Print - Production Reflection Dunzo Completo!!!!!! Joe Duffy
- 2. Double-Page Spread Process I began my double-page spread with the banner, the object to draw the reader in. I followed the source material by placing a black strip with prominent text, highlighting the topic. I edited the render of the character to make her appear more prominent in the page by cutting out her legs using the lasso tool in the circle while leaving the rest outside. I also used the Stock icon for the character as a collage, which I believe made a nice effect. I added a summary and basic facts in this area where they would be most likely read. By highlighting parts of the text, as I did throughout the pages, I made it easier for people to skim through as the coloured parts could be considered “more important”. The use of only a few colours gave the effect of simplicity but also made parts seem more exciting throughout the page.
- 4. First Page Process On the first page I decided that the more interesting parts of the character should be shown and explained to interest the reader. I titled each segment to better allow understanding as to what the reader was reading about, with an image to portray to those who prefer visual information. After completing the facts and images, I realized I needed to make borders to make them appear more clearly as their own part. I decided to make these boxes that kept to the simpler colour palette while also looking sophisticated. Although the boxes may not be completely the same shape, which would have meant I would have to sacrifice information or clarity of image, I found that the fact boxes still flowed into each other, with the images having the same eye line as the one next to it.
- 5. Second Page ProcessFor my second second page, I decided to do more miscellaneous segments, relating to the character or anything from their series. This side proved a challenge as I hadn’t thought about the positioning of the facts as much as I had done for the former page. This lead to some on the spot decisions. I also discovered that the borders proportions changed based on the distance you looked at the page, leading to some sides looking less smooth depending on how closely you looked at it. For the central set of facts, I merged the boxes so that the parts within them didn’t look crushed just to make space for separate boxes. Actually, I believe this made the page seem a little more stylized. Another difficulty was the fitting of three images in the top right box while making them clearly visible. However their positioning allowed me to add text to give the reader their name, adding more information in a simple to understand way. I finally added a page number to give a sense of authenticity to a page of a magazine.
- 7. Rotoscope Process The “Star Attraction” of my front cover is the rotoscope of more prominent characters in the Official poster. I wanted to use the art from the poster in my cover but also knew it would be more interesting if I didn’t just use it straight from the source. I figured that perhaps, to go with the simpler design that Ultimate’s aesthetic has, the poster should be made as a rotoscope. Thankfully, I had some experience in creating a rotoscope previously so beginning this part of the project wasn’t filled with too many learning experiences that could slow me down. But in hindsight, the task was VERY difficult to accomplish, forcing me to work over-time to finish it to a good quality. Given more time and I may have even added more characters or done a silhouette style with the characters. Some characters were obviously easier to do (Pikachu and Kirby) while the likes of Link were very time consuming but most of the time I found the rotoscope to be enjoyable to create. Edit: After finishing the original design and most of the PowerPoint (I decided to change the final image when it was finalized), I decided I wanted to add one more character to fill out emty space that was too small for text. By doing this I would also make a more balanced design with the swordsman correlating the side of Bowser.
- 8. The Before and After
- 9. Background Process Now that I had my rotoscope finished, I needed to create a background. Since I was thinking about putting the Nintendo logo as a part of my title, I decided I would use red as a more prominent part of the image. But I thought I would like to make the image more interesting to the reader by not just making it completely red so, with the idea that the Smash Ultimate logo would also be in the frame, I wanted to have white in the background. This led me to decide a gradient would the most effective method to make this happen. I was finding it difficult to create this effect so a class-mate provided some much appreciated support. I believe the background makes the cover look very vibrant and therefore more eye- catching while keeping the characters as the vocal point. The design also coincidently still fit the theme of a simple style.
- 10. Titles Process As previously mentioned, I placed the logo of the Nintendo and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the area of the cover that fit them most. The red of the background blended nicely into the oval surrounding the Nintendo logo, making the image look truly succinct. This is the same for the Smash Logo as it is most commonly seen against a white background in promotional art as the image would be “drowned out” if any colour that was too dark, like the red, therefore allowing it to stand out. Due to a last minute change, I changed the name of the magazine as my original idea wouldn’t have fitted comfortably with the art work. It would have made the Smash Ball infuse with the title in a cross-word like formation where the lines are. My original title was along the lines of “Nothing But Nintendo” however I decided a more “punchy” title would intrigue far more readers. I did keep the alliteration and stuck the Smash Ball in this particular issue of the magazine title, allowing me to use my previous ideas in a more refined style. I also made the colour of the font the same as Mario’s glove, keeping the same theme as the Nintendo Logo blending with the background. This makes the cover feel far more bound together.
- 11. Final Touches Process Once I had completed the most prominent parts of the cover, I needed to add details to make the image look more like an actual magazine. I began this task by adding text boxes to advertise the game this issue was looking at in particular. I decided to place the broader piece of text nearer the top as it would let the reader understand what the magazine was focusing on efficiently so they can decide if they want it at a glance rather then ignore it since they had no clear information. I put the more specific information nearer the bottom for those who were interested enough to pick it up. Due to the size of the rotoscope, there wasn’t very much space to make a lot of text segments so I kept the space I had to describe the more key parts I believe a reader would find the most interesting. These text boxes were coloured in a way that would make them obvious from the background, being the reverse of each other. It was necessary to have a price tag, that I placed prominently at the top along with the date of release which I positioned as a few days before the games release to make the issue’s timing give the sense it would be more valuable before you can play yourself. The issue’s number would also provide a sense of authenticity to the cover so they were all placed high up, making a satisfying mirror image. I coloured them the same as the Nintendo logo’s white to co-ordinate the piece. A key part of any magazine is having the barcode to actually buy it! I positioned mine where it would be least intrusive to the overall imagery of the cover, blending in with the whited part of the page at the bottom.
Editor's Notes
- #3: Discuss the tools and processes used in your production. Log your thoughts and feelings about your work.
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- #8: Discuss the tools and processes used in your production. Log your thoughts and feelings about your work.