Board Game Peer Assessment.

The Purge Game Review

 After playing and over looking the game The Purge I can clearly see which points successfully meet the brief and product guidelines. Firstly the aesthetic of the board game successfully portrays 'the purge' this including the colour scheme and choice of imagery used on the instructions and board itself. The game had clear product identity and I was able to easily identify what the game was based on (the film the purge) this was clear to me through not only the name, but also the imagery used, like the use of american flags, anonymous masks etc. In regards to colours, they were quite dark, the use of blood splats were also placed on the instructions and this added to the aesthetic of the product. 

   By viewing the prototype and being able to properly see the physical game I was able to identify which points would work better than others. They had not yet printed the moving pieces out so consequently had them replaced with paper, by doing this we were able to play the game,  however I noticed that after rolling the dice, the numbers on the board were not as clear as they could be. I personally found the font too small, however this did not make it 'impossible' just harder to see where exactly the pieces should be placed. The overall idea of the game was that when you rolled the dice and moved places you then picked up a card in which had weapons on, the player with the 'highest' or 'better' weapon was consequently the winner. I liked this idea and the 'rank' of each weapon could be found on the instructions. If I could add to the constructive criticism I would also argue the fact that perhaps those playing the game may not agree with the ranking of each weapon, i.e is a bat better than a knife etc. 

   On the other hand I liked the simplicity of the game, it was very easy to play and the rules were made very clear, this meets the points on the brief and also allows different target audiences to play as there would be no 'limit' that would necessarily make it difficult to play, however of course the game is based upon violence and weapons so it limits the game to those would can play it. In regards to the actual game I did not find any of the pieces hazardous or harmful in any way, again making it meet the brief successfully and is safe to play.

  To conclude, I think the game The Purge was a successful board game because it meets the necessary specifications in which are listed in the brief, it holds a lot of originality and is easy to play. I liked the colour scheme as it adds to the aesthetic and idea behind the game, it also shows clearly the type of audience it is aimed at. In addition to these points it also includes elements that are in original games such as playing pieces and cards, it does no exceed the international paper size of A3 and over all I would happily purchase this game to play.

Rationale & Evaluation For Monopoly - PLL Edition.

Rationale For Board Game

   My group and I decided to come up with an edition of monopoly based upon the television series Pretty Little Liars. We changed near enough every aspect of the traditional board game, adapting it to our own preferences of what we wanted it to aesthetically look like and how it would be played. We set off with the goal of creating an impressive board game that put a twist on the traditional Monopoly board. Doing so by gathering different information and facts about the TV series and incorporating it into the game. The target audience for the game would be those who regularly watch the television series and are familiar with the locations and characters, however this could also be played by audiences who have not seen the show before as the game is still able to be played without having any knowledge of the show, for example those who are interested in horror and the game Cluedo, because of this the game is available and appealing for all audiences.

    Before creating our edition of Monopoly we done some research of exiting board games and the audiences that they're aimed at etc, that can be viewed here. The design decisions were made as a group, all being assigned individual tasks to complete (rules, logo, layout of board...) this allowed us to be individually creative whilst still collaborating together.
       Our board game successfully fulfils the requirements and manages the parameters of the brief, for example our game includes traditional elements ( playing pieces ) however our edition include murder weapons (knife , gun, bleach...) as opposed to a race car, dog, boot etc. This again appeals to people who are fans of Cluedo and other classic board games for the older generation.

 In addition to these points we also created new logos, one for the centre of the playing board and one for the back of the box. The one for the back of the box I created on photoshop, I included the traditional Monopoly Logo, however added blood drips as well as the original font for the 'PLL' title.        As well as this for playing cards I incorporated the stencil of iphones, adding text and imagery to the inside, this made the game more visual and puts a twist on the original 'chance' and 'community chest', again adhering to the brief. As well as this we created a slogan 'Bring your A game', this adheres to the brief and makes the game original, relevant and memorable.

