Unit 17 - Graphic Design

Top Tips To Creating A

Successful App Icon

Illustrate your product through images - icon should be able, to some extent portray what the game is.

Make the icon look aesthetically pleasing - good artwork and good design may make consumers click on your game to find out more.

Tailor design to your target audience - for example if your game is targeted at kids, make it colourful and enticing, if it is an intelligent puzzle game it should look more sophisticated.

Include the players character - if there is a central character, they should be centralised on the icon to inform players about what kind of game they are playing.

Keep it simple as possible - a busy icon looks cheap and consumer will instantly connect that to the quality of the game.

ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA ENJOYS POPULAR GAMING APPS

ALSO ENJOYS PUZZLE AND INDIE GAMES

PHOTO EDITING APP - WILL PAY MONEY FOR GOOD LOOKS

INTERESTED IN FILM

AS WELL AS POPULAR GAMES ALSO LIKES NICE

LOOKING, LESS WELL KNOWN GAMES

TITLE AS TEXT LANGUAGE AS IMAGE

GAMEPLAY/SCREENSHOT

ABSTRACT/ICONIC

CHARACTER/ACTION

SYMBOLIC/THEMATIC

LANGUAGE AS IMAGE

TITLE AS IMAGE

APP RATING

9+DRUGS:THERE IS NO DRUG USE.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR: POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR - CHARACTER JUMPS OVER WALLS AND TRAFFIC ON A SKATEBOARD, HOWEVER IS PORTRAYED IN AN UNREALISTIC FASHION.

LANGUAGE: THERE IS NO BAD LANGUAGE.

NUDITY: THERE IS NO NUDITY

SEX: THRE IS NO SEX OR SEXUAL REFERENCES.

THREAT: INTENSE, PROLONGED SITUATION CHARACTER/PLAYER IS IN - JUMPING CONTINUOUSLY AT THE RIGHT TIME TO AVOID TRAFFIC/WALLS

FOR MY FIRST DESIGN I HAVE MADE USE OF THE COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS GREEN AND RED/PINK. THE USE OF OPPOSITES CREATE AN EYE CATCHING EFFECT. THE BACKGROUND PINK USES THE WEB COLOUR FF6666.

IN MY SECOND DESIGN I HAVE EXPANDED ON THE FIRST BY ADDING ANALOGUES COLOURS, THAT IS, 3 COLOURS THAT ARE SIDE BY SIDE ON THE COLOUR WHEEL. THIS CREATES A COLOUR SCHEME AND IN MY CASE MORE OF A RAINBOW EFFECT THAT PARALLELS THE COLOURFUL DESIGN OF THE GAME.

HERE ARE 2 OTHER MORE SIMPLE VERSIONS

I CHOSE THIS DESIGN AS AN ALTERNATIVE AS I FOUND ONCE IT WAS MINIMISED TO THE SIZE OF AN ICON YOU WOULD SEE ON YOUR PHONE, IT WAS LESS CONFUSING THAN THE BACKGROUND USED IN THE FIRST.

3 DESIGN PRODUCTS -INDIRECT

MY 2 INITIAL IDEAS

APP ICON

TITLE AS IMAGE

LANGUAGE AS IMAGE

FEEDBACK RECEIVED FOR BOTH IDEAS

FROM THIS I DECIDED TO EXPAND ON THE LANGUAGE AS IMAGE LOGO IDEA AS I AND OTHERS BELIEVED IT

GAVE THE MOST INFORMATION ABOUT OUR GAME

EXPANDING ON DESIGN IDEA

FROM THE FEEDBACK I CREATED A BLACK AND WHITE MOCKUP THAT I ENSURED FOLLOWED THE APP STORE

GUIDELINES OF DESIGNING AN ICON

FOR MY FIRST DESIGN I HAVE MADE USE OF THE COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS GREEN AND RED/PINK. THE USE OF OPPOSITES CREATE AN EYE CATCHING EFFECT. THE BACKGROUND PINK USES THE WEB COLOUR FF6666.

IN MY SECOND DESIGN I HAVE EXPANDED ON THE FIRST BY ADDING ANALOGUES COLOURS, THAT IS, 3 COLOURS THAT ARE SIDE BY SIDE ON THE COLOUR WHEEL. THIS CREATES A COLOUR SCHEME AND IN MY CASE MORE OF A RAINBOW EFFECT THAT PARALLELS THE COLOURFUL DESIGN OF THE GAME.

HERE ARE 2 OTHER MORE SIMPLE VERSIONS

I CHOSE THIS DESIGN AS AN ALTERNATIVE AS I FOUND ONCE IT WAS MINIMISED TO THE SIZE OF AN ICON YOU WOULD SEE ON YOUR PHONE, IT WAS LESS CONFUSING THAN THE BACKGROUND USED IN THE FIRST.

FURTHER FEEDBACK ON FINAL DESIGN

REDRAFT OF DESIGN WITH Background colour changed to a hotter pink, outline

added to buildings.

3 DESIGN PRODUCTS - PROMOTION

T SHIRTS

FIRST I STARTED OUT TRYING TO FIND A FITTING FONT. I KNEW I WANTED A GRAFFITI/HANDWRITING STYLE THAT I THEN WANTED TO USE AS A MASK TO A COLOURFUL IMAGE.

HERES ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT I HAND IN MIND

EVENTUALLY I SETTLED ON ‘COLOURS OF AUTUMN’, A FONT I FOUND BROWSING THROUGH RETRO STYLES ON DAFONT.COM

SOME PICTURES I TOOK AND MANIPULATED TO THE STYLE THAT I WANTED.

THIS ACTED AS A MOOD BOARD FOR THE STYLES I WANTED TO EXPLORE IN THE DESIGN PRODUCTS. BUT I ENDED UP USING THIS IMAGES AS THE MASKED IMAGE ON THE TEXT

FINISHED DESIGN DISPLAYED ON A T SHIRT

REDRAFT OF FINAL DESIGN

3 DESIGN PRODUCTS - DIRECTWEB BANNERS

ORIGINAL POSTER I USED FOR BANNER

1ST BANNER 2ND BANNER