BYOAC 2004 Custom Token Design Thread.

[Santoro]

OK, here it is.  Please post ideas for the design of our soon-to-be-ordered tokens.  The guidelines from the manufacturer were as follows:

• Large, sans-serif fonts
• Line art or a few shades of gray
• Relatively simple
• .984 inches in diameter.
• ALL CAPS.  (<- added - I forgot this one at first.)

Ideas for inclusion  mentioned in the other thread include:

- Some form of PixelHugger's Atomic Mame Logo, simplified
- The Mame text logo
- Ardecontrols.com
- BYOAC
- A Joystick
- An arcade cab
- "Game Not Over"

I will submit some ideas of my own as well later.  In a few days we will take some sort of vote and see what we get.

Go to it folks.                          (and wow, my first sticky!)

[mmmPeanutButter]

best logo ever.  

[Lilwolf]

Well, you have text around the outside...   Then a picture in the middle.

Text possiblities..

1) "Chucky Cheese SUCKS"
2) "Eat me" (with a pacman image)
3) "Build Your Own Arcade"  
4) "My Arcade can beat up Your Arcade"
5) "Give me credits or give me Death"
6) "Redeem for sexual favors"  (but this depends on who you invite over to play a game of StreetFighter with)

As for images

1) Pacman
2) Joystick
3) Cabinet
4) MAME logo
5) Picture of my face (but one with my good side)... (and NOT the side I sit on!)
6) Bezerker character / sideart logo
7) 1UP


If I come up with more...

[MinerAl]

Conceptually...

(black representing raised)

[patrickl]

- I always thought mame cabs need some sort of logo resembling a recycling logo.
- A Pacman character would be nice (instant recognition as opposed to "huh ... what does MAME stand for?")
- Please not the blue MAME logo, Pixelhuggers logo would be a lot better already.

Could the rounded centre of Pixelhugger's logo be made on these tokens? Or does the few shades of gray mean it can only have a few depth levels? I'm guessing this is more something for coin minting right? I wonder how Pixel's logo would look in more or less black and white ...

[Santoro]

I'll bet they could do it.  I think if we proposed complex, multi-depth designs they'd have a problem.  I will send a email to ask.

[KevSteele]

The Pac logo is great - I think I'd like a different "slogan" however. Nothing against the BYOAC phrase, but I personally would like the artwork and text to be more "universal" - i.e., no MAME, no BYOAC...just the concept of preserving and playing arcade games:

• Arcade Games Forever
• Game is Not Over
• Resurrecting the Past
• The Games Live On
• Fun is Forever
• Keeping the Arcade Alive
• One Coin at a Time...

Kevin

[Tilzs]

you can go by a bag of "universal" tokens for a fraction of the cost on ebay. I think you pretty much have to put at least a BYOAC design on one side.

[dmsuchy]

I agree it should have BYOAC on one side and a MAME related logo, love pixelhuggers design, on the other side. By the way Pixel can you post that cool design for BYOAC logo, that kinda looked like the electrician union logo? I think this would finish the token off nicely!

[Santoro]

Not much of an artist here, but one proposal for side A

{edit: bowing in reverence to the masters, I have removed my somewhat lame-by-comparison attempt.}

[TheGatesofBill]

I still think that having one side be just the MAME logo would be good.

[Calawala]

Ok... here's my plug for a coin side:

as for the second side, I'd vote for a stylized version of the atomic MAME, if it comes out ok (unless something else pops up that's better).  As it is, the atomic mame has to many shades of colors to work well.

- Calawala

edit:  doh... let's try attaching that pict again

[AmericanDemon]

Well heres my first rendition

[DaveMMR]

I can manipulate photos a bit but I can't out and out draw, so I'll just have to describe it:

A silhouette of a man playing a cab in profile with whatever slogan strikes your fancy around the edge (Build Your Own Arcade Controls is cool with me), and the MAME atomic logo on the back, simplified.

[Pixelhugger]

By the way Pixel can you post that cool design for BYOAC logo, that kinda looked like the electrician union logo?

Obviously, I'd have to reinterpret the joystick diagram which currently comes from Happs' schematics, but that'd be necessary anyway to simplify it. If I can finish up with other BYOAC graphics commitments *pixel ducks*, I'll post a bunch of other ideas, including a simplified atomic Mame logo.

I also like the "Player One" icon idea someone tossed out.

[Santoro]

I love this, but I think the text might be too small...

Also this reminded me - I went over my notes again and I neglected to mention that the text must be ALL CAPS.   I added it to the requirements above.  

Here are some examples to get an idea of the level of complexity they can do:

http://www.tokensdirect.com/Page1.html
http://www.tokensdirect.com/OurDesigns.pdf

[Santoro]

I will put in a third vote for the player-1 guy.  I can't remember offhand which font set contained that character.

The only problem is that non-gamers might think it is the symbol for the men's room.

[bioart]

AmericanDemon,

That logo looks very cool!  I'd love to see the website address instead of the BYOAC, not everyone builds their own controls, but all of us build the cabinets somehow... the website address is a little more general. (just my 2 tokens)

Art

[Pixelhugger]

In looking at the samples of their token detail, it looks as though they are capable of pretty intricate work (like the small stars on the Playhouse token). The type on my previous post could easily be enlarged to the size of the No Cash Value on the Sports Plus token (if I remove the URL).

Here's a rough example of what the atomic logo could look like in metal relief.

[Calawala]

 

That is just so cooooool Pixel!!!

[AmericanDemon]

As much as I don't want MAME on the tokens, those look Damned good!