Evaluation

For our board games we were each assigned individual tasks in which we would complete.  I was given the logo for the box (front & back) as well as the 'Chance' and 'Community Chest' cards and playing pieces. I done these all on photoshop, meanwhile Lola created the hotels and wrote up the rules, finding the appropriate fonts. Emanuela made the logo for the centre of the playing board, lastly Chanel made the playing board, altering the places you will land on to make it appropriate and fitting.

  As a group we worked well together and were able to create a prototype using cardboard and printing out the appropriate parts that we had made. In comparison to an existing version of Monopoly our sizes were off. The size of the board was too small in comparison to the box and playing pieces. The pieces were too large and the board was too small as there was little space to move on it, therefore next time if we were to create a game again I would suggest enlarging the board and I would make the playing pieces a lot smaller. In addition to this I also thing the 'Chance' and 'Community Coffin' cards were again too large in comparison to the board itself as they did not fit, however reviewing this they were the correct size in relation to the size of the box A3, so again if we were to do this again I would like to have more specific measurements to make it work more effectively. 

   When looking at the other prototypes created, the majority of them were big enough to play including all the pieces which was good as it gave an idea of how the real product would perform. In response to the brief, as mentioned above, we met near enough all of the parameters successfully and if the measurements were altered I think the product would be a success.

Questionnaire

After I had completed my board game prototype I carried out a questionnaire on google forms asking multiple questions regarding the game itself and opinions on the changes that were made. This allowed me to be more particular on the points in which I can improve on as feedback let me see what was good and bad about the game. A few examples of questions asked are shown below:

Below are a few of the examples of the responses received ( some more helpful than others)

After creating this questionnaire I was able to pin-point the part of the game that worked and did not work, this was a good way to receive opinions to include in my evaluation and what I would improve next time. To evaluate further, the results from the questionnaire roughly give me an idea that the majority of those who tested out the prototype enjoyed it, they would describe it as unique and original too. On the contrary to this, some results showed me that not all of the audience enjoyed the game, this could be if they haven't watched the show before etc so is therefore understandable.

Board Game Production.

A reflection on the brief

 After going through the brief I am exited to see what we can create, whether it be an original game consisting of traditional elements, or a reworking of a popular game. It is required to have a good name, logo as well as colour scheme, these elements allow us to be creative in our game whilst still sticking to the brief. The parameters ( things in which you must not do, the restrictions) for the brief include elements such as the game can not be harmful and it must not exceed the international paper size of A3, taking these instructions it allows us to narrow down our research to games in which are the correct size. The object requirements for the task are those in which the object (board game) must achieve, these include a good name, logo, include traditional elements and a clear target audience.

      For this task I intend to work in a team as that way we can produce more creativity and come up with an original game that can fill all of the key elements, which in the long term produces a completed game that is successful. By working in a team you are able to gather more research that you can evaluate, in addition to this I believe I work best in a team as we can put our ideas together and you can also have a range of opinions and different ideas which when out together create a good project.

Production List

 As I decided to work in a group we can each be assigned individual tasks to complete during the production of the game. These can vary from logos, to moving pieces etc. By creating a table it allows us to individually keep to our jobs and we can also alter the secondary research we do as individuals as different research will apply to different tasks.

Research

     In relation to research I can carry out primary research, field research and secondary research. To start of we explored a few games in which could be played using only a pen and paper ( hang man etc) this allowed us to think of games in which don't include playing pieces. In addition to this I can go out to shops and look at the already existing board games, exploring the size, layout, type/font, and the general idea of how to play the game. By doing this research it allows us to gather ideas from the already existing successful games to put into our own project, and also widens our ideas on the already existing and popular fonts and colour schemes that are used. 

  Once the information and research is gathered we can put our evidence into tables, both using a written explanation as to what we discovered as well as photographs to show what we found out.  Graphs as well as charts can be used to show our research as it is a good way to organise our information and compare and contrast the research we gathered.

   In regards to the type of things we can research, I intend to look at already existing fonts used for the titles, the colour schemes and general visual style of games. For secondary research we can look on the internet as well as use books and/or similar briefs. We can research not only board games, but go deeper into the individual points such as fonts, looking at what types are successful with particular audiences.  

