*FRONT* Side Design Thread - 2005 BYOAC Tokens

[Santoro]

Here we go!

This thread is for the detailed design discussions and proposals regarding the front (obverse) side of the 2005 BYOAC tokens.

[Shape D.]

just to check are they letting you use the mame logo for this? I know its trademarked but just figured I'd make sure.

[Santoro]

No, I wouldn't assume that.  Nicola hasn't replied back yet to my request for permission since the TM was issued.

[Troz]

I guess I'll get the ball rolling here.  I'm drafting the design in Photoshop since I'm more comfortable in it and will vectorize it once I have my final design.  The text is very rough as is the image.  Was just hoping to get some feedback on the design concept as well as if it should be "The Year of the Cocktail" 

OR

[Flinkly]

hilarious...year of the cocktail.  kind of like a chineese thing (year of the *insert appropriate animal here*).  the background needs something, like being rough, otherwise it's too bare.  i like the level of detail though.  i'm also not sure about having three cocktails.  seems a bit much in that respect.  maybe one at an angle, or at most two.  but if your a design person, you know that you want odd numbers of things, so one is what it should be.

also, this is just my opinion... (i'm afraid someone might take offense to my critisizm)

[Troz]

Critisizm is good, no offense taken.  I expected my labeling it the year of the cocktail wouldn't be taken well, which is fine with me.  How about this?



The grey area on the second would be a stipple.  I didn't know if posting an image with the stipple (using the Photoshop Texturize filter) would be considered 'blinged' or not.

Something is still missing from it though, maybe at the very top.

[Chris]

Critisizm is good, no offense taken.

[DrewKaree]

what are you playing on that cocktail that requires no buttons or joysticks?

I like that design, and the single machine DEFINITELY looks sharper than the trio, PLUS, like Chris said, it "stands out"....almost 3D.  Excellent start!

"the year of ____ " is a nice idea, but departs stylistically from the previoius year's token and just feels a tad "off" for a token.

Oh, and it's criticism....wait....

[Troz]

what are you playing on that cocktail that requires no buttons or joysticks?

I guess I should add some controls since this is a token about arcade controls 

Oh, and it's criticism....wait....

I fell to one of my own pet peeves... Must... press... Spell Check... Must...

Nice start! It'll need to be tweaked, as some of the details may be too small to render. (Render it at an inch across on your screen and you'll see what I mean.) I like the way the art pops out at you, though.

I think the Photoshop version is what was killing some of the detail when shrinking it down to that size.


I spent some time vectorizing my design for a cleaner image and moved the location of the table as suggested by my wife.

[Santoro]

Looks good Troz!!

I agree with the comments that I should issue some guidelines about textual content so that we know front from the back (or obverse from reverse.)

I propose that we stick to "Build Your Own Arcade Controls" and the www.arcadecontrols.com URL on the front because BYOAC is the whole point of the tokens.

[RayB]

Question: If the black parts are "raised", and the white parts are not, then what is the grey in that design? Half-raised?

[Flinkly]

Question: If the black parts are "raised", and the white parts are not, then what is the grey in that design? Half-raised?

stipple...it's a textured area.

as for the coin, you need some circles or dashes, like on last years coin to make it a bit more busy...you had stars before and lost them in vectorization, but i'd replace them with the pixelated dots, like the mame tokens.

[Santoro]

Grey is meant to be half-height features.  Anyone have any suggestions for a better way to portray stippling?

[Pixelhugger]

We used pale yellow for the stippled areas on the files for the mint.

[Flinkly]

pale yellow?  i kinda like the B&W look of the submissions.  you could make it a bunch of black dots...but that probably wouldn't portray the picture well.  i guess as long as we use our imaginations.   

[Pixelhugger]

Hrm... yeah, the yellow might be a distraction. Bad idea. I guess the artist could use grey and indicate in the description which grey is stipple and which is half height.

I've been thinking that maybe once all submissions are in... if there aren't too many and if I have time, I could bling them all equally for a better example for voting. That would only be possible if there aren't a ton of entries... and if I can get a day to do so. If someone else has better bling skills, I'd pass the torch gladly.  I just think it has to be one person to keep the look absolutely consistent.

[ChadTower]

Is that machine centered on the coin?  Looks off to me on the Y axis.

[AlanS17]

Is that machine centered on the coin?

[ChadTower]

It's distracting and covers the words.  I say tuck it under the outer layer.

[missioncontrol]

I like it.....

perhaps you could add the circles like on the front of the mame token

[DrewKaree]

Use two different shades of gray.

10% to denote stippling

50% to denote half height between white and black

Troz, the screen itself on your cocktail design would have to be sunken in somehow....right now, going by the guidelines, the monitor screen would be the same height as the top of the cocktail table. 

