Working on a personal project involving Star Wars to help me improve with a bunch of different editing skills, including graphic design. I decided to take the canon Imperial HoloNet News logo and replace the Imperial emblem with an Alliance starbird.
Original:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/y20TSVm.png[/t]
Edited:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/RH7Ci3o.png[/t]
Other than some cleaning up that needs to be done, I like to think I did a good job. Any suggestions?
And yes, the spots were part of the original design. I toned it down in mine because I'm not a huge fan of it.
It is a fairly straight-forward exercise, so there isn't really too much to say about it. I would agree that you were successful essentially in what you were trying to do, but there are several things that are a little rough which could be improved.
1. The Alliance Starbird is not vertically centered within the outer red circle. The space between the starbird and the red circle surrounding it is smaller at the bottom and then gets gradually larger as you follow the edge of the Starbird around.
2. The space that you have "carved" out of the starbird around the two symbols, on the left and right, is very roughly done, especially beside the "N" looking symbol and the bottom most dash of the triple-dash symbol. (To fix this, in the future, isolate the two symbols as paths in Illustrator. Go to Object > Path > and select Offset Path. Fiddle with the features, checking out the results using the preview checkbox, and then when you like the extent of the path offset, click ok. After you have created this new Offset Path, select it and subtract it from the shape behind it (the alliance starbird in this case).
[QUOTE=Smeetin;52496283]Here is the 2 versions blended, not bad actually, not quite as stiff as I thought it would look:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/pNGzi1O.png[/t]
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it looks pretty good! I think your planet arc is keeping it visually interesting enough. The skew you had did on the 1911 in the other version felt a bit much. Overall it's the type I'm loving. Feels very western but also industrial.
I saw the Falling Skies logo last night on Netflix and was reminded of this. Was it an inspiration point?
No sir, never actually seen that before. I don't actively / knowingly use specific precedent super often unless it is a typology of logo / work I'm unfamiliar with (like sports logos, etc.) As far as Sci-fi goes, its my go to genre of entertainment, so I'm fairly well versed in its graphic tropes.
Thanks for the kind words on the type, I don't have a ton of experience with custom type, but it's one of my favourite things to experiment with. I think I probably agree that this new version is the best. I like the idea of the skewed version (having these projectiles kind of emerging from a point in the horizon), but I think it looks more solid this way.
[QUOTE=Smeetin;52499978]It is a fairly straight-forward exercise, so there isn't really too much to say about it. I would agree that you were successful essentially in what you were trying to do, but there are several things that are a little rough which could be improved.
1. The Alliance Starbird is not vertically centered within the outer red circle. The space between the starbird and the red circle surrounding it is smaller at the bottom and then gets gradually larger as you follow the edge of the Starbird around.
2. The space that you have "carved" out of the starbird around the two symbols, on the left and right, is very roughly done, especially beside the "N" looking symbol and the bottom most dash of the triple-dash symbol. (To fix this, in the future, isolate the two symbols as paths in Illustrator. Go to Object > Path > and select Offset Path. Fiddle with the features, checking out the results using the preview checkbox, and then when you like the extent of the path offset, click ok. After you have created this new Offset Path, select it and subtract it from the shape behind it (the alliance starbird in this case).[/QUOTE]
I do realize that it's a bit crude, but thanks to your suggestions I'll definitely try to fix it before I'm done with this project. For now what I have works as a placeholder. It's not a major visual element of the project, and the effects applied to it work to hide its flaws until I replace it.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCB3kmI6Q3k[/media]
This is going to be sitting in the bottom corner for most of the project, so it's really just an extra flourish to the frame.
I spent ages earlier today explaining to a client why having a play on words without any context is a bad thing in a brand name, and how it can cause confusion. He was wanting something like T'one or T-one fitness as his branding name, with the play on words being "Type One" because he's a diabetic PT, but can't even teach diabetics. I can only see it causing confusion when someone wants to get in contact. "Do I call this business tone fitness, or tee one fitness, or type one fitness?", for example. People don't like to feel dumb like that.
