"The Reactivator" Marquee Ideas *added CPO*

[bfauska]

I have recently come up with the name "The Reactivator" for my cabinet and am toying around with some marquee ideas.  I came up with the name when I decided I didn't want to use resurrection so I typed that into a thesaurus and got reactivate.  The word sounds very 80's/90's to me so it seemed perfect for my cabinet.  I like the idea of old forgotten/dead game machines being reactivated by my cabinet.  I have come up with one image already, the background is some circuitry with semi transparent rust layered over it and then within the words the circuitry is clear and new looking.  I would like to expand on this idea some and/or clean it up, but I am also open to totally different ideas.  One other idea I like is the idea of a monitor springing back to life and the title of the cabinet being the first thing it displays.  I picture it like the flat glowing line seen on a misbehaving monitor with maybe a glowing spot in the middle and the text glowing in front of that.  I suppose the line is more like a monitor dying, but I still think it may look cool.



Any ideas or suggestions?

The pic below is the glowing line I was talking about.

[Veinman]

I like what you have. The V looks like a Y to me though.

[bfauska]

Here's another idea I've had, I am still playing with it to see if I can fine tune it.  I may add some sort of faint background and change the font.




Opinions?

[somunny]

So, you're changing the name of your project?

The newest revision's font is somewhat difficult to read and the background could use some jazzing up.  I thought the background of the first marquee was very interesting.

[Zero_Hour]

I definitely liked the vibe of the first one.

[bfauska]

The name wasn't supposed to change, I was working on the project late last night, mostly trying to see if I could get the glowing line effect to even work in Inkscape.  I got the line to work then threw some text over it really quick, I didn't even notice I had typed a different word until I posted it in my project announcement thread, but by then I was headed out the door to go visit some friends.

I liked the original too, but thought maybe it was too busy and not arcade like enough.  I like the idea of this one and hope to figure out a way to add some interest w/o making it too busy.  I do find this font a little tough to read and am looking at a few others.  That is actually why I messed up the name I think, I was looking at dafont.com until about 3am last night before I put the words in front of the glowing line.

Thanks for the input, I'll try to keep posting any changes or other ideas.  I also have a friend who's a graphic designer and I may see if he wants to take a stab at something, but I do like to do things myself so we'll see if I ask or not.

[bfauska]

Well, it's probably even harder to read now, but here's the latest with the correct name.  I may try to find a simpler font to do this version with, I like the kind of broken-up electrical style of the font, but now that I am doing the electrical style glow around the font maybe I could go with something more legible.  I could still go back towards the original I suppose.  I may even use a high res photo of the arcade board that came in my latest cabinet as a background somehow.

Anyway, here it is.  Opinions?

[superbigjay]

Hello bfauska,

I like your last trial, but the text is a bit too hard too read.

idea for the background:
maybe you could use a glowing inverted flat line (flat then start to have an heartbeat)...

Jay

[bfauska]

I'll have to give the flat line idea a try.  The heartbeat shape is fairly 80's after all.

[superbigjay]

bfauska, any progress on that artwork?
Jay

[bfauska]

And finally an update with the reverse flatline.

I am not sure if there is enough color in this, but there are so many color combinations I like to avoid and this seems clean.  I'm open to color suggestions as well as font, but each time I look at this it grows on me a bit.

What'd'ya think?

[superbigjay]

I say it's a GO!!!

Simple, yet effective...

And I love the subtitle...

Jay

[bfauska]

I printed this out and tried it today, other than the fact that the light bleeds through the paper a little too much, I don't think it has enough color.  I was trying to make it look like maybe it was on a monochrome display, but I think I'd rather have some more punch.  I also found the LCD font too boring in that size.  The glow that I built into the graphic around the text was overwhelming too.

Here's some more color and font ideas, mostly I'm posting it so I can look at it ocasionally during the day at work tomorrow.  I will probably update the font on the subtitle to go with the title font, but I'm not sure. 

[Chris]

On Bulworth, what if you filled in the "void" areas in the letters with a lighter shade of blue?