I know it's just because of the colors in B/W, but just pointing it out.  If you see what I'm talking about, mebbe test it out with a black monitor and see how it looks.

[Troz]

Changed things around to properly identify the various height levels (white=lowest, grey=middle, black=highest) and I came up with this.  I agree with you DrewKaree that the monitor needs to look sunken in and I think it does like this.  I'm trying two versions here, one with dots and the other with the circles like the MAME token.  Once I put the dots/circles in there really wasn't any other place for the year other than on the monitor.

I thought the three-dimensional look of the MAME token looked great which is why I have the cocktail hanging over the edges here.

The light grey (10% as suggested) is meant to be stipple.



My personal preference is the dots.

[Flinkly]

just me...but i think those stars in the outer ring should be pixelated dots like on the mame token.  i loved the look of those and stars don't really fit with BYOAC, although i know that regular tokens use stars.

also, i personally like the rings in the background better than the dots, because it breaks up the blank space behind the cab, but it might be too busy.  i still say keep it though, and i love that you stuck the date on the screen.  good thinking.

[AmericanDemon]

Heh.  Thats cool.    I'd buy that.

[ChadTower]

Honestly, either stipple it or leave it blank.  Just because you HAVE some space doesn't mean you have to stick stuff in it.  Simplicity is a good design.

[missioncontrol]

I'm liking the rings.........

they will mix well with my mame tokens...........

[JoyMonkey]

Oh great. I really wasn't going to buy the 2005 tokens, but if they're going to have a cocktail cabinet on them then I feel I need them. You ---daisies---. 

[Troz]

just me...but i think those stars in the outer ring should be pixelated dots like on the mame token.  i loved the look of those and stars don't really fit with BYOAC, although i know that regular tokens use stars.

I agree as well.  The dots do look better...

Honestly, either stipple it or leave it blank. Just because you HAVE some space doesn't mean you have to stick stuff in it. Simplicity is a good design.

I think the stipple might look nice on the version with the dots, but it has to go on the circle design which looks to be the preferred design.

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone!  I think I'm nearing my final design, if this one isn't it already...

[ChadTower]

Actually, I meant stipple INSTEAD of dots or circles, not in addition to dots or circles.

[Troz]

Ah, gotcha.

I think the circles would match this token up nicely with the MAME token.  The back side can always be a simpler, less busy design.

[monkeybomb]

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone!  I think I'm nearing my final design, if this one isn't it already...

I really think you developed this well.  And Ithink this is the best version.  I hate cocktails, but I'd love to have these coins.  Great job!

[phildo77]

I like the artwork but I vote against a cocktail design and for a standup.   *DUCKS*

[IntruderAlert]

I like the artwork but I vote against a cocktail design and for a standup.   *DUCKS*

...well.. there ARE two sides you know

[tetsujin]

I love the idea of putting a cocktail machine on there, and I think my girlfriend will feel the same!

I'm not liking the concentric circles - it just seems too busy.  The whole cocktail is illustrated as lines, adding more lines seems like trouble.  Stick to the stippling.  Stippled areas accumulate the most grime on the token, so they'll come out nice and dark in the end.

I'd like to maybe try a variation of this...  Personally I like iconic designs, like the player 1 guy on the 2004 BYOAC tokens - I think illustrating the machine in that kind of style, using raised areas rather than raised lines, would be better...  I'll see what I can come up with.

(You think the cocktail machine should have a cocktail on it?)

[phildo77]

(You think the cocktail machine should have a cocktail on it?)

YES!    I also think there should be two guys at the table.  One has his head down with his fist on the table and the other guy standing up with his arms in the air.... WINNER!

And I also think that the concentric circles are a bit busy.

[ChadTower]

I think the circles would match this token up nicely with the MAME token.

Does it have to do that?  Seems to me, different designs would be better than a bunch of tokens that all look similar.

[Santoro]

If they are too similar some folks probably wouldn't buy because of that.

[Pixelhugger]

Seems to me, different designs would be better than a bunch of tokens that all look similar.

Exactly. I don't think there is any value in tying the BYOAC token to the Mame token.

FWIW, the stippling does a much better job at giving the design depth and interest than the rings IMOHO. I like the rings on the Mame token, but I don't know that I'd repeat it. Any thoughts from others who have both? (the stippled BYOAC token and the ringed Mame token)

[IntruderAlert]

I like the artwork but I vote against a cocktail design and for a standup.   *DUCKS*

...well.. there ARE two sides you know

what i meant to say was
how about the same design on the other side but with a full size cab

[Troz]

I'm easily convinced, thus the rings have been replaced with stippling.  My wife agrees that it looks better without the rings.

Should I go back and edit the prior posts to remove the various designs so this post doesn't get bogged down with images?