At the same time, he also wanted a blue O in the wordmark, the symbol for diabetes. Which is fine, and I quite like the idea. I suggested that I could try extrapolating the blue O into something a bit more and getting rid of the confusing play on words.
He seemed to understand where I was coming from, agreeing how confusion could come out of it. I get a message later on saying the concept I did up with the play on words was the winner, but also to change the I in fitness to a dumbell.
It's like holy fuck how many tropes do you want in a single logo. Tried explaining a bit more, how less is sometimes more, and get the sentence "But nobody will be looking at this as a designer." back, and "The customer is always right" (Spoilers: I'm doing this for free, he's not a fucking customer).
People are the worst part of working creatively, honestly.
/design rant
if you're doing it for free, stop doing it. when you're paying for a designer you're paying for his input and expertise too (which should be listened to). if he's not even paying you, and he isn't listening to you, drop the whole thing. the whole 'experience as payment' and 'getting your work out there' is bullshit to take advantage of people.
[editline]24th July 2017[/editline]
if it was for a friend, i'd get it. i do it too sometimes when i really shouldn't and i know I shouldn't. but with that kind of pushback it's not worth it and it's pointless.
[QUOTE=Rusty100;52500421]if you're doing it for free, stop doing it. when you're paying for a designer you're paying for his input and expertise too (which should be listened to). if he's not even paying you, and he isn't listening to you, drop the whole thing. the whole 'experience as payment' and 'getting your work out there' is bullshit to take advantage of people.[/QUOTE]
Nah I haven't fell for any of that bullshit. It's someone I know and consider(ed) a friend. I'm basically doing it as a favor because he's just starting up, and because I have had a dry spell in design due to work and wanted to stay fresh. I'll be trying one more time tomorrow to talk sense into him and if he doesn't see it then it's as good as dropped. I wouldn't normally do this because I expect people to sometimes go against the grain - that's the job, but some of the shit he said there tonight has me pretty fucking livid.
Quick logo I did for a friend's band, (I'll probably take the monolith out of the top version yet):
[t]http://i.imgur.com/5UEepRG.png[/t]
Alright, here's some improvements and additions that i did for my concept art.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/6ltlVex.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/8yD8KQr.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/fsutnwD.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/nPRDkYf.png[/t]
[QUOTE=SassPD22;52512691]Alright, here's some improvements and additions that i did for my concept art.
[/QUOTE]
Assuming this is for a mobile game?
There's so much to criticize here I wouldn't know where to begin. You need to take a look at stuff like color theory and basic design principles.
[QUOTE=SassPD22;52512691]Alright, here's some improvements and additions that i did for my concept art.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/6ltlVex.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/8yD8KQr.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/fsutnwD.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/nPRDkYf.png[/t][/QUOTE]
These are by no means terrible, and actually look quite a bit like some racing games I've seen, but they could certainly be improved quite a bit to really give them that professional look (rather than a phone game).
First things first, be consistent. If buttons are in one place on one screen, think very hard about it before changing their location on another. Part of the ease of use experience is knowing where to expect your options to be. Being consistent with text / description formatting and location is also important. Ensure your text has enough space around it and maybe start off with justified / block text so that it is a more solid design element for you to work with.
Consistency should also be important to your overall aesthetic style. For instance, right now, there is a jarring difference between the top left image and the rest, and the bottom right image is also pretty different from the others. If you are going to use layouts / compositions like the top right and bottom left images, then the rest of your screens should at least somewhat relate stylistically. The bright pink and turquoise of the top left image not only is uncomfortable to look at, and looks somewhat cheap, but looks really amateur compared to the other screens. Simple is better. The Classic Beauties screen could be improved drastically with a simple black and white / natural / gray background or gradient behind it and white everything else.
Also if you are going to use turquoise as an accent colour (under New Cars, Parts, etc.) then that should be the accent colour pretty well everywhere. Consistency. So if we go back to the top left image, then it would be like a black/white background, white text, and then turquoise accents for maybe buttons, or something you think needs highlighting more than the rest.
