Street Fighter 4 Control Panel

[crj5000]

I have put together a street fighter 4 themed control panel and marquee based on this bartop cabinet, http://zonaarcade.forumcommunity.net/?t=41061036.  Attached are two options I have for the CP.  The only difference is an added picture of Ken & Ryu in the middle of the panel.  What do you guys think? 

[PL1]

Welcome aboard, Crj5000.

Sometimes the art looks perfect until you add the controls and you have a "Joynicorn" or the buttons cover their faces/mess up the look.   

You may want to add a layer (you can hide the layer for the print version) showing the button and joystick layout. Slagcoin FTW.

Print the layout(s) you like and build a test panel out of cardboard/hardboard so you can check the feel and the spacing between players.

Once you know the desired layout/spacing, you can adjust the artwork around it.   


Scott

[yotsuya]

Just a thought- You already have Ken and Ryu on the CP once. Why would you add them again?

[EMDB]

Welcome aboard, Crj5000.

Sometimes the art looks perfect until you add the controls and you have a "Joynicorn" or the buttons cover their faces/mess up the look.   

You may want to add a layer (you can hide the layer for the print version) showing the button and joystick layout. Slagcoin FTW.

Print the layout(s) you like and build a test panel out of cardboard/hardboard so you can check the feel and the spacing between players.

Once you know the desired layout/spacing, you can adjust the artwork around it.   


Scott

I wanted to answer but Scott beat me as always. You could even build an real 'test CP' to also try and practice some of the the joystick mounting ways. I'm glad I did and made the mistakes I made on my test panel so I can now create the final one based on my learnings and print template I got with my CP artwork:

 

 

[crj5000]

Sorry guys, I should have been more specific.  I already have the control panel drilled and I plan to primer this weekend.  The last thing I have to do is order the artwork.  I was lazy in not putting in the place holders for the buttons, while I was making the artwork I had horizontal lines to break up the areas of the panel and I measured where I knew the buttons would be.  Basically right above Ken and Ryu's head is where the left side of the 6 buttons will start.  I will try to post a picture of the drilled cp tonight.

Any suggestions on the background of the artwork?  I have posted another CP, only difference is the background has a slight change.

[Malenko]

I think the abstract pattern with some ink blots on it would be perfect. No need for logos and characters, then you don't really need to worry about button and stick placement.

[EMDB]

Sorry guys, I should have been more specific.  I already have the control panel drilled and I plan to primer this weekend.  The last thing I have to do is order the artwork.  I was lazy in not putting in the place holders for the buttons, while I was making the artwork I had horizontal lines to break up the areas of the panel and I measured where I knew the buttons would be.  Basically right above Ken and Ryu's head is where the left side of the 6 buttons will start.  I will try to post a picture of the drilled cp tonight.

Any suggestions on the background of the artwork?  I have posted another CP, only difference is the background has a slight change.

One important remark still stands: without drawing the controls on top of your design it is impossible to determine if it is okay....

[amendonz]

You should think about changing the header to ULTRA street fighter 4 since super will be outdated in a couple months

[crj5000]

Good idea adding the buttons, they may not be perfectly placed but close enough.  I added 1/4" to each side of this CP.  I added the buttons with the 1/4" added in, so if I printed the way it is then I would need to remove the whole 1/2" from the right side which would shift the buttons 1/4" to the left.  This would get the 1P buttons off of Ken in the middle.  The other CPs without Ken and Ryu in the middle should have an issue.

Good idea changing from "Super" to "Ultra".  I will make the swap when I get a chance.  Thanks for the comments so far.

[crj5000]

Attached is a picture of the current state of the CP.

[tech_noob]

I really like the design with Ken and Ryu side by side. As Yotsuya stated, there are quite a few of the same characters in different areas. I think it would look great if you just had Ken and Ryu in the middle like that. Also, as other users have stated, I think it's a good idea to get your cp layout chosen, and overlay it on the artwork. Otherwise, I love the marquee, and I think the background you chose fits perfectly! Great looking stuff!

[crj5000]

Thanks for the positive feedback.  Great idea with just Ken & Ryu in the center, so I tried it out.

[crj5000]

Here is the artwork with no Ken and Ryu in the center.

[crj5000]

Decided to try the artworks with plain white background.  Here are the results.

[EMDB]

You could try the one with the background and add some button surroundings like DarakuTenshi did:



or I am doing: 

[tech_noob]

crj5000: Any progress on your final choice? You just made me realize how hard it is going to be for me to do my design lol! I can't wait to see your final decision 

[crj5000]

Made an "Ultra" Marquee.  The Street Fighter IV logo in the Ultra logo does not scale down as well as it did in the super logo.  What do you guys think?

[crj5000]

Changed the background behind Ken to give a different look that is closer to the bartop.  Made two revisions to "Option 2" CP.  One just removes a few pixels in the middle, the other reduces the artwork in the background to open it up in the middle.

[shponglefan]

I like basic design and where the art has evolved to.  Sometimes less is more.  Few comments/suggestions all the same:

I'd recommend trying a design using the "splotches" at the bottom as design elements under where the buttons and joysticks would go.  This is similar in concept to button borders you see on some designs.  The reason would be to create a sense of unity between the physical buttons and the underlying artwork.

IMHO, Ryu and Ken are too close to the buttons, and it gives the layout a crowded look.   Perhaps repositioning them closer to the center?

I'm not sure about the thick black line.  It's a very dominating design element visually and somewhat overpowers the other elements.  Perhaps a softer, curved line?  There are already curves in the background elements, so something similar (maybe with the crosshatch as well) would again create a sense of unity among the design elements.