  Currently I do not have any particularly 'creative' ideas however after our research I will be able to look at what already currently exists and take inspiration from these games, and take some of their ideas into consideration with intentions to merge them with my own and others ideas.

Evidence Of Prmiary Research

  After going into Waterstones and exploring the existing board games, as a team we have decided to perhaps do a twist on the popular game Monopoly. In the shop we saw the existing version of monopoly that was a twist of 'Game Of Thrones' and after seeing this we decided to reinvent it and do a twist on the show 'Pretty Little Liars'.  We gathered photographs of a variety of games that had different target audience, as well as logos and fonts etc. 

Here's the example we saw in the shop, it is an alternative version to the classic monopoly board as it includes different names and playing pieces. We can incorporate this into our own version by changing the colour scheme as well as playing pieces and locations.

To the right is another example of an edition of monopoly that we found in Waterstones, this being the retro version, therefore an entirely different colour scheme. In addition to the change in colours the target audience also varies. The Game Of Thrones edition is targeted at an older audience, we not only know this because of the TV show, however by the way in which the colours are used. 

     After looking at these we found games targeted at younger audiences ( 2-4 years) and we could see a clear difference in fonts as well as colours. For example in Snakes and Ladders there are more colours used and they 'pop'. You can see a clear difference between the games aimed at children as opposed to adults, the games for younger audiences are more visual compared to the games for adults, this could be to make it more appealing and more entertaining.

 

   Analysing the primary research that we gathered, we know that we want to create a variation of monopoly aimed at the older audience, therefore our colour scheme will include darker colours such as black, grey, pink. This way it can reflect the story of 'Pretty Little Liars' accurately and also shows the audience it is for older people. In regards to fonts, we will probably take inspiration from the 'Pretty Little Liars' font as well as the original monopoly font ( as seen in the game of thrones version) .

Secondary Research

After carrying out primary research I was then able to use the internet for further research for more specific products that were not found in book shops. These being more versions ( existing versions) of Monopoly. I found THIS website in particular which showed me the existing versions of monopoly and where to purchase them etc. This was useful as I could see what creators had already done ( to ensure the version we anticipate to create doesn't already exist). Secondly I found THIS  website which is near enough the same, however this is in alphabetical order, again giving me good research for my product and how I could alter my idea by interpreting both the original version and alternative ones.

Exploring Design Ideas

 I went onto photoshop to roughly design what the cards could look like. I wanted the card to be an actual iphone template in order to relate to the TV series, and I also changed 'Community Chest' to 'Community Coffin' to relate more to the show. In our group of 4, each individual explored designing something different, for example the actual board, the logo, the money, and the cards. By roughly trying out new designs we are able to put our creativity together for next lesson with the planning of the game. 

   These are good experiments because it allowed me to merge together multiple ideas to see if they work together, however I think it would be a useful thing to use not just an iphone, but experiment with the phone, using different brands etc.

                                                             

Taxonomy Of Logos.

Logos

Logos are a symbol for businesses, they have immediate responses with audiences and effect the way we see both the business and product. They are vital if you want to capture an audience and allow them to remember your logo. Having a memorable logo is a key element to a successful business or industry because it means it will stick in people's heads, meaning they will remember your brand by your logo. They carry so much significance that the task of creating a memorable and suitable one is vital for a company.
   When creating a logo it is best to go for simplicity over complexity, this way it can make the logo easier for advertisement purposes, and also the most simple logos are sometimes the most memorable.

Here is an example of a simple logo that the majority of people will be able to recognise as Target. The name of the shop and the logo link together perfectly, therefore the simplicity of using a red target sign means the name of the shop will be easy to recall by looking at the logo, and the logo itself is so easy to remember you don't have to think about what shop or brand it could be.








 Here is another example of a logo that can be remembered all over the world, apple. Again the simplicity of having a black sleek apple for your brand means it is easy to remember the name of the shop and it's simplicity and like ability is what people pay for when buying apple products as they don't just buy the items for the product, they buy if for the brand.



  In addition to the fact brands and businesses need logos to be suitably created and professional, it is also important for artists as they can show their creativity and skills through the creation of a logo. It allows them to get across a message in a creative fashion, whether that be to make it memorable in a different way to obvious logos such as apple, or to be creative with the use of colours and fonts to reflect the business.

