RedLine racing cab - could use some artwork advice

[BadMouth]

I'm looking for critiques, advice, ideas to make it look better.

Starting with the MALA layout, here is what I have now:
(eventually, I plan to do sideart, instruction stickers, dash panel overlay, marquee, etc)

or


I like the bigger preview window, but don't like that it's about the same width as the car.
It looks too much like blocks placed together on the same page (which is basically what it is).
As of now, there's only one game in my gamelist that requires more length than the second one allows,
but I plan to add 360 degree wheel games at some point, so that could change.

I tried swapping the snapshot & list, but didn't like it.
I'm thinking that having the car roof in front of the snapshot frame might help.
I think I can pull that off.

I'm using paint.net and have limited skills when it comes to this stuff.
I swiped the glossy red frame off the interwebs.  I couldn't have made it myself.
Everything is on a black background because it covers up my mistakes tracing around the car. 

Which one looks more balanced?
Should the tach should be bigger?

Any thoughts from the professionals/more experienced?

[BadMouth]

Better? Too crowded? Car too big?  I've looked at it too long to know.

[smalltownguy]

WHOA. That, my friend, is a work of art. VERY nice front end layout you've got there.

Are you available for contract work? *hee hee

Love the bigger car, and the fact that you chose to overlap the frame of the preview window. It makes those two elements seem more like static parts of the layout now, rather than discreet items that require your attention. After all, it's the game list that everyone should be watching.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

I'm liking the theme a lot (doesn't hurt that I just built a racing rig myself, right?) I definitely like the newer version better.  Overlapping elements always adds a nice sense of depth.

I think you could get away with making the car even larger, and maybe even center it on the page.  I'd also layer it behind the video frame, personally.

Going along with that; right now, the tiny size of your font (especially the unselected games list) is creating a lot of negative space on the left side, making the right side look heavy.  Maybe consider increasing the font size, and reducing the number of possible games listed?

Where did you get that perforated-steel background? (to the right of the tach, behind the current selected game?) I like that a lot!

I hadn't considered how much easier it is to do a 16:9 list layout than a 4:3 one until now.  Good job so far!  Looking forward to your progress.

[BadMouth]

Are you available for contract work? *hee hee

I'm not as talented as my cut and paste layout would imply, and I have way too many projects already!  

Going along with that; right now, the tiny size of your font (especially the unselected games list) is creating a lot of negative space on the left side, making the right side look heavy.  Maybe consider increasing the font size, and reducing the number of possible games listed?

Thanks for the feedback.  That's the kind of input I was looking for.  I increased the font size slightly & reduced the space between lines.
I still have them fading to black which leads to more empty looking space, but it looks too plain otherwise.  (also tried fading from orange to red like a tach, but the orange looked out of place)  There's still some dead space next to the gamelist at the top.  I tried a putting a ferrari logo in there, but it seemed like too much.

Where did you get that perforated-steel background? (to the right of the tach, behind the current selected game?) I like that a lot!

I googled ferrari wallpaper when I started and that was one of the results.  The same guy also did other logos on different backgrounds that look awesome.
http://www.darelparker.com/dp/category/free/

Here it is as of now.  I tried a bunch of different things; giant tach only halfway on screen, selected game centered with snapshot, etc.  Ended up not far from where I started.  I'll probably only make slight changes from here on.  Maybe add a frame for the gamelist title above the video window and tweak the gamelist font some more.

EDIT: Now that I look at it next to the other one, I think I'll make the tach bigger.  
EDIT AGAIN: Replaced pic with one with bigger tach.  I'm happy with the proportion of everything now.  Time to move on to CP instruction stickers.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Yeeeeah... that's a nice adjustment!  (Really too bad we don't have proper alpha in Mala, you could extend that selected game box to overlap in front of the video a bit and have more room for text.)

Here's one little thing you might try just for texture, to break up that black space behind the gamelist: behind the "selected game" box, behind the gamelist wheel, behind the car even, but in that entire columnar area, put the "Prancing Pony" design in there -- and then make it almost transparent. Like down to 20% maybe?  I'm thinking it'll break up that black space without distracting from the gamelist (which is way more important of course.)

Just something to try if you feel like tinkering.  If not, good stuff anyway! 

[GadgetGeek]

What if you took the preview window and made it look like a side mirror?

[BadMouth]

What if you took the preview window and made it look like a side mirror?

