here's the somi cover. you might want to save target as.
http://www.morelike.com/dvdcovers/somicover.jpg)
i'm not too satsfied with the side :( but it was the best I could do. I doubt attempting to fit a scan of the side in would do much good.
It's a good start. But there are some problems with your cover. First of all the scan is a little rotated clockwise.... you should fix that. Then there's the text on the back cover. You took the "unsmoothened" text from the back cover, right? I think it'd be better to retype the text, and replace the background with a self made paper-texture.
Then of course there's the side of the cover. I think it's be best not to try to go for a unique style on the side for every game. It's better to decide for a style that goes for all the games, so that they look like a collection if they're put on the shelf.
I'll try do create on too. Could you upload the pure front and back scans?
Could someone post a ridiculously high-res scan of just the front box art? I'd like to use it to make a Monkey Island poster.
Or DOTT. Or MI2. Or COMI. Or EMI. Heh heh.
That'd be awesome.
well I do have a pretty good server - the host said it included 'unmetered bandwidth' which i assumed just meant unlimited. Sadly it just means I'm allowed to use as much as I want but when the server's had it, it's had it, and it goes down for about an hour. I'll work on the collection feel of the covers, this one I made a whlie ago and kind of forgot about. My time spent on the computer will be pretty limited for about a week so I'll get on them next week sometime. If you want the scans, talk to lucastones.
Lucastones? Any chance you might be able to upload your scans?
They're on the way. Honestly.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed. but aftewr looking at the cover scans of the SOMI box- I never realised there were bones behind the skull on the front. Amd has anyone else noticed the signature of Steve Purcell on the bottom pirates waist sash?
Hehehe, I love details..
LucasTones, you still there?
Just thought I'd bump this thread a bit.
::bump::
Originally posted by LucasTones
They're on the way. Honestly.
here's a little preview of the one i'm working on now. I'm still a little iffy on the background color and i might make the sqaure with a look at the original cover bigger. Feedback please (whipped this up in about five minutes.)
http://www.morelike.com/dvdcovers/somipreview.jpg)
also my lcd's doing this freaky thing where the background color totally changes hues when i look at it from different angles, its way psychedelic.
Oh god, my eyes!!!!!!! :eek:
:cool: Ah, better.
Well, if it has to be purple (or let's call it "lifestyle-blue"), just tone brightness and saturation down... (actually, I would go with a black or "silver"-grey background)
As for size of the front image, take a look at the "Walt Disney Treasures" tin-cases:
CLICK HERE (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=39073)
But without that blue stripe underneath (which is actual a paper sleeve around the tin). At that size you can take the complete cover, and not just a section of it.
Have you thought about consecutive spine pictures? You know, if you put them all on the shelf back to back you get a picture or logo...
Otherwise I agree with Laser, a more eye-friendly hue and the full cover art would be nice. Although I like the simplistic approach some credits, quote and/or in-game screenshots on the back could work, too.
So, I did something myself now... it's clearly based on the Disney Treasures, but I like it. Tell me what you think:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd.jpg)
I like the idea of sorting the games chronologically on the shelf, hence for the year on the spine. The Treasures have a timeline on the back, showing the year more graphically... maybe I could add that to the lower blue stripe on the back cover...
Oh, and as for the continueous spine-image... that won't work here, of course. But maybe you could gradually change the color of the stripes... like the next game has dark-purple stripes, the next one magenta, the next one red, then orange, then yellow, then green and so on...
I think we should throw this open forum, so to speak. The scans will be online in a week (they're ready - well, they've been ready for a while, some people have been lucky enough to catch me on IRC and I've sent them) I just need to sort out this ftp so I won't get noticed by the network administrators.
Once they're online I suggest anyone who has an opinion designs their own little version, then in a month or so just sit back and discuss the overall ideas from each person.
Spiffy, your idea is my favourite so far - as long as that purple cover would actually be a sleeve; which could then be removed to reveal the original boxart. You know what I mean.
I also like the spine image idea, but it wouldn't work if we were to include games such as Sam and Max 2, which obviously aren't available yet. This could be a "LucasArts Adventures: The Golden Years" kinda thing though, and then the newer titles would be exempt. As for a spine logo - it would either need to be the LucasArts logo, or in a perfect world a wide montage of all the games. That would need to be some seriously good fanart though.
