Why I Made a Jumanji-Style Logo
Got bored last weekend rewatching Jumanji and suddenly thought: “That jungle logo looks sick!” Decided I wanted my own version for a board game night invite. Didn’t want no premade template – wanted to build it from scratch like carving wood.
How I Started Messing Around
First, fired up a free design app – nothing fancy, just something I downloaded ages ago. Created a blank canvas and typed “JUMANJI” in a chunky font called Bebas Neue. Looked way too clean though, like a grocery store sign. Needed that jungle roughness.
Getting Dirty with Textures
Grabbed a cracked concrete texture pic from my old files. Slapped it over the text, changed the layer setting to “Multiply” – boom! Instantly looked like weathered stone. But still… missing organic chaos.
Found a free vine brush pack online (thank you random artists!). Scribbled vines crawling up the letters:
- Made vines thicker on bottom, thinner climbing up
- Added fake shadows under vines with a low-opacity black brush
- Threw in random leaves like they’re growing wild
Color Screw-Ups & Fixes
First color combo was awful – neon green on purple. Felt like a cartoon villain. Switched to:
- Dusty gold letters (RGB: 212, 175, 55)
- Mossy green vines (70, 100, 60)
- Blood-red shadows under text for danger vibes
Lowered saturation until it looked like it was baked in jungle sun for 100 years.
Final Gritty Touches
Saw something was still missing – imperfections. Added:
- Cracks on letters with a thin brush
- Dirt speckles everywhere at 20% opacity
- A slight tilt to make it feel hand-carved
Spent 20 minutes moving one leaf because it “felt wrong.” Classic designer brain.
What Actually Worked
Turns out you don’t need mad skills for this stuff:
- Textures + layer settings = instant aging
- Natural palettes beat flashy colors
- Random imperfections make it feel real
My buddy thought I bought it online. Best compliment ever! Now I’m putting this ugly-beautiful thing on coasters for game night. Jungle adventure achieved.