Try to ensure enough space between elements. For instance between text and logos, or between buttons and logos (like between History and the SEAT logo in the top right image). Things need space between each other, negative space.
If you are going to have complex and possibly MOVING background images, then everything else should be pretty simple in its layout and style. The top right image you posted is a good example of how a complex composition of design elements mixed with a highly detailed background image results in a very busy image without any specific place where the eye feels comfortable landing.
The bottom right image isn't terrible, it definitely reminds me of the old GT games, etc. However, I think it could be improved if you simply went through it and tried to cluster the information together a bit more. Right now to absorb everything, you have to look at each section of the screen separately. It isn't terribly efficient as far as interface design goes.
Hope some of these comments help. Always remember that simplicity is key!
-
Mock-up of kind of what I think could work for something like the top right. You could replace "Test-drive" with "View" or something like that. The idea I'm trying to stress with the above paragraphs is that you should start with something like this and then extend the same aesthetic to each other screen, so that there is a flow between them and they all work together:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/BPfVjTh.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=Smeetin;52514889]---
Doodling:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/LRZQ1TW.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]
looks really nice, and although it's physically correct, "Whiskey Room" looks odd - almost as if it's above the position it should be above "bar". Could be the font?
[QUOTE=Smeetin;52513249]These are by no means terrible, and actually look quite a bit like some racing games I've seen, but they could certainly be improved quite a bit to really give them that professional look (rather than a phone game).
First things first, be consistent. If buttons are in one place on one screen, think very hard about it before changing their location on another. Part of the ease of use experience is knowing where to expect your options to be. Being consistent with text / description formatting and location is also important. Ensure your text has enough space around it and maybe start off with justified / block text so that it is a more solid design element for you to work with.
Consistency should also be important to your overall aesthetic style. For instance, right now, there is a jarring difference between the top left image and the rest, and the bottom right image is also pretty different from the others. If you are going to use layouts / compositions like the top right and bottom left images, then the rest of your screens should at least somewhat relate stylistically. The bright pink and turquoise of the top left image not only is uncomfortable to look at, and looks somewhat cheap, but looks really amateur compared to the other screens. Simple is better. The Classic Beauties screen could be improved drastically with a simple black and white / natural / gray background or gradient behind it and white everything else.
Also if you are going to use turquoise as an accent colour (under New Cars, Parts, etc.) then that should be the accent colour pretty well everywhere. Consistency. So if we go back to the top left image, then it would be like a black/white background, white text, and then turquoise accents for maybe buttons, or something you think needs highlighting more than the rest.
Try to ensure enough space between elements. For instance between text and logos, or between buttons and logos (like between History and the SEAT logo in the top right image). Things need space between each other, negative space.
If you are going to have complex and possibly MOVING background images, then everything else should be pretty simple in its layout and style. The top right image you posted is a good example of how a complex composition of design elements mixed with a highly detailed background image results in a very busy image without any specific place where the eye feels comfortable landing.
The bottom right image isn't terrible, it definitely reminds me of the old GT games, etc. However, I think it could be improved if you simply went through it and tried to cluster the information together a bit more. Right now to absorb everything, you have to look at each section of the screen separately. It isn't terribly efficient as far as interface design goes.
Hope some of these comments help. Always remember that simplicity is key!
-
Mock-up of kind of what I think could work for something like the top right. You could replace "Test-drive" with "View" or something like that. The idea I'm trying to stress with the above paragraphs is that you should start with something like this and then extend the same aesthetic to each other screen, so that there is a flow between them and they all work together:
[t]http://i.imgur.com/BPfVjTh.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]
I was inspired by these menus but even then, they look more simple that mine
[t]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YExCFPSfWck/maxresdefault.jpg[/t] [t]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qXmRfloIZ6g/maxresdefault.jpg[/t] [t]http://blog.airesoft.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/dhused.png[/t][t]http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/7/74/Start-Gran-Turismo-4-Step-3.jpg[/t]
I should better improve my craft.