[Pixelhugger]

Easily revised to read BYOAC with URL etc

[mmmPeanutButter]

Personally, I like the MAME logo that pixelhugger came up with.  On an earlier one, he had the slogan "Better living through better gaming"

Change it to "better living through gaming" and put it on the other side.  I like that a lot.

[Surgeville]

Here is the token I made for my home.  Feel free to liberate any ideas from it.

Obviously Surgeville could be changed to BYOAC or MAME or whatever you want.

[MrBond]

Pixel, could you put "GAME NOT OVER" somewhere on there?  Or perhaps use it as the custom back side?

[dag2000]

I'll put in another (repeat) vote for the player one silhoutte guy on one side and pixelhugger's logo on the other.

[dag2000]

Do shades of grey translate to depth of image?  Something like black being deepest, white is highest and depth of grey equals depth of stamping.  The liberty head logo on the generic designs had that kind of detail.  Perhaps Pixelhugger's design could include the spheres!

[Pixelhugger]

I was wondering the same thing, like  z-mapping I think it's called. Or maybe the different levels were achieved using some sort of CAD or DXF file. Hmmmm

[Calawala]

Not that my design is any good... but I just had to try Pixel's nifty coin preview technique.  

[Chris]

Note that their site says that die charges may be higher for complex designs.

[Santoro]

Note that their site says that die charges may be higher for complex designs.

FWIW, That was the case for the Hoffman Mint, but Tokens Direct confirmed there was only one fee - $195. I confirmed it on the phone.

[KevSteele]

I'll put in another (repeat) vote for the player one silhoutte guy on one side and pixelhugger's logo on the other.

I like that idea as well. Perhaps the "Game Not Over" logo on the side with the player one guy?

Kevin

[patrickl]

Note that their site says that die charges may be higher for complex designs.

FWIW, That was the case for the Hoffman Mint, but Tokens Direct confirmed there was only one fee - $195. I confirmed it on the phone.

Weird that Tokens Direct still mention that on their site then.

Maybe if the design is generic enough they will accept it as a new "stock" design? Allthough then I guess you must give them the right to produce coins based on that design from then on.

[Chris]

Weird that Tokens Direct still mention that on their site then.

Maybe if the design is generic enough they will accept it as a new "stock" design? Allthough then I guess you must give them the right to produce coins based on that design from then on.

But if the design is going to be that generic, why bother?

If I were doing it, I would do a custom on the front and a stock on the back.  Surgeville's token, although custom on both sides, is an excellent example: his "NO CASH VALUE" and "GOOD AT ALL SURGEVILLE LOCATIONS" gives the token a feel of realism, and that's what many of us are trying to recreate.  Nothing screams "game room" as much as some of the stock "no cash value" designs...

Anyway, this is all irrelevant to me as I probably won't be buying them (I have quarter mechs), but I thought I'd throw it out there.  If I did, though, it'd be for Pixelhugger's revised atomic logo on the front and a generic NO CASH VALUE on the back.

--Chris

[Santoro]

I will ask again for clarity. Keep in mind, I did specify "relatively simple" in the specs.  If we don't push the limits of that I think we will be OK.

They want out of thier way to say that the die would only be for my use.  If we gave them the ability to use it again, I would want them to waive the $200 fee!

[Santoro]

as I probably won't be buying them (I have quarter mechs), but I thought I'd throw it out there.  

Did you see the links in the original thread about adusting Quarter mechs for other tokens? The concensus seems to be that it is somewhat trivial on many models.

[patrickl]

Weird that Tokens Direct still mention that on their site then.

Maybe if the design is generic enough they will accept it as a new "stock" design? Allthough then I guess you must give them the right to produce coins based on that design from then on.

But if the design is going to be that generic, why bother?

If I were doing it, I would do a custom on the front and a stock on the back.  Surgeville's token, although custom on both sides, is an excellent example: his "NO CASH VALUE" and "GOOD AT ALL SURGEVILLE LOCATIONS" gives the token a feel of realism, and that's what many of us are trying to recreate.  Nothing screams "game room" as much as some of the stock "no cash value" designs...

Anyway, this is all irrelevant to me as I probably won't be buying them (I have quarter mechs), but I thought I'd throw it out there.  If I did, though, it'd be for Pixelhugger's revised atomic logo on the front and a generic NO CASH VALUE on the back.

--Chris

I mean, they have a token with a clown, F1 car, space shuttle on it. How generic is that? Apparently they will use pretty specific images as "generic" stock designs. I guess using MAME or BYOAC won't work, but something like Pixels logo with ARCADE instead of MAME in the middle would probably be generic enough (and if you ask me be much more approptiate for us too)

Besides the plans are for 2 sides each costing $200 extra. You could also have one more generic (but still a cool design) and one with a custom name.

[Santoro]

Easily revised to read BYOAC with URL etc

What about the Atomic Logo, but instead of the word 'MAME" the logo has 'BYOAC' in the same font?  Then around the logo could be the URL and "GAME NOT OVER" or another slogan?That would get a lot of things on there that we want.

I was also thinking that we should decide as a group first whether or not we want MAME to appear in order to reduce unneccesary effort on the part of our artists.  I would hate to start yet another thread, but we could do a poll......  Thoughts?

[Chris]

You know, with the URL on it, these tokens ame an INCREDIBLE calling card for the site!  When you talk to someone who shows an interest, hand 'em a token...

[patrickl]

I was also thinking that we should decide as a group first whether or not we want MAME to appear in order to reduce unneccesary effort on the part of our artists.  I would hate to start yet another thread, but we could do a poll......  Thoughts?

I was thinking the exact same thing ...