Themes of the Month [SIMPLE AND CLEAN] Results Get!

[Mariolee]

And the first ever Themes of the Month competition is over! I would like to thank you guys for entering such awesome boxes and overall making this competition a success. As a result, VGBA has been booming with quality and it's all thanks to you guys!

THE THEME
JUNE 1-15
SIMPLE AND CLEAN – Create a boxart that has is minimalistic and overall has an almost “Apple”-like sheen to it: glossy and sophisticated.
For Example:


ENTRIES
totm01

Simple and Clean Thread: http://www.vgboxart.com/forums/showt...MPLE-AND-CLEAN

Main Thread: http://www.vgboxart.com/forums/showt...598#post447598

A few words before we begin:
First and foremost, just because you didn't win the competition doesn't mean you suck. What I would do is take the comments that you've been given by our fantastic panel of judges as well as on the actual page of your box, and build your skill!

Second of all, judges, do not reveal your identities. I have my reasons for this.

Ok, now that we've gotten over all the boring stuff, let's look at the reviews, shall we?

[Mariolee]

REVIEWS:

The format will be like this:
Name of Author
Scores given by the Judges
Additional Comments

Let's begin!

Unknown Flames
2, 2, 3, 2, 2.5,
“I feel as if you had a good idea here, but ended up doing something overtly simple.”
“The image of toon link holding his sword would only be recognizable to someone intimately familiar with that piece of art. When doing silhouette work, it's best to focus on images that are instantly recognizable. Other than that, I really see nothing about this that makes me think of Zelda.”
“I'm pretty sure I've seen this from you before. A silhouette of Link against a green backdrop isn't new, and I'd expect more from you by now. I also find it strange that you'd select a render of Toon Link to represent a collection of games that in no way have anything to do with him.”
“Fitting as it is, there could have been a little more to it”
"Impact font and whited-out renders do not a boxart make"

Mchapra
4, 3, 5, 3, 3.5
“Really creative and it really catches my eye.”
“Nice and simple”
“Beautiful design, but the presentation really takes a lot away from it.”
“This cover really stood out to me. I'm not sure the means by which you achieved this unusual look, but I know it was worth it. So oddly appealing, just like the game. Some may find the seemingly random images, blurring and lighting to be a turn off, but I like it.”

Slimd1995
3, 3, 4, 2, 3.5
“The idea is fantastic, and executed greatly. I feel though that you could’ve done more with the back and the lack of a real presentation around it brings it down a bit as well.”
“My thoughts on this one remain unchanged. The effort, using in-game imagery, is clearly there, but I feel you could have gone the extra mile and expanded upon the graffiti messages used on the back.”
“It could use a presentation”
“It's simple... and clean.. but I don't understand it. The presentation is rather boring.”
"I understand the concept but it's a bit too stark and dark"

Squall234
5, 4, 5, 4, 5
“It really captures what I was looking for in this competition: simple, clean, and creative as well.”
“Simple, beautiful, the work of what I assume must be a true fan. Beautiful work.”
“Everything about this so wonderfully embodies the best of that Sonic has to offer. The individual images extending from one side to the next gives the back order and cleanliness, while also being a surprisingly unique way to present the screenshots. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects, on the front, is how it stays true to the game's mechanics. Modern Sonic takes the straightway through the center of the loop, while Classic Sonic runs through Green Hill Zone the old-fashioned way. I was going to suggest giving Classic Sonic some of the spotlight, but after noticing this, I've decided against it.”
“Oh man this box is great in at least 7 different ways, my personal favorite:
"Very pretty, but the font choices and DVD template for a PS3 game kinda throw me off"

Lasersonic1029
2, 2, 3, 1, 2
“There could’ve been something great here, but it’s mostly just renders and screens with blur around them.”
“Simple and clean don't necessarily mean white and filled with gradients. In your attempts to capture the theme, you forgot to capture a good design.”
“Harsh as it may be, but this cover is in need of a lot of work. Merely placing a render against a white background doesn't qualify it as clean or minimalistic. The choices made should have meaning. There should be a reason you made it as you did, beyond because "that's what the theme called for". Call of Duty is anything but simple, and because of this, you should either think harder of a way to represent the game through minimalistic means, or choosing a different game entirely. The back suffers mainly for awkward text positioning and low quality material. There's no real sense of order or structure, and the blurred shadows and borders are, quite honestly, unappealing.”
“I really can’t say I care about this one too much”