[QUOTE=SassPD22;52516085]I was inspired by these menus but even then, they look more simple that mine
[/t]
I should better improve my craft.[/QUOTE]
A huge part of the problem in your designs is the consistency as Smeetin lined out pretty well, rather than your style. There's also far more order and hierarchy in those pictures you've posted in comparison to yours. Nothing feels out of place. I wish I had more time to give you feedback but basically, try remember to ask yourself when changing anything:
Why am I making this change? Emphasis? To hide it away? To line up with another element? To make it the same size as something else?
That should be constant after you lay the framework if it doesn't make sense then you probably shouldn't be doing it.
[QUOTE=SassPD22;52516085]I was inspired by these menus but even then, they look more simple that mine
...
I should better improve my craft.[/QUOTE]
To be honest, I think with a couple small changes and a greater consistency of element position / colour between screens you would have something fairly attractive. You are well on your way.
Here are some improvements.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/ztU5azU.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/HZULfKk.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/cIUQq8h.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/7JJKWln.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/yoFRxey.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/jgYtxlf.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/hhp9kL2.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/XloCmxt.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/uiOveKp.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/RamWYhz.png[/t]
I also did a few track logos
[t]http://i.imgur.com/ix8chHI.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/JMCRGa6.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/ceBfOSf.png[/t]
I did the license center some time ago. What's there to improve?
[t]http://i.imgur.com/SDTS9Ls.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/MoAdyHj.png[/t]
I'm not a graphic design major, but as a layman I can tell you that most of these interfaces do not look good to me at all. It looks like a free flash game from the early 2000's. You've got nice images, but the font choices, shapes, and other elements all leave me feeling like it's a pretty cheap or low quality game. Again, I'm not an expert, just a normal person as far as design is concerned, so I would really suggest looking at some successful modern racing games and trying to draw some inspiration from them, unless you're really set on a retro feel. Don't get discouraged either way, as everyone has to start somewhere.
[QUOTE=SassPD22;52518887][t]http://i.imgur.com/JMCRGa6.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/ceBfOSf.png[/t]
[/QUOTE]
These two are quite good, the Aragon Autodromo is well done. I would suggest a font change and a reorientation of the text on the Circuit de Paris. The symbol for Paris is unique and interesting though.
The rest of it is definitely an improvement, though the text blocks are hard to read against the complicated backgrounds the way they are currently.
No idea if this is the right thread (couldn't find another one that seemed more suiting)
Having access to the machines you need to print on t shirts is awesome
[t]https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/IRYUyeTMpDEcDlhHIs7hGOcP06mN1qcA/IMG_20170730_212801.jpg[/t]
That would be awesome, I'm a little jealous. Getting shirts printed online is fine and all, but having the limitations of where you could print on the shirt is pretty annoying.
On that note, does anybody have opinions on what the best shirt / merch printing site is? I've really only tried spreadshirt and cafepress ever.
I hope this is the right place, since OP contains "ask for advice".
Working with Photoshop
How do I dynamically, in real-time, change color of a particular, for example, selection within a layer? What I want to get is something akin to developer tools in, say, Chrome. When you press on any element, which has a color style to it, you can press on it to open up the color palette. If you move your cursor around that palette, then the color changes accordingly, without any additional manipulations.
I don't know if I can easily explain this, so you might have to search some of the terms up on Google depending how familiar you are with Adobe programs and depending what version you have.
First off, I don't think there is any way that is quite as direct as Google Chrome. Photoshop works in layers as you know and most adjustments work through a layer-based workflow (layers affecting other layers rather than everything happening on one general layer).
I'll give you three ways you can do what you are saying (if I'm understanding correctly):
First, and probably the closest to what you want:
Select the part which you want to change colours of (with the lasso or marquee select tools),
then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue / Saturation.
You can check the colourize box if you want a much more direct color change, but it often reduces the contrast and stuff.
