CPO Suggestions Wanted, Not Layout But Art

[NinjaEpisode]

I know, I know, it's been done before.  That's fine, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so to those who have gone before me, consider this my homage to you!

I need some suggestions though.  I'm posting this in artwork because I need suggestions on artwork, not CP layout.  It has become pretty evident by all the different CPs that the layout becomes a matter of personal preference.

That being said, below is the CPO with the controls laid out to help you get an idea of where everything is going to sit (Disregard Button Colors, these will change):


What I'm struggling with is what to do around the controls themselves.  Do I leave it clean, no outline, no directionals, no words?  Or do I make an attempt to do something like now infamous Motorfish CPO?

Hey Motorfish?  Willing to share your icons with us?

Below is the CPO without the controls.  The above picture with the red outline shows the shaped of the CP and CPO when built.


Suggestions are welcome folks, so give it your all.

[Chemixtry]

I say leave it clean. Outlines or arrows would take from the cool flames. Your control panel rocks!

[Witchboard]

If you're going to have your player 3 & 4 joys angled, I would suggest maybe joy arrows to cut down on the confusion of how they are orientated.  You could make them small so they wouldn't be a focus of your artwork.

[NinjaEpisode]

I thought of that, just haven't found any joy arrows that would look appropriate.

[neuromancer]

I thought of that, just haven't found any joy arrows that would look appropriate.

Being a design minimalist, I might suggest something like this, but inverted at 50% transparency:

The transparent white arrow would lighten up the flames, while the 50% black text would show up against them. 50% might not be the exact transp. and you would want a solid area of flame under the arrow for best effect, or at least under the text.

Bob