Mega Mecha poster development process (P4,P5)

 Final poster image (PNG):
http://adf.ly/1K4yEb


This image is to be a poster for advertising my game, "Mega Mecha Throwdown". I had to keep in mind that it would be presented to children, so the poster could not have any adult themes, the same as my marquee and logo. with this in mind I began working on an image. I took some of the parts of a previously made poster for my game, making the pigeon the background. I also used an 8 bit font (which matched the theme of my game, as it was being used for an arcade machine). The first design is shown below.

 While this design was okay, upon review by some of my peers we agreed that it could use more colour to make it visually appealing. It was also suggested that I change the way the text looked to make it seem more interesting. With that feedback in mind I amended the design to create this:

After creating this design, I realised that it doesn't make much sense to have the pigeon on the poster, as the game is about robots. I replaced the background image and adjusted the text to make it seem a little less jarring, and then got some peer feedback on my image. One of my peers said:

 After this peer review and advice, I amended the design, and created my final image, which is this:

Fareham byte T-shirt design process

Research:
to begin understanding what kind of technologies I would be using to create my shirt, I researched into the methods and technologies I could utilise in the design and creation of the shirt. In this process, I experiment with both the designs of the shirt, and also the images and text placed on them.

Firstly I researched on the types of printing that I could utilise during the process. The first was named "Screen printing". It includes pressing a multiple single coloured screens onto cloth to create the image. This is a good method for quality, but can be potentially messy and is better for mass bulk designing.

The other (and more common) method for placing images onto the shirt would be "Heat pressing", which includes inks being placed onto paper, which is then heated up and pressed to the shirt to place the image onto the shirt. This is quicker than screening printing due to only one image having to be placed onto the shirt. The main con of this method however, is that it is less effective on darker shirts, so the cloth I would use for the Fareham byte shirt would most likely have to be white, or a light grey for the most effective use of this printing method.


Brainstorm:
Considering the shirt is for Fareham byte (which is on the topic of video gaming/computing) I was thinking about including mainstream gaming themes, as well as potentially including the logo for the Fareham byte convention (a pink mans head with blonde hair and sunglasses). I would include bright colours and interesting arcade type text, as I feel like this would suit the theme of the convention.

For images included, I would likely go with the gaming themes and potentially include images of pacman, Mario, and other well known gaming icons. This would work well as the convention is going to be attended by a younger audience, who may not understand some of the more niche references into gaming culture. I may also include well known memes, such as nyan cat or flappy bird, as these will be instantly recognisable

If the shirt were to be printed, I would most likely go for a white shirt using the heat pressing method, as I feel like this would be the most effective way of printing the shirt with the designs I have in mind.

Initial ideas:

Evaluation of initial ideas:
These initial ideas were colourful and interesting, but I found that my peers thought that there may be some copyright concerns. I justified my usage of the themes by mentioning that it would be allowed under the fair dealings law (educational exemption).

Developed ideas:

Evaluation of developed ideas:
After taking in the thoughts of my peers, I created a few variations of the most popular design. It was a common opinion that the shirt did not encompass both the themes of "Mega Mecha" and "Fareham Byte". This was important because the entire reason the shirt is being created is for the advertisement of these.

as can be seen, I experimented with different colour text, as well as the placement of the Mega Mecha head. My peers (as well as myself) preferred these designs to the others, due to the obvious nature of the shirt, as well as having an interesting colour scheme. I decided to stick with the "Nyan" styled background, as I felt this would help recognition in the younger audience (as Fareham Byte will be attended by predominantly secondary school children.

With that in mind, my final design is shown below. It mentions both of the themes that the shirt is created for (in text) as well as having Mega Mechas head in the middle of the shirt. I've taken inspiration from band tee's, with the text and logo on the front, but leaving the back of the shirt blank (apart from the background, of course).

Final Idea:

Evaluation of process:
I found using a development process useful in this project for a few reasons. firstly, when I created a design, I could have my peers give me feedback on it. This is useful because I'm not always able to see the design from a perspective other than my own, so external input and opinion can be extremely useful. An example of that was when my peers mentioned that there could be potential copyright issues, which I had not fully considered the extent of. I was thusly able to change the design to be more suitable.

Chess piece ideas

Brief, brainstorm and research:
I have been working on the "Rook" for a chess set. I designed some ideas for the piece, using themes that the rest of my group and I had decided on. With influences from "Shadow of the colossus" and Ragnarok from "World of Warcraft", we decided on themes of earth and stone, going for a more natural/fantasy look to our pieces. With that in mind, I drafted the below ideas:

(Top) left: This design takes the base from the original rook piece, but adds spider type legs and a floating eye atop. This gives it a menacing fantasy look. The piece is also weathered, with parts of the bod being broken off (the top of the rook).

(Top) second along from left: The draft takes most of the body of the rook, but changing it to look like the rook is wearing a plate Armour robe. The top of the rook is also damaged, giving it the impression of being naturally worn. There are also vines around both the rook and the shield he is carrying. This drawing is a defensive look for the rook.

(Top) third along from left: Going for a more traditional design, this drawing takes the main base of the rook, but adds a castle-like staircase sprawling around it. This design is also a personified version of a castle, with the face being a small outpost. He is also wielding a weapon, giving the impression that this design is more of an offense rook than the previous.

(Top) right: Using a the silhouette technique to create this design, it is a monster of the vines, having spider legs (much asimilar to the first image) and wielding a small dagger. This is (in my opinion) the most menacing of the designs, and also my favorite.

(Bottom) left: This design brings in the themes of trees and trents. It is a defensive looking piece, with the creature being made of planks and wood. He's wearing a mask to hide his face, further giving the impression of a defensive piece.

(Bottom) right: Using the rook design as the head of the kaiju, this design is a humanoid type, with a hand that has a sword directly attached to it. It is missing an arm, giving the impression of having been alive for a fair while. It is also in a hunched position, hinting at it potentially being conjured by magic that wasn't entirely successful.

Further designs: After some peer feedback, I created a new design that included some colour and shading(green). This is shown below.

This was my second (and final) further designed idea. I really enjoyed the first design of the rook, and decided that I wanted to improve and further stylise it. I removed one of his arms to give him a more worn look, and added further colour and shading. The design is shown below:

Below is an image of the sword that the rook will be holding, facing downwards (left and right side):

Piece ideas (PNG):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzkcEokJmqAoZ1RvVTA3MmxXTWM/edit?usp=sharing


Evaluation:
During this all I learnt a few things. Firstly, I began to understand how having different stages of  creation could aid in the process of making a good design. I learnt that by evaluating my designs at each stage of the process, I was able to see both the positives and the negatives of my ideas, allowing my to change them for the better at an earlier point, rather than having to back once completed and make amends.

I also improved my silhouette drawing skills, making deep colour sketches which I then highlighted with lighter colours. I am going to continue to attempt to improve these skills.