DVD Cover Experiment - Into The Darkness

[GarryP]

Here's another DVD cover experiment that I've been playing around with today (it's not for anything real, it's just for fun).

First version is on the left, second version is on the right.

Some notes on the changes for the second version:
* some text has been added/removed/moved around;
* the colour has been changed to something I thought was more "ephemeral";
* the effects on the logotype have been altered;
* the monster is a bit nearer to the girl;
* the girl has been changed to a figure that looks more "wary";
* some noise has been added to the darkness.

What does anyone think? (I keep thinking it's missing something but every time I add something - another monster, some grasping hands, etc. - it looks worse.)

Is there anything you would change?
Are my font choices okay?
Could the layout be better?
What do you think of the colour choices?
Is there anything you really hate?
Is the anything you really like?
Have I made any glaring mistakes?

As usual, all constructive comments/suggestions/criticisms are welcome.

[jer]

Color does make a difference (impression-wise) right? I can offer comparisons (all IMHO, by the way). I prefer the blue for this concept as the green conveys less danger. However, the title text works best withOUT the outline so I would use the title technique from the green cover on the blue cover.

 

Also I would consider a lesser defined shape for the monster. Let my imagination determine what evil might be lying in wait. I prefer the silhouette of the person that you used on the blue cover as it conveys someone wondering whether to enter the dark; the other appears to have already decided.  See, this becomes personal: I prefer the mystery of all things, not the resolution.

 

Shading, lighting, texture are good on the blue, not so much for the green - the glow doesn't seem to fit for a monster unless you are in a dream format. Still thinking about the font - I can't remember a cover that used such a thin title font (marketing says bolder carries more immediate impact) but you may have a reason for using it such as span. One reason it isn't bad on your cover is because you don't have a busy image or a distracting amount of other stuff. Otherwise, I would have suggested bolder text, as titles do help the sell.

 

Remember, all this is just one guy's $0.02. Be true to your own art!

[GarryP]

Thanks for your feedback jer, it's much appreciated.

I'll try and explain what I was thinking about when I created the cover while covering your suggestions. If anything, it might help people reading this to not make the same mistakes as me.

The original idea for the cover was something that popped into my head so I thought I'd give it a try and see how it looked. Normally when something just pops into my head it turns out to be a terrible idea and doesn't really work "on paper" but this one looked reasonable so I thought I'd take it further.

I originally chose the green colour because it looked "alien" and weird. I've no idea why I thought that would be good and so I changed it. I agree that the blue looks better because it looks more "foreboding". (I've used a global document colour so it's very easy to tweak as necessary.)

I wasn't really happy with the title logotype on either version. The first version looked a little "flat" which is why I added the shadow (there's no outline, it just looks like there is) but I don't think it looks right either. The shadow was supposed to look like it was getting its light from the "doorway" but that would mean that the shadow should come in front of the text if the text is supposed to be "hanging" in front of the doorway. More work is needed on that one. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

I also think I understand what you mean about the title font. My original idea was something quite different - I thought about making the text into some kind of maze that the "dark corridors" (see below) could be part of - but the thin lines looked quite good, sort of "whispering" the name of the movie. I'll need to think about that a bit more.

I agree with you about the monster. Making it more "ephemeral" will be better. I tried various different things: tentacles coming in from all sides (didn't work very well, and why would there be tentacles in a corridor?); grasping hands (again, didn't work very well); menacing eyes (they would have to be looking out at the viewer and that doesn't make sense). In the end I used a bog-standard monster (actually a Godzilla outline that I made for something else) but I'm still not happy with it. I'm looking for something that gives the impression of "things lurking in the darkness" so the mystery, rather than the resolution (as you say), is what I want. I'd be happy to try various other things if anyone has specific suggestions. (I have only minimal artistic skills so it's got to be easy to do.)

The woman in the first version seems to have just jumped off a vaulting horse (ta-da!) so I wasn't happy with that. How she looks in the second version is more like I wanted but she's still not right. My vague idea for the cover was someone who had just woken up in a strange, brightly lit, room they've never been in before. They have the option of staying where they are - and dealing with whatever comes - or leaving the room to brave whatever is in the darkness. She still doesn't look quite right for that. Again, some tweaking is necessary.

Anyway, thanks again for your feedback. Its given me lots of things to think about so I'll have another look at this and try and come up with a third - hopefully better - version.

[GarryP]

I was having a bit of a play around with this and realised that the image could be taken completely the other way round. Without the title it's difficult to know which way the woman is facing, in or out.

So here's another pair of versions - off-shoots from the original idea really - that look at things from the other side.

I'm not sure which one I prefer.