I've edited together a preview of how my idea would look on the shelf:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/midvdsides.jpg)
But basically I don't like it that much... though it would be nice to have consecutive spines, maybe people don't have all the games, and so they're missing parts of the spine-image... or they don't want to put the games in chronological order, but for example all "Monkey Island" games next to each other... or vice versa... depending on the order we decide on. And the same goes for my color gradient idea, which would look ugly if colors were interchanged... so, as far as my design goes, I think I'll stick to the blue stripes.
Oh, and as for a montage of the games... who did the painting at the head of the "Monkey Island"-forum here on Mojo? Maybe he'll help out...
The idea of a cut-out sleeve (with a hole to show part of the box-art) sounds very interesting. I think I've seen this on a few DVD-movie-cases... if I remember correctly the "Scream"-trilogy was one of those.
I am a fan of simplistic cover art in general... I've done some myself, for example for the three "Jurassic Park" DVDs:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/JP-Covers.jpg)
But I think if you have one big area of the same color, it should have a very low saturation. I prefer black, because it's easier to look at. Maybe the design should go in the direction of the "Criterion Collection"-DVDs (at least some of them). Some examples:
The Rock (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=16998)
Armageddon (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=17240)
Spartacus (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=17142)
The Vanishing (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=20713)
For All Mankind (
http://www.dvdsoon.com/dvdcover.xml?uid=6533)
But still, we should incorporate the original box-art somehow... at least I like them very much, so they should be on there.
Originally posted by Laserschwert
So, I did something myself now... it's clearly based on the Disney Treasures, but I like it. Tell me what you think:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd.jpg)
I like the idea of sorting the games chronologically on the shelf, hence for the year on the spine. The Treasures have a timeline on the back, showing the year more graphically... maybe I could add that to the lower blue stripe on the back cover...
Oh, and as for the continueous spine-image... that won't work here, of course. But maybe you could gradually change the color of the stripes... like the next game has dark-purple stripes, the next one magenta, the next one red, then orange, then yellow, then green and so on...
That looks amazing.
I can't wait for the rest of the scans though.
The Jurassic Park ones are nice, Laserschwert. They inspired my first attempt at one of these DVD covers - I just knocked it up over the last hour or so, its only a prototype, so to speak. This is why the dimensions probably aren't DVD resolution.
Loom Box (small preview) (
http://lucastones.mixnmojo.com/loomdvdsmall.jpg)
Loom Box (much larger resolution) (
http://lucastones.mixnmojo.com/loomdvd.jpg)
Let me know what you think. I don't think this design, simple as it is, would work for all the boxarts though, so if it were to be a "complete collection", as it were, another design would be needed.
edit: It occurred to me that the image looked a little different to the others so far - I didn't put a bar to separate each section of the dvd like everyone else. Here they are with these bars, which wouldn't be on the real ones but help to show what it would be like.
Loom Box (small preview) (
http://lucastones.mixnmojo.com/loomdvdasmall.jpg)
Loom Box (much larger resolution) (
http://lucastones.mixnmojo.com/loomdvda.jpg)
@Tones:
Nice, that's the design replicating the original boxes for amaray-cases... I like it. I recently purchased "The Dig" in a DVD-case, and it also had the original artwork and design, just rearranged to fit the new format.
So, this would be another way... trying to keep the original box-design. But there has to be one uniform mark to all the covers, maybe like that sticker, which you extended into the spine... the problem is: the stickers aren't at the same position on all boxes, and newer games don't have the sticker at all. But we always could retouch the images to get rid of the sticker (I did that for some of the CD-covers on my site), and create a new "stripe" from scratch.
(in case you have the manuals for some of the games, most of them have the box-art without any stickers, quotes or tag-lines on their covers... which I prefer. You can always add that stuff yourself afterwards)
I was already thinking about using the original logos on the spine, and not the uniform font that I used on my design. And according to your mockup this might work...
EDIT:
Adding to that, another design idea of mine:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd2.jpg)
I incorporated the LucasArts "L" and used the colors of their C.I. - the blue-purple from the L, and the yellow-orange from the gold-guy himself.
This design shows a problem which might occur when using the original titles for the spine: they might be too high! I tried to put the words "Monkey" and "Island" in just one line, but that didn't look good... another title that might cause this problem is the "Indiana Jones"-title. And as you can see, scaling them down to fit in height makes them too small...
EDIT 2:
Just one more for the road... going as symplistic as possible:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd3.jpg)
I really like the cover made by SpiffyTheDog (except the IBM thingy :/ ) and amongst the ones proposed by Laserschwert my preference goes this one
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd3.jpg).
