Emulator Marquee

[jpac716]

This is my first try at a maquee let me now if it's good or how to fix it.
Also since this is my first post I would like to say thanks for the wealth of information on this site.

[matsadona]

First, printing marquees with today’s printers doesn’t get the same result as the old screened marquees.
What looks good on the monitor will also be totally different when printed and with backlighting.
So a fantastic windows wallpaper in HD would probably look awful as a marquee.

There is a good reason (not just limited printing methods back in the days) that the old classic marquees were very minimalistic with just a few (primary) colors and simple figures. They simply look better when backlighted.

Good looks is always in the eye of the beholder, but to give you some critics from my point of view my first reaction is that you do the same mistake as many “first mame’rs” – I.e. going “all in” with everything videogame related that you could ever think of.
Try to figure out and decide for a specific theme, rather than having it all  that only gets blurry. The marquees are supposed to be catchy and attract people – not an encyclopedia of videogame history.
My suggestion would be that you copy any font of the classic gaming systems and use it to write you logo “Comer’s galaxy arcade” with some very basic colors that are easy to print and that would look good when lighted. And of course, have a theme that goes with the sidearts and cpo etc.

There are many good examples that you could have as a starter, but I think our friend in Denmark really did catch the essence in several of his builds: http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/

[jpac716]

Thanks for the advice the only reason I put all the different logos is because the cabinet will have all of these systems built in to it, I will look into doing a more simplistic and eye catching design though.

Ps the image is saved as a 300 dpi tiff which was too large too upload to the site.

Pps Do you think a different color font would help the "Comer's Galaxy Arcade" look nicer or is it better to have it blend in.

[Ginsu Victim]

Way too cluttered. You should be able to see it from across the room and know what it is. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

[SavannahLion]

Way too cluttered. You should be able to see it from across the room and know what it is. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

In this case, I think this is the absolute best advice you're going to find. Pick a handful of colors and stick with that. While this kind of advice is perfectly valid for anyone you're a special case.

I write this in the sincerest way possible and I mean absolutely no ill will towards your design.

I don't know where the name Comer came from (I don't actually care) but with the tiny pixel version on my screen, my initial read came out X-rated. Wasn't until I took a closer look that I noticed it was Comer. Of course, it is 1:20 AM so.... Imagine what someone might see across a room. You want that title to POP making no mistake that it's "Comer's Galaxy".

Second part. I would drop the "arcade". It would allow more room for the rest of the title and well.... anyone who has ever seen an arcade will instantly recognize your cab as an arcade cab and not a curio. If your friends don't recognize it as an arcade cab, you need new friends, I can't help you there.

[matsadona]

"...the only reason I put all the different logos is because the cabinet will have all of these systems built in to it..."blend in.

If you want to showcase all the systems in it, do that in the frontend, not at the marquee. If you go with Hyperspin it could look something like this:

[jpac716]

Thanks guys for the comments and criticism. I will get rid of the logos, also what color should I change the font to.