Neat idea, but at this point I'm not making any major revisions.
It would look cool.  Hopefully someone else will do it.

I'm working on the dashboard decal above the view buttons now.  I'll post once I have something to show.
Need to squeeze coin and exit buttons in there somewhere.  There's already a punch out for a credit button behind the seat adjustment picture.
(pic from the internet, not my cp, but like mine)

For the center section around the gauges and the view button panel, I'm debating between glossy carbon fiber vinyl or doing something more custom and having it printed.
I tried scanning the vinyl so the background of the instruction sticker could match, but it won't scan right because of the gloss.
I'm yet to find any carbon fiber wallpaper online that matches (or that I like).

[BadMouth]

Seem to be spinning my wheels on the instruction card.
Fresh ideas appreciated.

Here is where the dash is now:
(everything subject to change, including button size/color/location)


Here's my WIP instruction card.  Edges aren't perfect, etc, etc.
I'm not sinking a lot of time into doing it right until I find the layout that I like.



The only part I'm happy with is the very bottom. 

The white part is transparent and will most likely be carbon fiber.
All the carbon fiber wallpapers I've found that might match fade to dark too soon on one side or the other. 
I plan to keep a wide black border around the outside so mistakes in cutting or placing the sticker aren't as noticeable.

"Credit" above what is obviously the credit button is somewhat redundant. 
The hole for the credit button is oversized for the button I'm using.
I can either center it top to bottom or push it to the bottom and have room for a label above it.

The instruction area would normally just have a description of each view.
I tried putting instructions on how to choose, start and exit a game on there, but it looked too repetitive and is self explanatory anyway.
(picture of up/down arrow TO CHOOSE GAME, picture of green button TO START GAME, picture of exit button TO EXIT GAME)
As I'm typing this, just thought of this for the instructions..... 
1. GET IN
2. SIT DOWN
3. SHUT UP
4. HANG ON!

(I think I'm really going to use that)

Is using the same font on the top part too much?
Keep or ditch the credit label above the credit button?
Put a SEGA logo on it or keep it nondescript?
Instructions necessary?




I need to work an exit button in somewhere, but not sure whether to put it here or somewhere else.

[Martijn]

View Change -> Change View 

[Malenko]

for the MaLa layout, rotate the car a bit so the license plate is flat, then put the marquees there over top of the plate. for games missing the marquee leave the regular license plate image there.

I'd also lose the Ferrari logo from the trunk area.  Not a huge fan of the font (I like the font of the license plate much more) Maybe a bit too much red, perhaps make the games not selected be in white? If I was going to nitpick, I'd say the whole gauge shouldnt be red, especially if its a tachometer, the red line should be at like 6500/7000 =)


Even if you dont heed any of my suggestions, it still looks pretty awesome and I love the cab.


Alsmot forgot! Dont ditch the instructions, thats great. Maybe "Drive Fast!" for #4

[BadMouth]

View Change -> Change View 

Hmmm.... I was just copying the wording used on the original.  I'll have to give it some thought.

for the MaLa layout, rotate the car a bit so the license plate is flat, then put the marquees there over top of the plate. for games missing the marquee leave the regular license plate image there.

I'd also lose the Ferrari logo from the trunk area.  Not a huge fan of the font (I like the font of the license plate much more) Maybe a bit too much red, perhaps make the games not selected be in white? If I was going to nitpick, I'd say the whole gauge shouldnt be red, especially if its a tachometer, the red line should be at like 6500/7000 =)

I decided to ditch the marquees after using my current layout for the past year.
A lot of the driving cabs had non-standard marquees that just don't look very good made to fit in a standard size box.
The control panel pics are even worse.  Most of them are taken at an angle.

The layout actually looks like crap on the CRT TV currently in the cab.

The current layout looks fine and the games look better than most cabs I've played in the wild.
After football season is over, I may put one of my 32" LCD TVs in the cab.
I'll rework the layout for widescreen at that point.

[BadMouth]

little more progress......


The outlines are traced over the original stickers.  I will probably shrink down the instruction box or add a logo in the corner.
Text is a little wonky around the edges from me messing with effects and filling.  When I settle on a design, I'll redo it from scratch.

Attached the original sega instructions I used for reference if anyone else needs them:
Original sticker is 6 7/8" (17.5cm) wide if you need to size them.