A suggestion though : it would be even greater if you'd add a "book texture" similar to the one used for LOTR 4DVDS Edition, and the excerpt from Guybrush Threepwood's Journal on the back of the Cover. Making each MI cover with this style but diffйrent color would be really great.
It should be noted that on the Monkey Island boxart, the side does actually have the two words from the logo side by side instead of one on top of the other.
The second of your latest designs is also very good, but a little too simple I think. Maybe if the original art was there in part, in a very subtle dark grey or something... but I dunno.
Or in terms of Guybrush's diary... something like this:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd4.jpg)
Or if you want it the LOTR-way:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd5.jpg)
@Tones:
Now that you've mentioned it... I've never seen an original "Monkey Island" box in my life... maybe you'll scan the sides too?
Originally posted by Laserschwert
Or in terms of Guybrush's diary... something like this:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd4.jpg)
Wow.
I mean, I truly LOVE this cover art! If you'd remove the " A Diary by Guybrush Threepwood" It would become in my opinion THE perfrect Cover for MI Games. Really.
Your 4th cover is your best yet, but the idea still needs some work. I'll see if I can knock up another idea this afternoon, but untill then keep them coming :D
Here we go:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd6.jpg)
The leather texture was scanned from the limited edition of the LOTR soundtrack... that one could of course be made in different colors (which really doesn't work for my 4th design... which used the scanned book texture of the "Pearl Harbor - Director's Cut" DVD).
Now, these designs are pretty simplistic... but the question is, would these work for the other games besides the four MIs, too? Design No.4 definetly wouldn't... but maybe we actually don't need the same design for all games, instead we should incorporate design-elements that are the same on every cover... like the year on the top, the LucasArts-logo, maybe a small version of the original logo from each game someplace else, and the same font for the game's name on every spine. By this, you can make it feel more collection-like, but give every cover a design the fits the different games.
Looking at all my "Universal Pictures"-DVDs, they do it this way. At least their old design (here in Europe... by now they've change it) included a golden bar at the top and the bottom, and an image of the lead-actor below the upper bar, and then a Columbia and a Universal logo... and then there's the DVD-logo in the lower bar.
EDIT:
All right, returning to my earlier ideas, incorporating the original box-artwork:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd7.jpg)
Originally posted by Laserschwert
EDIT:
All right, returning to my earlier ideas, incorporating the original box-artwork:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd7.jpg) [/B]
Now that looks damn sweet! :-) (Besides every other box you made looking kickass, thats still the best IMHO)
Yes, this one is the best I've seen so far. Try doing another game in this design, so we can see if it works well - its bloody good mate!
I like it. I like it ALOT.
Just not entirely sure about the DOTT green, although that looks fine it might be a tad too light besides that they all look kick ass. I'd definatly like a full collection of those :)
sweet jesus.
Laserschwert wins. Totally wins. I'll probably continue with mine whenever I get bored, but Laserschwert's are totally awesome.
I repeat: I have been bested. Laserschwert wins.
:eek: I won?? Already???
I thought we were just coming up with ideas...
Oh no!! Does this mean I have to do them all in hi-res now??? :eek: :eek: :eek:
@CaliMonk:
About the DOTT-green, yes, I too felt that the green was too bright and saturated... I was just too lazy to correct it. I'll tone it down for the...
...for the... :(
... HI-RES VERSION! :crybaby:
But all right, if this is it, we still have to decide on the games, and their colors... something that fits each game...
EDIT: I corrected the DOTT-green... see above.
Originally posted by Laserschwert
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/midvdsides.jpg)
that looked like a good enough listing of games. As for colors, well, full throttle should definetely be black. That's all i can think of right now.
Also, basically on my version of the covers, the only reason it's not all good and stuff like yours is because i'm no good at making covers. I'm glad that any covers are being made.
All right... I thought of some more games, so probably these are the ones:
- Maniac Mansion (1987)
- Zak McKracken (1988)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Loom (1990)
- The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
- Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)
- Day of the Tentacle (1993)
- Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993)
- The Dig (1995)
- Full Throttle (1995)
- The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)
- Outlaws (1997)
- Grim Fandango (1998)
- Escape from Monkey Island (2000)
Did I miss anything?
I guess it will only be the "real" adventures then (except for Outlaws, which I think still deserves to be in there). Maybe we can do a "Star Wars"-Collection too, for games like X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Rebel Assault, Dark Forces and so on...
Oh, about the back covers... Besides the section showing the original back of the box, should I add something like a bar-code and copyright stuff, to make it look more "purchased"?
