How I though about my work in good and bad

1. Production Reflection
Joe Duffy

2. Double-Page Spread
Process
I began my double-page spread with the banner, the object to draw the reader in. I followed
the source material by placing a black strip with prominent text, highlighting the topic. I edited
the render of the character to make her appear more prominent in the page by cutting out her
legs using the lasso tool in the circle while leaving the rest outside. I also used the Stock icon
for the character as a collage, which I believe made a nice effect. I added a summary and basic
facts in this area where they would be most likely read. By highlighting parts of the text, as I did
throughout the pages, I made it easier for people to skim through as the coloured parts could
be considered “more important”. The use of only a few colours gave the effect of simplicity but
also made parts seem more exciting throughout the page.

3. Inkling Render
Process

4. First Page
Process
On the first page I decided that the more
interesting parts of the character should be
shown and explained to interest the reader.
I titled each segment to better allow
understanding as to what the reader was
reading about, with an image to portray to
those who prefer visual information. After
completing the facts and images, I realized I
needed to make borders to make them
appear more clearly as their own part. I
decided to make these boxes that kept to
the simpler colour palette while also looking
sophisticated. Although the boxes may not
be completely the same shape, which would
have meant I would have to sacrifice
information or clarity of image, I found that
the fact boxes still flowed into each other,
with the images having the same eye line as
the one next to it.

5. Second Page
ProcessFor my second second page, I decided to do
more miscellaneous segments, relating to the
character or anything from their series. This side
proved a challenge as I hadn’t thought about
the positioning of the facts as much as I had
done for the former page. This lead to some on
the spot decisions. I also discovered that the
borders proportions changed based on the
distance you looked at the page, leading to
some sides looking less smooth depending on
how closely you looked at it. For the central set
of facts, I merged the boxes so that the parts
within them didn’t look crushed just to make
space for separate boxes. Actually, I believe this
made the page seem a little more stylized.
Another difficulty was the fitting of three
images in the top right box while making them
clearly visible. However their positioning
allowed me to add text to give the reader their
name, adding more information in a simple to
understand way. I finally added a page number
to give a sense of authenticity to a page of a
magazine.

6. Front Cover Rotoscope
Process

7. Rotoscope
Process
The “Star Attraction” of my front cover is the rotoscope of more prominent
characters in the Official poster. I wanted to use the art from the poster in my
cover but also knew it would be more interesting if I didn’t just use it straight
from the source. I figured that perhaps, to go with the simpler design that
Ultimate’s aesthetic has, the poster should be made as a rotoscope.
Thankfully, I had some experience in creating a rotoscope previously so
beginning this part of the project wasn’t filled with too many learning
experiences that could slow me down. But in hindsight, the task was VERY
difficult to accomplish, forcing me to work over-time to finish it to a good
quality. Given more time and I may have even added more characters or done
a silhouette style with the characters. Some characters were obviously easier
to do (Pikachu and Kirby) while the likes of Link were very time consuming but
most of the time I found the rotoscope to be enjoyable to create.
Edit: After finishing the original design and most of the PowerPoint (I decided
to change the final image when it was finalized), I decided I wanted to add one
more character to fill out emty space that was too small for text. By doing this
I would also make a more balanced design with the swordsman correlating the
side of Bowser.

8. The Before and After

9. Background
Process
Now that I had my rotoscope finished, I
needed to create a background. Since I was
thinking about putting the Nintendo logo as
a part of my title, I decided I would use red
as a more prominent part of the image. But
I thought I would like to make the image
more interesting to the reader by not just
making it completely red so, with the idea
that the Smash Ultimate logo would also be
in the frame, I wanted to have white in the
background. This led me to decide a
gradient would the most effective method
to make this happen. I was finding it difficult
to create this effect so a class-mate
provided some much appreciated support. I
believe the background makes the cover
look very vibrant and therefore more eye-
catching while keeping the characters as the
vocal point. The design also coincidently still
fit the theme of a simple style.

10. Titles
Process
As previously mentioned, I placed the logo of the
Nintendo and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the area
of the cover that fit them most. The red of the
background blended nicely into the oval surrounding
the Nintendo logo, making the image look truly
succinct. This is the same for the Smash Logo as it is
most commonly seen against a white background in
promotional art as the image would be “drowned out”
if any colour that was too dark, like the red, therefore
allowing it to stand out. Due to a last minute change, I
changed the name of the magazine as my original idea
wouldn’t have fitted comfortably with the art work. It
would have made the Smash Ball infuse with the title
in a cross-word like formation where the lines are. My
original title was along the lines of “Nothing But
Nintendo” however I decided a more “punchy” title
would intrigue far more readers. I did keep the
alliteration and stuck the Smash Ball in this particular
issue of the magazine title, allowing me to use my
previous ideas in a more refined style. I also made the
colour of the font the same as Mario’s glove, keeping
the same theme as the Nintendo Logo blending with
the background. This makes the cover feel far more
bound together.

11. Final Touches
Process
Once I had completed the most prominent parts of the cover, I
needed to add details to make the image look more like an
actual magazine. I began this task by adding text boxes to
advertise the game this issue was looking at in particular. I
decided to place the broader piece of text nearer the top as it
would let the reader understand what the magazine was
focusing on efficiently so they can decide if they want it at a
glance rather then ignore it since they had no clear information.
I put the more specific information nearer the bottom for those
who were interested enough to pick it up. Due to the size of the
rotoscope, there wasn’t very much space to make a lot of text
segments so I kept the space I had to describe the more key
parts I believe a reader would find the most interesting. These
text boxes were coloured in a way that would make them
obvious from the background, being the reverse of each other. It
was necessary to have a price tag, that I placed prominently at
the top along with the date of release which I positioned as a
few days before the games release to make the issue’s timing
give the sense it would be more valuable before you can play
yourself. The issue’s number would also provide a sense of
authenticity to the cover so they were all placed high up, making
a satisfying mirror image. I coloured them the same as the
Nintendo logo’s white to co-ordinate the piece. A key part of any
magazine is having the barcode to actually buy it! I positioned
mine where it would be least intrusive to the overall imagery of
the cover, blending in with the whited part of the page at the
bottom.