Titan38
4, 3, 4, 3, 4
“It’s really good, the textures and the style are perfect for the time period this takes place.”
“I don't understand this one. It is designed as though there are two separate covers here, but they appear to be a front and back template. I'm at a loss.”
“Not bad, not bad. I dig the contrasting logos for each side, one for the hero, one for the villain. The downside to this design being the texture, which I've seen countless times before. The opacity could also be tuned down a notch, seeing as how it's also supposed to be clean.”
“I just love the grudge effect on this one, it worked well”
"Nice texture work, but it doesn't work with the concept and the typography is meh."

TheSlyder
4, 4, 5, 4, 4.5
“Simply fantastic, and the faded out petals were a nice touch.”
“TheSlyder is the master of simple, effective designs that capture his source material perfectly. This is no exception.”
“A lovely concept, as such I expect from such an artist, as well as the type of game in question. The silhouette of a katana blade, the petals flowing in the wind, and the seven kanji that put this over the top for me. An elegant design, appropriately so for this theme. Nicely done, Slyder.”
“The box has grace and beauty”
"Gorgeous, but the typography bothers me"

Mariolee
4, 3, 5, 4, 4.5
“The boxes look wonderful, but the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Of course you understand your own theme better than anyone. Nice work.”
“Such a simple idea, yet executed in such a beautiful manner. I've yet to play the Kingdom Hearts series beyond the first, but if there ever was an inspiration for me to do so, it'd be this. You've done an excellent job mixing basic artwork with key logos to represent each individual game. One of my favorite entries in this theme.”
“You did a great job balancing simplicity and effort"
"Almost too minimal for it's own good"

AgentLampshade
3, 3, 4, 3, 3
“Nice, clean, simple”
“Again, you could’ve done more with this and made some odd design choices.. For example, why is the front grayscale, and the back in full color? The styles simply clashed in this. But still, it’s pretty good.”
“Simple, clean, yet severely lacking in terms of its ability to grab me and "wow" me.”
“I've grown wary of most GTAIV covers. However, I'm into what's been done with the front. Packing the sights of Liberty City into such a tight spot, without it feeling cluttered or busy. The back's pretty plain, although in a different sense than what's expected due to the theme. I've always enjoyed the concept of screenshots bursting out of the borders, but there's little else here that really catches my eye like the front does.”
"A pretty cool concept that could've been done a a bit better with more time and polish."

Icyfirefists
3, 2, 4, 2, 2.5
“The composition and design itself is original but not too enticing. Severely underrated however.”
“It's simple and clean and captures the theme, but in terms of a "collection" box, it could be better.”
“This design tends to clash with the main theme. The execution isn't terrible, but the colors don't mesh well, especially against the black backdrop, and a simple arrangement of the protagonists' heads isn't the most inspired way to represent such a varied, interesting collection of games. The back fares similarly, with the varying colors and imagery clashing instead of flowing together. The rather abrupt drop shadow beneath Type-0's logo also throws off the balance. Either maintaining the shadow beneath each logo, or removing it entirely, would be best.”
“Just not in my taste, the black background doesn’t suit well the situation”
"There was potential, but it mostly substitutes plain for sleek."

[Mariolee]

Tleeart
4, 3, 4, 4, 3.5
“Fantastic, the overall icy feel was a nice original touch.”
“It captures the theme, and technically it's all there, but unfortunately it just doesn't appeal to me for some reason. Maybe because it's so faded?”
“While I enjoy the front, the back is what really grabbed my attention. The crown logo in the foreground, against the faded heart in the back, is a lovely image. The darker tone of the image within the crown also gives a nice sense of balance between the two sides. Again, nicely done, and as it stands this cover isn't receiving the attention it should.”
“Aside from the front blue border cutting some things off it pretty good”
"There a lot of cute design elements here, but the presentation is incredibly distracting."