Originally posted by Laserschwert
All right... I thought of some more games, so probably these are the ones:
<snip>
Did I miss anything?
I think thats all, i dont really care about all the Star Wars games :p
I guess it will only be the "real" adventures then (except for Outlaws, which I think still deserves to be in there). Maybe we can do a "Star Wars"-Collection too, for games like X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Rebel Assault, Dark Forces and so on...
Would be fine i reckon.
Oh, about the back covers... Besides the section showing the original back of the box, should I add something like a bar-code and copyright stuff, to make it look more "purchased"?
Well i kinda like it the 'plain' way it is now, however do you have an example of how you had this in mind?
Something like this:
http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/temp/mi_dvd7sammax2.jpg)
The little text says:
"LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are all registered trademarks or trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or ™ as indicated. All rights reserved."
... taken from the LucasArts website.
Oh, by the way, what I would just LOVE to have on the front cover are the original box-artworks, but without the logos... there are some manuals where a much "cleaner" artwork is used as covers... does anybody know about other such artworks of the games?
Holy macaroni. How did you do the logos for all of those? Where did you get them from?
You mean the game logos? From the boxes! There's a tool called "Magic Wand" in most graphic-apps... it's used to select an enclosed area of the same color.
Besided that, basic retouching skills. ;)
Oh right. Cool. That still looks amazing...
But I still really want LucasTones's scans...
Yeah, I want them too...
And Tones: Don't forget the BACK-covers!! :tsk:
;) :p
Originally posted by Laserschwert
Something like this:
The little text says:
"LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are all registered trademarks or trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or ™ as indicated. All rights reserved."
That doesn't look too bad, i wouldn't mind if thats in there. Not that i feel it would add alot of value either, i just don't mind :)
Oh, by the way, what I would just LOVE to have on the front cover are the original box-artworks, but without the logos... there are some manuals where a much "cleaner" artwork is used as covers... does anybody know about other such artworks of the games?
Perhaps if you could give a list of which games? I do have some originals and i just Bought MI and Maniac Mansion in original box from ebay so they might be good looking but i can't tell yet.
Originally posted by Laserschwert
Yeah, I want them too...
And Tones: Don't forget the BACK-covers!! :tsk:
;) :p
I actually have all the front covers from LucasTones i've gotten them through IRC, he has quite a fast connection ;)
I wanted to stick them online but my webspace is no longer available due to repeated DDoS (running an IRC network.. ¬¬)
Basically of all of the games (with the exception of "Sam & Max", I already used that "logo-less" image at my cover above), but first of all I guess we should wait for Tones' scans.
Adding to that, on the other hand, the images look pretty dull without the logos, since they were painted with a logo in mind, so they have a pretty empty spot where the logo should go. So, I changed my mind, and now I think the original box-fronts will do fine.
Once again I love what you've done Laserschwert but I'm not fond of the copyright and bar-code, I prefer the first version . On the whole, you're doing an amazing job! Bravo, comme on dit!
I'm very impressed with these covers.. very impressed. It would be awesome to print those off onto thick textured card to get the whole leather effect. I was about to let you all download the scans, but I encountered a hitch - Bullet-Proof FTP just expired - is there any software people can recommend to me? Also, some of the scans are still in the 30mb region, I've converted most though. And some, like the Dig, are awkward because they're so black.
Also, regarding titles - the full titles should be used on the covers - ie:
Maniac Mansion (1987)
Zak McKracken & The Alien Mindbenders (1988)
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (1989)
Loom (1990)
The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
Monkey Island 2: LeChucks' Revenge (1992)
Indiana Jones & The Fate of Atlantis (1992)
Maniac Mansion 2: Day Of The Tentacle (1993)
Sam & Max Hit The Road (1993)
Full Throttle (1994)
The Dig (1995)
The Curse of Monkey Island (1996)
Grim Fandango (1998)
Escape From Monkey Island (2001)
I think these years are the correct ones, but not definately.
Also, I should mention - I have the 2 different Full Throttle boxarts, I scanned them both. Take your pick, they're essentially the same anyway.
Serv-u is very easy to setup and run.
If you want a more 'scene like' FTPd with alot of config options and want to spend time configuring take something like ioftpd then.
smartftp has been very loyal to me.
http://www.smartftp.com)
Yeah I use Smart-ftp, but I didn't think I could serve with it?
Oh, right. Whoops.
Go with calimonk's advice.