#1, I added more texture to the titles words to help enhance the unity it needed with the foreground and background. This make the title more static which generates more appeal when combines with such detailed artwork.
#2 The original text on the background at the bottom had a red/maroon stroke under it before and i changed it to black. Now i did this for a few reasons. One being it hid that text too well and make it much more difficult to read than intended. Two being all the other text is white/grey with a black background of some sort so i wished to continue with that pattern.
#3 All other changed are very minor or random. Due to it being a completely different file I could not recreate the exact same random streaks as before, nor did i intend too.
Any and all feedback on this would be helpful and please don't be light of criticism, its a wonderful part of the learning experience and I would love to hear what you truly feel would make this a stronger design. Thank you, Christopher Gordon
How did you create this DVD cover, Chris? Did you create the artwork yourself, perhaps using Illustrator, or import it? I like this design a lot. However, I feel that the text needs some work. The "Attack on Titan" title seems to be fading into the background on the front and on the spine. (Should it be "Titans" -- plural?) Also, the large block of white text on the back seems too tight; some descenders are touching the tops of letters in the line below. The block of credits at the bottom on the back is very hard to read. There's also a typo in the block of text on the back cover: "humanoid." By the way, great job of recreating! That must have taken a good chunk of time!
ReplyDeleteChris – the artwork is bold and engaging… a little scary too! Did you create the artwork… or is your work only seen in the typography and layout? There is cleverness in your position of the artwork – as the DVD case turns, it crops out the left side of the face – so we only see the right side on the front when this is assembled. I think you need to find a way to show that in the presentation of this project… because it shows a carefully made design decision.
ReplyDeleteHere are 3 things to think about:
1. Cover type isn’t as clear as it could/should be. What can you do to increase contrast between Attack on Titan and that really busy background? This will be a challenge because of the many different values/colors behind the type. I wonder if the blood on the letters is increasing the problem… as it darkens the letters to more similar to the background… when it is contrast, difference, that you need.
2. The type on the back cover is also very difficult to read… for different reasons. The text block is overly dense, with very little helpful negative space between the lines (leading). This is causing crashes between the ascenders and descenders of the font. So – you can cut the type, or reduce the point size of the type, or enlarge the area in which the type sits. I vote for both the first and second options (because the artwork has faces that should not be covered). So, find a good way to reduce the amount of words. Also please increase the margin a bit between the edges of your type and the edges of the black box – they are too close for comfort. Lastly – centering this isn’t the best alignment because of the jagged edges on both left and right (whole paragraphs are almost never centered for that reason). Please use either FL/RR or Justified (and then attend to the rivers that will no doubt appear).
Color – red on black… almost impossible to read. Aren’t those words important? I think they are, because you have emphasized KILL ALL TITANS… so consider a color shift.
3. Spine – contrast is needed around the title – it gets lost. NOTE: the spine does not necessarily have to use the same font as is used on the cover… instead you might want to use a more simple font because of the limitation in size here. This must be very readable, as the DVDs sit in pretty compact spaces next to each other – and you want yours to be inviting to read. Another approach could be to “dim” the artwork along this spine, which would calm down the background and allow us to see this type more easily.
4. I know, I lied… here is something else to think about - the tiny type at bottom of back cover. How important is it that we read it? If it is – keep thinking, because no one can read this.
Looking forward to seeing what you do with this.
Hey Chris! A very antagonistic and oppressing DVD cover with fierce, unmerciful intrusion upon the readers visual and emotional examination. This cover definitely conveys the movies message and displays incredible artwork! I do have a couple suggestions though:
ReplyDelete#1. Coni's observation of the difficulty of reading the Attack on Titan can be remedied by duplicating the title, changing it to all white and offset it just a little bit behind the title to give it a faux white shadow. This should give enough empty space between the title and the background to make it stand out more. I also would use this white title layer on the spine with void of any color in the title on just the spine.
#2 I also agree with Coni that your white text on the back cover needs to be inset inside the box more and the leading needs to be increased. Suggestion: when dealing with body copy I would avoid making the leading less then the point size of the font because it makes it's too dense to be able to read.
#3 The credits at the bottom of the back cover aren't legible. When working with smaller text, especially a serif font do not use a stroke around the text because it fills in the text so you actually lose part of the text to the stroke making it almost impossible to read with small text. My suggestion would be to make a white (or sample out the light yellow on the front) and make a slash make behind the credits maybe with a very slight transparency behind the credits and make the credit text black without a stroke. This will give you the contrast you need to be able to read the small copy.
These are just my subjective opinions. Please feel free to disregard any of my suggestions that you feel takes away from your cover! Thanks Chris!
A lot has been said about this piece already so there isn't anything new to be pointed out. I will agree with Desiree I think a faux shadow ( Leslie's favorite trick) will help make the title on both the cover and spine stand out. Also I like the idea of removing the stroke on the credits and using a dark background shape with an opacity so you can read it more easily. I really like how the characters eye ends out on the spine I remember seeing it on the DVD case and it looked pretty cool.
ReplyDelete