Billyman31
3, 2, 3, 2, 3
“I really want to like this because of the overall light composition, but the out of place spine and emptiness of the front bring it down for me.”
“I suppose it is simple and clean, but in terms of a Zelda box, it's really boring and washed out.”
“This reminded me of UnknownFlames' style. Shiny, bright lighting and colors can work wonders in moderation. However, this goes too far beyond, and the end result is both difficult to see, and barren in terms of aesthetic appeal. In contrast to this, the spine logo is rather jarring, being the first thing that even caught my eye.”
“I kinda like it, the spine kills it, and the front could use a sky background”

Delicious1
3, 3, 3, 3, 3.5
“Gorgeous front, but the back (even the updated one) was less than inspired.”
“To me, this seems hastily done. For one thing, the custom art (or is it brushes?) doesn't match the official art at all... not the same lines or the same texture overlay. Besides that, the back gives away most of the plot of the game, something you really should avoid in packaging design. ”
“I apparently missed the updated version to this. It's an improvement, the clouds looking much better. The back needs work, though the issues were already explained in some detail on the box page. Character scale is the most obvious flaw, with characters like Grandma and Aryll appearing way too large in comparison to Link. While clean may be the theme, a subtle texture would go a long way towards mixing the artistic style of the background with that of the characters. The same could be said for small touches like blades of grass, water ripples, etc.”
“It’s creative, using his own resources, however the proportions on the back take away from the box.”
"Tired concept, dated box, and the render-palooza going on in the back is just off."
Twoxt
2, 2, 3, 2, 2.5
“Interesting idea, but blurry images and off-kilter text as well as other design choices bring it down.”
“I guess this makes more sense if you're familiar with the game, but the packaging should be able to draw in customers without prior knowledge. As it is, I find it to be very dull. It's simple and clean, like the theme, but not in an attractive way.”
“A sense of order and symmetry in the layout is present, but the execution of said layout is in need of work. The idea of a clean design is disrupted by the blurry, low contrast images of Desmond and Warren. Another issue lies with the template, which is all over the place. It would've been wiser to either use the official template, or leave it out entirely. On the Templar's cover, both the title and subtitle are clearly off center. The idea of using each side to represent the single and multiplayer experiences is a nice one, but the execution appears rushed and lacks polish.”
“It’s okay, the back is so similar to the front, it’s confusing”
"He made two identical fronts and called it a box. No."

Element
5, 3, 5, 3, 4
“One of the best boxes I've seen for this game. The presentation is excellent, and the entire idea of the game is brought to life in what appears to be a shard of glass on the back reflecting the main character as she jumps. Great work.”
“Again, this is what I’m talking about: fantastic, clean, and simple. Very attractive as well.”
“Creating a unique Mirror's Edge cover is difficult, if not next to impossible. This design doesn't break any new ground, but the final outcome is still rather pleasing to the eye. You couldn't pick a better game for "simple and clean" to represent, either. One suggestion, already mentioned on the box page, is that this would be better suited to a slipcover. This is the first thing that came to my mind when seeing the cutout of Faith's tattoo/makeup on the back.”
“This box is brilliant, nuff said.”
"Really nice, and cool presentation too. Still hate the shattered glass, tho."

ColonCatastrophe
3, 2, 5, 4, 3
“Really good design, but the back is a bit boring to me although I can see why you made it that way.”
“Simple, clean, beautiful. Captures everything we need to know in only a few words, and in doing so really gives the box a stark, sterile look that is at odds with the devastation. Great work.”
“If there's one thing I admire about your work, it's the thought that goes into it. It seems each of your submissions has a reason behind the choices made, a symbolization. The same is true for this cover, and it's something I admire. Excellent work, again.”
“It’s a good box, it goes on the average side. Hazard logo could have been moved up instead of on the city”
"Annoyingly cool concept that he just couldn't make work. "

Higashi89
4, 4, 3, 4, 3.5
“This box is fantastic, only quips are that everything is a bit indistinguishable and the box blends in with the background.”
“My biggest gripe with this design is the coloring. Cyan or straight up blue would've been a wiser choice for P3, while yellow is something you'd expect from P4. Outside of this, the design very splendidly matches the games quirky, offbeat style.”
“He has a great use of negative space, but the presentation is off-putting. Too much of a single color scheme ruins the appeal, I'm afraid. Otherwise, great work.”
“I love the silhouettes in this box, but the presentation clashes with the box itself”
"The box bleeds into the presentation too much and makes it hard to see, but it's a unique look."