[bfauska]

On Bulworth, what if you filled in the "void" areas in the letters with a lighter shade of blue?

The potential of filling it is actually the thing I like best about that one.  I think it would look nice.  The reason I haven't yet is that there was no quick way to do it in inkscape.  It actually is "filled right now, the parts that the text considers voids are the blue.  I don't have an outline turned on.  I may have to do that part in a raster based graphics program and at that size with at least 200dpi I'm holding off until I can visualize it a little better, it's going to tax my computer to play with that file in a raster and I am not patient enough for that.

One thing that filling that text would do and I am interested in exploring is that it would make the text look separate from the rest of the graphic.  Right now it looks like the text is supposed to be on the EKG screen, so I feel constrained about how it should look, if I can make it separate then I can make the text more like a logo or title graphic.

[superbigjay]

Hello Bfauska,

here's an example with the filled text...

Jay 

[bfauska]

Thanks Jay,

I have done some with different filled texts, I was specifically considering doing the Bullworth font filled, but haven't gotten around to it.  Nice choice on the EKG image, if you google image searched for it that's the exact one I used to trace into vector for mine, I got rid of the glowing dot at the end, but seeing it on there actually looks nice, I may add it back in.  I'll probably do a few mods tonight while I stay up way too late again. 

[bfauska]

Newest version.

I definitely like this one the best so far, I'm just not sure what else it needs, I don't feel like it's done, I just feel like it's better.

[leapinlew]

And finally an update with the reverse flatline.

I am not sure if there is enough color in this, but there are so many color combinations I like to avoid and this seems clean.  I'm open to color suggestions as well as font, but each time I look at this it grows on me a bit.

What'd'ya think?

My favorite one.

[bfauska]

Your favorite is the first reverse flatline version or one of the ones since then?

[leapinlew]

Your favorite is the first reverse flatline version or one of the ones since then?

It'll print well, and display well backlit. To me, simpler is better. People will be reading this from 10+ feet away. It's easy to lose perspective sometimes when your working 18" from a monitor.

[bfauska]

It was after doing a full size print of that one that I stopped liking it.  I think I'm going to do a full size print of whatever I think I've decided on before paying for a print, because I agree with you about the appearance being different that what you see on the screen, I just didn't think the plain one had enough visual interest.  Thank you for weighing in though.

[bfauska]

Update, addressing some suggestions from the project thread.

[WunderCade]

Now this is interesting. I have the same overall opinion as you do BF. I looks nice but it just doesn't have that umpff.

I think the motto is too. um...slogany, like you trying to sell a service or something.

I do like the font and colors....but on the beat line...perhaps you could have the peeks above "flatline" be one color and the peeks below it be another color, with a cross fade at the flatline.

Have you ever used Tivo's interface screen? Notice the slight smoke that sort of wafts in the background. Your logo seems like it would benefit from some sort of background like that. of course it would be static, but the black background I think is a little too stark and leaves a pronounced void. Perhaps a faded/spirit background of an arcade scene with the classics present?

Just some cheesy suggestions to ponder. Good concept though.
I like it.

[bfauska]

Thanks for the comments Wunder.  I think it's getting closer, and I have considered some modifications to the background, I'm worried though that it may become too busy.  I think I like the tagline because most of my friends and any other company that see the machine will probably not get what the name is about otherwise.

I love the Tivo background, I love practically everything about my Tivo.  I really want to do an animated background like that when I build an HTPC. 

[bfauska]

Every time I look at the latest marquee design I like it more and more.  So, I've done up the first try at a CPO to go with it.  I am sure that the visual flow and/or balance will need some tuning, but the easiest way to find out is to post it for some input. 

The layout is fairly basic and you can probably guess what most of the stuff is.  Across the top is P1 start, 3 admin (may cut down to 2), & P2 start.  In the center is a TB, I am trying to figure a way to do a TB/spinner swappable panel in the center, but I'm starting with the TB.


Here it is: