. Today, the Y2K look is making a major comeback.

What are Y2K clothes called? ›

Y2K fashion, also known as "millennial" or "Z-generation" fashion, has become an increasingly popular trend in recent years. The characteristic of this trend is a nostalgic and retro aesthetic, reminiscent of the early 2000s, when the internet was relatively new and smartphones were just beginning to become mainstream.

Why is Y2K an aesthetic? ›

The Y2K aesthetic was a distinct reflection of the time. It was futuristic, glittery, cyber-obsessed, and full of teenage angst. Many trends from the 2000s were short-lived and widely viewed as too tacky and over-the-top to ever become mainstream again.

What does Y2K aesthetic look like? ›

Shiny, almost plastic-like metallics, vibrant colors that remind you of Easter eggs, and intriguing designs inspired by futuristic technology (despite dial-up still very much being a thing). Pop culture and celebrity obsession enormously influenced Y2K fashion for men in the 2000s.

What is retro Y2K? ›

What does Y2k Mean? Y2K fashion, also known as millennium fashion, draws inspiration from the late 1990s and early 2000s. This nostalgic style is characterized by its bold and eclectic mix of trends. Y2K fashion is making a bold comeback this summer and is set to remain popular in the upcoming years.

Who created Y2K? ›

The acronym Y2K has been attributed to Massachusetts programmer David Eddy in an e-mail sent on 12 June 1995. He later said, "People were calling it CDC (Century Date Change), FADL (Faulty Date Logic). There were other contenders.

What is Y2K graphic design? ›

When we talk about this trend, it usually involves the visuals that became popular in the early 2000s. In graphic design, the aesthetic includes the use of bold colors, metallic and glitter effects, and futuristic fonts.

What is Y2K edit? ›

The Y2K aesthetic is an inspiring aesthetic that mimics the early 2000s. The aesthetic is inspired by the late 90s fashion trends. It consists of certain styles like denim wear, colored hair, bright and shimmery makeup looks, glossy lips & etc.

How do you get Y2K style? ›

Y2K fashion is defined by one major silhouette: tiny top, big bottom. Since the top half is ruled by baby tees, tube tops, crop tops, and corsets, we balance it out with baggy pants - low rise, wide leg, flares, and cargo pants - or skirts!

What is Y2K software? ›

Y2K is the shorthand term for "the year 2000." Y2K was commonly used to refer to a widespread computer programming shortcut that was expected to cause extensive havoc as the year changed from 1999 to 2000.

What is Y2K design called? ›

Y2K Futurism (also referred to as Cybercore, Cyber Y2K, Kaybug, or just simply Y2K) is an aesthetic that was prevalent in popular culture from roughly 1997 to 2004, succeeding the Memphis Lite and Grunge eras and overlapping with the McBling and 2K1 aesthetics.

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