Daemon
1, 2, 1, 2, 1.5
“The idea is there, but the execution is not. Aesthetically speaking it's not very pleasant to the eyes, and would've benefited from some creative typographical effects and techniques, implementing familiar imagery from the game while maintaining the text-heavy concept.”
“I know you can do way better. The whole box spoils both plots, and is really bland and unattractive looking. It wouldn’t exactly sell the game at all.”
“The idea of the whole plot on a box, with no effort in using typology, it’s something anyone would turn away as a normal box or even a collector’s edition ”
"Interesting idea, awful lazy and stupid execution."

The90sKid
5, 4, 4, 5, 5
"Wow. Fantastic. It really does remind me of Squall’s box however."
“I'm a sucker for the bright, vibrant colors. Furthermore in this design, encompassed by a simple white backdrop. The composition is spot on, the half-tone, while subtle, goes a long way adding to the stylistic theme of the design. The "FEATURES" text not being centered evenly between the synopsis and features descriptors really bothers me though.”
“It's spectacular, beautiful, I love it.”
“Defiantly a gorgeous box all around, colors fit together perfectly”
"I know I was in the minority preferring his original custom logo, but I still think It would've added to the box's sleek charm."

Amad2
3, 2, 3, 3, 3
“Good idea, doesn’t look too bad, but a lot more creative stuff could’ve been done with this. The black and white makes it appear more bland than simple.”
“It's not conceptually original, and while the execution isn't bad, it leaves something to be desired. The abstract, flowery brushes don't suit the game, light side or not, and the low contrast silhouette of Cole is a bit of a turn off. A clearer, more appropriate representation of the light and dark sides, in addition to a variation on the Cole image (more detailed, perhaps) would improve this by miles.”
“There are a few things about it that annoy me. For one, rather than changing the color of the parts of the logo and the "or", he cut out part of the black side. Other than that, what do flowering plants have to do with this game?”
“It fits the theme; however the choice of using white and gray vs. light red and blue hurt the entire box.”

[Mariolee]

AND THE WINNERS ARE....!

For the first time in the history of Themes of the Month (well, this is the first competition anyway) WE HAVE A TIE FOR FIRST PLACE!

The winners of first place are....



&



And second place goes to....



CONGRATULATIONS SQUALL234 AND THE90SKID, as well as THESLYDER!!

Let me tell you what your prizes are!

You each get one rep point from me, as well as this sig add-on designed by our very own Roarshark!:


For First Place

For Second Place

I'm sorry we don't have any real prizes, but in this economy, who does!? Thanks for participating and I'll see you all next time! Thank you for making this first competition a huge success!

[Novus]

Congrats to the winners and all the other contestants!

[slimd1995]

Congratulations, guys. I'm looking forward to the next theme.

[sd1833]

Congrats, guys.

[tleeart]

I just did it for the hell of it, so I'm not sad I didn't win. However! I see some really awesome works did win, so that is pretty cool.

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

Nice job guys!

[Js2Kings]

Congratulations, you all deserved it, actually a little more, lol.

[Squall234]

Thanks guys =) and congrats to all! The boxes looked amazing and in my eyes you guys own a notification about it. Also congrats on The90skid and TheSlyder!

[Titan38]

I really love the custom comments. A great first round, everyone!

[twoxT]

Great job guys!

[Mariolee]

Everyone say "Thank you" to Roar for making the awesome sigs.

[amad2]

Congratz to you all! And thanks to Roar for those awesome sig add-ons, I wish I had one .

[mchapra]

congrats.

[The90sKid]

Wow, thanks you guys. Congrats to Squall and Slyder, too.
And thanks Roarshark for the awesome sigs.

[Element]

Congratulations!
Great boxes you all made.

[Squall234]

Thanks Roar =)

[AgentLampshade]

Oh! Results. Congratulations to Squall and The90skid! And to everyone else too.