Then after you have made this adjustment, you can leave the adjustment layer as its own separate layer for quick adjustments in the future (by double clicking on the specific adjustment layer symbol in the layers menu), or you can right click on it and merge it down into the layer it is affecting for a permanent change.
--
Two other options that aren't necessarily useful:
1. Separate any elements which you want control over in regards to colour and other effects into their own layers. Make sure none of the layers you want to work with are locked.
Then, go to Layer > Layer Style > Colour Overlay. In this menu you can change the colour as well as the blending mode (which you will likely want to set to Color or Hue). Play with these settings as you see fit.
2. Or if you are creating an image from scratch, like an illustration, then you can draw all of your elements using shapes (using the pen tool, or the standard shape tools). After you have made a shape, you can control its colour and blending modes from the layers menu.
--
Hopefully, I've understood your question and offered something useful.
Someone else might know a way to do exactly what you are asking, but from my experience I don't think it is directly possible. Though the first suggestion I offered is somewhat similar.
Select Color Range is my first go-to for changing the color of something. Not sure if that fits what you're saying though.
Oh, ya, that is definitely a better way to select the area you want to change in many circumstances. Combine that with some of the other suggestions and you should be on your way.
i taught a guy who must've been at least 70 how to use photoshop a few weeks ago and it was an alright experience. he's an amateur photographer and wanted to know how to do minor corrections. It was mostly just changing the colors of certain elements and I stumbled a bit because there are a handful of methods and it was difficult to find one that would be easy for him to remember but still yield convincing results.
my goto is to use the pen tool to make a mask around the object, and then mess with the refine mask edge dialog window until it looks good, then turn it into a curves adjustment layer, or any of the other options depending on if i want to change the brightness/saturation/whatever. my boss is very particular about how everything looks so it's nice how easy it is to change the colors on the fly while she's staring over my shoulder.
i usually never use stuff like the magic wand or lasso because i thought they're too finicky but i gave it a shot while i was teaching the guy and i found out that they're actually pretty powerful nowadays. it's pretty easy to just select and deselect the parts you want to change, turn it into a mask and mess with the edge refinement tools before you make adjustments. even the color range selection tool worked well when i needed to change things like beams of light. i should be able to work a lot faster now lol.
----
[img]http://i.imgur.com/Fu9oX7l.gif[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/QTi5Zor.png[/img]
here's a mockup of our next newsletter, I've been playing with it for awhile. The gif is super rough since we didn't have the final printed boxes yet. everything feels awkward to me because we've been playing around with the branding for the company and the emails especially have been inconsistent. I don't even know what tone we're going for in this newsletter, and I don't like product shots like that.
does anyone have any tips for writing copy??
Decided to do a style change for the New car dealerships. How's this?
[t]http://i.imgur.com/x6RgsqH.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/BiOEXX4.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/cFDYRC8.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/8fG6laW.png[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/8PpM2fR.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/S6n6qOn.png[/t]
Now, if anyone's wondering, Blue is for Japan, Orange is for Europe and Red is for America.
Unfortunately I think some of the previous feedback you received still applies. Italicized Impact just oozes 2004 flash game. You'll probably want to pick a different set of fonts.
I recommend looking at Font Pair for ideas: [url]http://fontpair.co/[/url]
Plus TypeWolf has lots of good inspiration: [url]https://www.typewolf.com/[/url]
This helps you find good pairings of the Google Fonts library, where you'd use the heading font for your larger navigation buttons and the body font for your manufacturer flavor text. As a bonus a lot of fonts on Google Fonts are SIL licensed which means you can do whatever the hell you want with em.
The good news is your layouts and stuff are improving. Definitely change your font, and I'd drop the color shift on the car images; you look like you're using good quality stock images for your cars so they should look great unaltered.
To be honest I find there to be an enourmes design clash between the cars and the stuff that you put around them, just fixing the fonts and the colors doesn't really seem enough.
I'd suggest you look at promotional material published by the car manufacturers themselves to find some ways of injecting information around these cars that seem more natural.
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The Graphic Design Thread - Drop It Like a Hotkey
