Help With Improving My Marquee

[shateredsoul]

Any advice on improving my marquee? Yes it's mostly console based, but that's on purpose =) (get a load of rpg corner... yeah).  So it's a bit cluttered, advice on improving the look?

[shateredsoul]

made some changes
 

[Funnel]

That looks awesome

[javeryh]

Don't take this the wrong way but I'd rethink the entire thing.  I can't think of anything I like less than the generic MAME logo or character clip art and you are using both!  IMO, the best cabinets are the ones that have their own unique name/theme.  Instead of looking slapped together they look like "real" cabinets.  Check out Mission Control, ARTIFACT, deep 6 or the Street Fighter Arcade to name a few and you will see what I mean.  

[RobbyMac]

I don't think it's too bad. Don't be afraid to crop some of those characters by moving them toward/off the edge of the marquee.
noone has to see the entire body of sonic to know it's him. So if you move him down so only the top half of him is showing, you can then see a little more of the mame logo and it's not as cluttered. Try this with alot of the characters to create some more room, and overlap the mame logo in areas where it doesnt make the logo so difficult to see/read.

[Ginsu Victim]

Best advice is to listen to what javeryh said.

[DashRendar]

Don't take this the wrong way but I'd rethink the entire thing.  I can't think of anything I like less than the generic MAME logo or character clip art and you are using both!  IMO, the best cabinets are the ones that have their own unique name/theme.  Instead of looking slapped together they look like "real" cabinets.  Check out Mission Control, ARTIFACT, deep 6 or the Street Fighter Arcade to name a few and you will see what I mean.  

+2

[shateredsoul]

Definitely good advice, but what if my goal is not to make it look like a real arcade? I agree with the suggestion about removing the mame logo, but I can't think of a better name... I really don't want to use something like "super arcade" or "the back in time machine" dunno.. I would like a spot wher I could have something like this (lots of characters that I link to my experiences with gaming).  Maybe I can do that on the side art or the control panel?

[shateredsoul]

Oh and by the by, I don't want it to look like it has one game ... since it has more than one game on it. So I wouldn't want to sue reprints of older marquees.  Hmm maybe street fighter II but other than that I'm not sure.

I think the only arcade I have seen that was not made with reprinted art and had a good theme was the space invader one that delusional had in one of his video.. and I like the clip art  , Maybe if I fill up the background and make it extra cluttered with no black space, then put mame on top of all the characters.

hmm

[SavannahLion]

Don't take this the wrong way but I'd rethink the entire thing.  I can't think of anything I like less than the generic MAME logo or character clip art and you are using both!  IMO, the best cabinets are the ones that have their own unique name/theme.  Instead of looking slapped together they look like "real" cabinets.  Check out Mission Control, ARTIFACT, deep 6 or the Street Fighter Arcade to name a few and you will see what I mean.  

+3

Definitely good advice, but what if my goal is not to make it look like a real arcade? I agree with the suggestion about removing the mame logo, but I can't think of a better name... I really don't want to use something like "super arcade" or "the back in time machine" dunno.. I would like a spot wher I could have something like this (lots of characters that I link to my experiences with gaming).  Maybe I can do that on the side art or the control panel?

That's kind of the point we're making. Every one of those Marquee examples by javeryh follow the K.I.S.S. principle down to T.

[shateredsoul]

Hmm, so let's say I did want to use clip art, where could it go?

If I put it in the Marquee would you suggest limiting it down to one or two characters and spend the rest of the time on making an "arcade like" logo? That's not make

and just for fun, bet you'll love this one, another rendition of my original goal..to stuff as many characters while still not having it look as cheesy as other marquees.  Mission failed, but oh well I can't say I hate this as much as the other marquees I've seen but maybe that's because they have the characters I like... Maybe I can do one with just the system controllers? nes, snes, genesis,...
 

Don't take this the wrong way but I'd rethink the entire thing.  I can't think of anything I like less than the generic MAME logo or character clip art and you are using both!  IMO, the best cabinets are the ones that have their own unique name/theme.  Instead of looking slapped together they look like "real" cabinets.  Check out Mission Control, ARTIFACT, deep 6 or the Street Fighter Arcade to name a few and you will see what I mean.  

+3

Definitely good advice, but what if my goal is not to make it look like a real arcade? I agree with the suggestion about removing the mame logo, but I can't think of a better name... I really don't want to use something like "super arcade" or "the back in time machine" dunno.. I would like a spot wher I could have something like this (lots of characters that I link to my experiences with gaming).  Maybe I can do that on the side art or the control panel?