Different Types

  When exploring the different logos around us in shops, we went out and gathered different types of logos that we could see, some consisting of abstract, pictorial and text logos.

These are examples of abstract logos. They are based on shapes and can include text, for example like the image between the words 'Tommy' and 'Hilfiger'. They are simple, independent and often iconic.









These are examples of text logos, the typography differs, however they are adaptable and simple yet distinctive to recognise

















Lastly, these are the examples we came across for pictorial logos, they promote the brand culture and are also easily recognised and remembered.

Mashup Poster Part II : Peer & Self Feedback.

Personal Review

Prior to this blog post I had made an entry regarding the specifics as to how and why I created my mashup poster which included thought processes regarding layout, fonts which can be found here.
   In regards to personal development I have over the past few weeks become more and more comfortable with using Adobe Photoshop to alter images and create new ones. Some tasks seemed to be more difficult than others however by learning photoshop basics and applying this to my creativity it has allowed me to produce my mashup poster in which I am happy about. Before this I had not used Photoshop and only had brief knowledge on things such as layers in order to create an image, I think I picked it up quickly as I am now confident enough to use the software to create a poster and alter images to the way I want them to be seen.

  

     When set this task I liked being able to be creative and pick my own films/ TV series in which I would mashup as it gives you more freedom. I found it difficult to find pictures of the characters with their heads in the right positions, as well as this skin tone was also a difficult thing to match, hence why I needed to in and alter the colour balance (reducing blue tones etc). I also found it challenging to use all of the space on the poster, like the space between the title and where the characters are sat, therefore I decided to add bird silhouettes as I had seen these used in a previous poster and thought it was relevant and took up enough space without taking away from the main aspect of the poster.

    On the contrary to these points I gathered some peer assessment in which told me the poster was humorous, and that the colours blended well together and portrayed the both of the TV series as they are both dark ( dark blue and clouds blended well with this). As well as this they said I had relevant information included in the poster such as the release date and review in the bottom right hand corner. However to improve my poster I could possibly enlarge the title or make it bolder so it is easier to read, both for aesthetics and perhaps those who have reading difficulties etc, by making the title larger and bolder it would also be easier to view from far away. As briefly discussed and as shown as an example in my Part 1 post, I also think it would be an advantage to make the slogan white in colour as currently it seems to blend in slightly with the dark clouds at the top of the poster, by altering this it would also add to the visuals of the poster and how easy it is to read.

     For this task in particular I have learnt to alter the colour balance in faces, allowing me to mix and match heads to different bodies and making it blend as realistically as I could. In addition to this I used the very simple Magic Wand Tool in which I had not previously used, I used this to remove white from the background of the title, making it very sharp and precise compared to if I were to use the lasso tool or quick selection tool.

     Next time if I were to create another mashup poster or poster with similar challenges involved I would like to challenge myself further and perhaps mix more than two series together, and using a different background or main image in the foreground as apposed to the way I created it. As well as this I would like to use the space more effectively, not leaving as much gap between the main title and picture. On the contrary to this point I do however like it not being too 'cluttered' as from an audience perspective I personally don't like it when posters are filled with production details and multiple reviews / quotes from companies as it draws away from the whole point of the poster and can change your opinion on the film.

Mashup Poster Part I : Final Design & Evaluation.

Mashup Poster Design

In todays lesson we had to pick 2 (or more) films or TV shows in which we would merge together to create one poster. I decided to pick The Walking Dead and Pretty Little Liars, both with similar 'scary' themes, just one more than the other. My main part of my poster is based on a Pretty Little Liars poster as I thought it would be more interesting to photoshop the characters from the walking dead (mainly the males) onto female bodies. I also used the font from Pretty Little Liars, however I could not get the exact font so I decided to use the closest one I could find which was 'Bickham Script' and I altered the title to include 'The Walking'. In addition to the font choice, I did try to use other fonts in which are in the 'script' family and section, altering between bold and regular. To insert the text I looked at fonts online and got the similar one that is used in Pretty little liars, I then used the magic wand tool in order to delete the white that was in the background.

