Here's a quick look at the likely artwork for the It's Alive! box. It's not final, and might change over the weekend, but it's nearly there. As usual click on the picture to see a larger version. The first picture is the front of the box, the second shows the short side.
What do you think? Better than the limited edition? Worse?
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11 comments:
I think I prefer the limited edition. Id' say that's a bit more cartoony, but I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not.
Hiya Russ,
I wasn't entirely happy with the artwork for the Limited Edition. I need something that's going to pique people's interest when they see in on a shop shelf, which is where most of the people who buy it will hopefully see it. Hopefully, this is more in keeping with the spirit of the game.
Cheers,
Jack
I prefer the other version better. This one has a weird Willy Wonka feel to it.
I agree with your reservations about the limited edition version, but I'm not entirely convinced by this one - The speech bubble doesn't entirely work for me.
I like the Limited Edition cover much better, too. In my opinion, it is more engaging, and would be far more likely to grab my attention in a store.
Paul's initial comment was 'oh I like that'. Then he got the limited edition box to compare - and decided he wasn't so keen on the speech bubble. And agrees that there is a willy wonka ish feel to it. So overall, the first one is better.
For me - I really really like the cart of body parts and the castle on the new version, but found the text hard to read (apart from It's alive) but maybe that's easier bigger. I'm not keen on the central character on the new box, but I think the monster on the old box is too scary for general games stores!
Well.. you did ask!
I have to agree that I prefer the original. In the old one, the eye starts at the title, travels immediately to the assistant, then up the monster to the mad scientist, then follows the scientist's form down to the Reiver Games logo. It's all very fluid, dramatic, and it tells a story.
In the new cover, the eye starts with the title again, follows the scientist down, bounces harshly against the bottom frame, then back up the monster to the hat, which can't decide whether it wants you to read the byline or follow the line of bats to the house. The assistant and the Reiver logo essentially get lost, becoming distracting elements rather than part of the flow.
Also, the original scientist really looks like the archetypal mad scientist, charged up with raw power and with a gleam in his eyes. The new scientist looks more like a random old codger who throws his hat. It's not clear if he's frightened, exultant, pleased to meet you, or just someone who talks with his hands.
Take me with a grain of salt, however, as I'm not an artist by any stretch of the imagination and I believe that the product will sell regardless, based on the sheer quality of the gameplay. Would you mind sharing what you were unhappy with regarding the original box art? Knowing more about the problem you were trying to solve might make it a little easier to find an optimal solution.
I much prefer the limited edition version. It's not the style of the art as much. That's not so bad. But the composition does not appeal to me. Nor is it as obviously tied to the theme. Until I study the background, what I see is a very happy looking guy waving his arms around. The words "It's Alive" really are a better fit for that moment in the laboratory when the monster comes to life.
Jack - I also prefer the Limited Edition over the new art work, but in a way you are asking the wrong crowd here.
You need a clean design that will stand out on a shelf in a shop and which will encourage people to pick up the box to see what's inside. I think this has been achieved with the re-design.
To me, the new art also implies that the game will appeal to a wider age range - no bad thing as I always felt the 12 and over recommendation felt too old.
Finally, in a purely selfish move, I rather like that the limited edition art work is different - it makes my copy feel even more special. (Is that just weird... probably).
Thanks for all your comments everyone. As Matt points out, the new box has to appeal to people in shops as opposed to us Geeks.
I'm thinking of making the following changes:
Remove the speech bubble.
Change the font of/remove altogether the tag line.
Make the main character 'more mad scientist'.
I was thinking of the following changes to the main character if the artist can do them:
Make his coat a grubby white lab coat
Make his face more maniacal
Make his hair more mad-scientist.
Cheers,
Jack
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