YouTube Studio Logo Lamp

We needed an eye-catching sign for our YouTube set and created this multi-layer lamp from our logo! This lamp could work with any two layer design, and would be an amazing addition to a gallery wall or stand alone as a piece of art. The LED lights let you change the colour to fit your brand, mood or decor. We used a French Cleat to hang the lamp which creates a backlit glow. Being scrappy, not crappy, we used what we had on hand but in this Intractable we make recommendations and offer alternatives for you to make your own!

MATERIALS

Paper

Scotch Tape

Plywood

Spray Adhesive

Spray Paint in 2 contrasting colours (we used black and white)

Spray Paint Top Coat (we chose a matte finish)

Sand paper

Clear Wood Glue

Pencil 

Screws 

Remote-Controlled Trimmable RGB LED Tape Light

OPTIONAL MATERIALS

Sacrificial vinyl

TOOLS

Desktop printer

Scissors

Jig Saw

Drill

Level

Knife to score

Table saw with blade set at 45 degree angle

OPTIONAL TOOLS

Vinyl cutter

Laser cutter

CNC

Scroll Saw

Router

We made do with the materials and tools we had on hand. We used 3/4” piece of particle board for the back, and a 1/2” piece of plywood for the logo and letters.

We wanted to make sure the lamp had good depth, but because we’re using white on black we knew it would pop regardless.

For lights, we scavenged some from a previous project. The length you'll need will depend on the size of your lamp. We used a double layer of lights to ensure the colour really shows up on camera. Ensure you have enough to go around the perimeter of your lamp twice. More on this in Step 14.

Keep scale and forced perspective in mind. We recommend creating a mock up out of a piece of paper and testing a couple sizes to see what looks best on camera. 

Once you have your sizing down, create two templates, one for the background layer and the other for the lettering and logo.

NOTE: If you are using CNC or a laser cutter, you can forgo the paper template. Skip to Step 5.

Initially we were going to use the laser cutter to score the logo design into the wood, but we ended up cutting right through. Check your manufacturer’s recommendations. 

To create the background we split our logo over multiple Artboards in Adobe Illustrator, saved as a pdf and used a standard desktop printer to print the design over multiple pages. Trim any excess and tape your template together.

NOTE: Office supply stores have large format printers available, or you could create hand drawn templates. 

Follow the manufacturer’s spray glue recommendations to adhere the paper template to your wood.

Use your tool of choice! We used a jig saw. Alternatively you could use a scroll saw or CNC.

Remove the paper template.

Sand your pieces to smooth out the design and remove any rough edges and sand the surface to help the paint adhere.

Lay out your logo pieces and paint following manufacturer’s instructions. We used multiple light coats until the pieces were fully covered.

Allow to fully dry.

Create a vinyl template of your logo and lettering. This will mark where your design needs to be placed. Adhere the vinyl template to your background. If a vinyl cutter isn’t available, skip to the next step.

Paint the back piece following the manufacturer’s instructions. We used multiple light coats until we reached full coverage.

If using vinyl, remove the vinyl once the paint is dry.

Otherwise, wait for the background to fully dry, then lay out your logo and lettering to ensure the spacing is correct. Mark the placement using pencil or score with a knife. 

Use wood glue to affix the lettering and logo to your background, following manufacturer’s instructions. Let dry.

We decided to use a French cleat instead of a keyhole to keep our lamp off the wall so the lights can shine on the wall. 

We took a scrap piece of 3/4” plywood and cut it down the middle at a 45 degree angle using a table saw. Since our sign isn’t going to be heavy we didn’t need to worry about the size of the cleat. 

After attaching the cleat to the wall we screwed the transmitter to the wall.

Adhere lights to the back of your lamp. Try to stay as close to the edge for optimal effect. We found setting the lights about 1" from the edge gives the effect we wanted to create. We added a second row of lights to ensure the glow will show up on camera.

Since we scavenged lights from an old project, they were no longer sticky. We used double sided tape to adhere the lights.

Alternatively, you could router a channel into the back of the back piece for the lights. Be sure to do this before painting!

Hang, plug it in, and turn on your lamp!