      I thought by basing the poster off Pretty Little Liars was interesting because the in my opinion,  The Walking Dead and Pretty Little Liars are almost opposites, on the contrary to this they also have similarities such as The walking dead can be gruesome and leave things a mystery, much like in Pretty Little Liars.

    From the beginning of the task I knew I wanted to have the title at the top of of the poster with the production details / times / reviews situated at the bottom. This being because I wanted the the main focus to be on the characters, so I ensured they took up the majority of the space. After researching the conventions of posters I knew the layout I wanted to have and that I wanted to include production details. When discussing layout I would also next time like to include actors names and featuring people in my next poster as I think this would add more interest to the poster.

         In regards to the specific ways in which this was created I used multiple layers, starting with a background of a deep blue sky found on google images, then adding the 4 girls to the foreground in which I later added to the layers with the individual characters faces from the walking dead.

   Once I had added the individual faces to crop onto the bodies I needed to adjust the colour balance in order that the faces matched the body skin tones, this included removing more blue-tones for certain faces, and adding the burn effect to cast shadow. Once I had matched the correct skin tones I went in with the blur tool as well as the eraser with the opacity turned down in order to effectively blend the hair and face together. After I had blended the images together I went in with extra details such as positioning the title, adding production details to the poster ( release dates ) and an added stars/ reviews at the bottom.

Above is an example of how I blended Glenn's face into the character Emily. I think this is the best example of blending using tools and altering the colour balance, however if I were to create something like this again I could like to duplicate certain bits of hair and layer them on top of the face in order to make it look more realistic.

Here you are able to see the progress I made whilst creating the image, at this point I had not incorporated the title, or the two other characters' faces. The challenge with fitting the faces to the bodies was not particularly the skin tones, but the highlights on the face and the position / angle of the faces. When importing the faces I needed to flip the image to have them facing the correct way.

From the beginning of the task I knew I wanted to have the title at the top of of the poster with the production details / times / reviews situated at the bottom. This being because I wanted the the main focus to be on the characters, so I ensured they took up the majority of the space.


After I had created my final poster I went back in and switched up the title and entire layout ( apart from the girls because I wanted them to be the main focus and in the foreground). In this alternative version I put the return date at the top and changed the line from the top in black font, to the bottom in white font.

  By creating alternate versions to the one I initially created gives you an idea of layout and what works best with certain fonts, colours and images. This can also shift your attention more so to the return date as opposed to the slogan, which in the long term means the audience will view this poster and will be more inclined to remember the return date and time.
   

This is my final poster mashup design, it includes the release date, slogan as well as images layered upon each other to create the final piece in which i'm happy with. To improve on my photoshop skills I would like and try to fit the hair nicer together than how it currently is, this is something for me to work on in my next piece of photoshop work. In addition to this and upon review of my two previous posters I feel as thought I have improved in regards to skills and using the application Photoshop, for a more personal review and peer assessment, see here. 

Poster Design.

Second Poster Design

After carrying out primary research on already existing film posters and analysing them, I discovered that the vast majority of them included a powerful image, followed by the title. We then created a poster in a previous lesson using Adobe Photoshop, allowing us to use images off the internet in order to create our poster after we had carried out the primary research. So in this lesson we were set the task to take all of our own images and start the poster from scratch. Picking a different film ( Tree Of Life) I had the idea to have one big tree as the main eye- catching image, followed by a title and production details as my first poster only included the title. I wanted to keep the poster quite dark and mysterious looking being that the film was philosophical and has a sense of mystery to it when I researched the already existing posers.

  In respect to font, I wanted to find a simple font that had little detail to it so it did not distract from the image, I decided on 'Pierpont Bold' for both the title and the director / writer that is situated at the bottom of the poster.
   When analysing my poster I initially wanted to find a tree that was as wide as the one I did find, however slightly taller so that there was not as much blank / empty space, because of time limitations and the fact we were in the middle of Bath I did not find the ideal tree I was searching for, so I had to compromise with what I had. I did this by altering the background so that it was not just plain black, I made it similar to the previous poster I created which was by adding noise and multiple effects ( described in blog linked above).