That's kind of the point we're making. Every one of those Marquee examples by javeryh follow the K.I.S.S. principle down to T.

[DashRendar]

Ultimately, it's YOUR cab, not ours- so if it's something that YOU like, then that's the right choice for you. 

As far as other places to put your clip art, besides the marquee you could put them on the side art, on the bezel, or the control panel overlay.  Or you could put framed posters on the walls with the characters you like to decorate AROUND the cab, without putting it all over the cab.

[RobbyMac]

Ultimately, it's YOUR cab, not ours- so if it's something that YOU like, then that's the right choice for you. 

Aye. Most likely noone form here is coming over to play your arcade.
Which is why I gave you ideas on how to improve on your original design rather than tell you to do something else.

[shateredsoul]

What!? I thought after you build one.. they will come.  I guess the voice was wrong.

So, my continuing playing with the marquee has resulted in this monstrosity! =D


You know, I do feel having a cheesy marquee is a right of passage, I noticed many of peoples first cabs have em, even if it's a paper printout

[V3rtigo]

if it was mine, i'd dump the logo and just fill it with characters, ordered by timeline. older characters at the left, progressing to newer stuff. don't be scared to include pixelated 8-bit art in there.

[Ginsu Victim]

if it was mine, i'd dump the logo and just fill it with characters, ordered by timeline. older characters at the left, progressing to newer stuff. don't be scared to include pixelated 8-bit art in there.

This is what all new members think they should do.

[V3rtigo]

if it was mine, i'd dump the logo and just fill it with characters, ordered by timeline. older characters at the left, progressing to newer stuff. don't be scared to include pixelated 8-bit art in there.

This is what all new members think they should do.

thanks for the warm welcome. i guess new members can't have opinions here.

[shateredsoul]

Hey Vertigo,

don't mind him.. I think he's just pointing out the fact that lots of us when we get started want to stuff as many characters as we can into our art.  That's what I'm doing and I'm perfectly  comfortable with that for my first cabinet. I sorta like the logo, or at least feel it should have some sort of logo.  I'm printing two marquees for cheap as a test of how they will actually look (10 each).

I like the timeline idea, but honestly I'm probably not going to go play around with Marquees for a while.  I was doing it more for fun, so I'll probably go back to that when I have the cab (I'm working mostly on setting up the comp and a control panel). I don't really want pixel stuff in there though.

Do you have an example of how the timeline looks? I mean, have you done one? Maybe if I focused on one character that would be cool (like mario)

Thanks for the idea!

if it was mine, i'd dump the logo and just fill it with characters, ordered by timeline. older characters at the left, progressing to newer stuff. don't be scared to include pixelated 8-bit art in there.

This is what all new members think they should do.

thanks for the warm welcome. i guess new members can't have opinions here.

[Ginsu Victim]

if it was mine, i'd dump the logo and just fill it with characters, ordered by timeline. older characters at the left, progressing to newer stuff. don't be scared to include pixelated 8-bit art in there.

This is what all new members think they should do.

thanks for the warm welcome. i guess new members can't have opinions here.

It was a joke because it's exactly what I wanted to do at first, and have seen many other new people think the same way. It was nothing personal (well, kinda personal, considering I was mostly making fun of myself).  

[V3rtigo]

Do you have an example of how the timeline looks? I mean, have you done one? Maybe if I focused on one character that would be cool (like mario)

I didn't use it, just made a mockup:


I made a six-window of my 6 favorite games (with custom art), and then made a custom CP for one of my machines. I went all black on another, no graphics anywhere. My third, i did a full resto on the cabinet.

[shateredsoul]

Nice! I think if I did that though I'd have to choose to go either with in game shots (which would require cutting out the characters) or all drawings.  It would be nice to have one with all in game graphics (so no cgi art).

How does your all black one look?

[javeryh]

You could hack this up if you just wanted a Mario theme:

[shateredsoul]

Nice!  .. I wish they hadn't but that water pack on him on the gamecube though... what where they thinking.

[Ginsu Victim]

Not quite the same, but I would love to make this with perler beads and put it on my arcade wall.
http://blog.lostmitten.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/mariostitchnes.png

[V3rtigo]

How does your all black one look?

I like it. It's probably not for most people though.