Elements Of Photoshop & Manipulation.

Three Elements Of Photoshop & Manipulation

    

Layers

The first element I want to reflect on is Layers. These are used to manipulate images and create backgrounds. You can add multiple images into photoshop and 'merge' them together to effectively in order to make a realistic image and or background. For example, when wanting to create a star like background, you add layers and manipulate the levels, effects etc. 

 To the left you can see a screen shot from the three layers I added in order to make a star, grainy effect for a background. By adding effects such as Noise, Gaussian Blur you can achieve the effect.

       The image to the right shows one example of a finished background created using layers.

Spot Healing Tool

This tool can be used for multiple different things, the main one being to subtly effectively erase blemishes and other unwanted marks, hairs etc. This is a good tool to use because it can effectively get rid of these marks without making it look unrealistic. On the contrary to this it can however be used to manipulate images in other ways to make it look unrealistic. For the majority of the time this is used for magazine covers

Here is an example of what the tool looks like, as well as a few of the other tools in which can alter an image so make it appear smoother.

Lasso V.s Quick Selection

These tools are very similar however one is slightly easier to use than the other. The quick selection tool will easily and quickly select what ever you click on, however the lasso tool is what you will do manually, so you can outline specific things instead of the whole of an object / person. 

    The examples below explain this.

This shows the quick selection tool in the man with the yellow shirt.

 

This example shows the man in the middle in which has been selected using the lasso

Lastly this image shows you what you can do once you've selected the object, this is done using the eraser, as well as this you can get images that you've selected using the lasso and move them from their current position to another. This is a really interesting way to manipulate images in Photoshop.

Manipulation

In regards to manipulation (even though previously and briefly explained ) photoshop can allow you to create existing images into unrealistic images, or into better images. This can be done through blending and adjusting the colours as well as this you can make images look unrealistic, for example by using Disintegration Effect to create an effect in the example below.

From Google Images

An effect like this is achieved by using tools such as water colour brushes, feathers and crows etc.







All of the tools in photoshop have some form of manipulation to them as they all alter the images, either in a big way or a small yet significant way. Something like the spot healing tool as explained above, can manipulate images to how you want them to turn out.

Primary Research & Poster.

Primary Research

In the lesson we went out and gathered pictures of existing film posters, we then created a table in which contained primary research. This research included going into some depth about two posters of my choice, discussing the fonts, colours, style, constituent elements etc. By doing this primary research it allowed me to think about all the elements that are included in a poster, and if I were to produce a poster what factors I would consider. 

     We were then set the task to produce our own poster however we wanted, being sure to include the elements that were discussed in the table. My poster was 'Star Wars Rouge One' so I researched some existing images that are related to the film to gain inspiration, I consequently came up with my poster. I wanted to include a star-like background so I decided to add some layers and change the levels. To create this effect I added a layer for the background and filled it black, on top of this I added the effect of Noise and changed the amount. Lastly a layer of Blur needed to be added to achieve the more grainy, star effect. On reflection this was something I had not done before so I wanted to try and create my own background instead of drag one from google images, I think it turned out okay, however there was more detail too it than I initially thought.

    

From the primary research table I created I wanted to include the title of the film and have it quite large because when looking at other posters I was more drawn in to those with larger titles and those that aren't as crowded and busy. As well as keeping the poster simple I wanted to also include the blue beam of light/star because this added some colour and made the poster 'pop'.

   In contrast to this I could have included more things on my poster such as production details and other information like in the Blair Witch poster I reviewed (quotes, stars...)

         Reflecting on this research and my poster, for the next one I would like to include things such as the release dates, and perhaps quotes about the films as this will made the target audience more drawn to the poster especially those that are older as they will be interested in the reviews. For the Star Wars poster I decided to use the already existing title / font, although I do think it would be interesting to completely make a new font for the film, on the other hand by using the already existing title and font, the audience are immediately drawn to the poster because of being familiar with the existing title and by changing it, it may not be as easily recognisable.