Blog Post 44 - Stage 2 - Completed Design: Trio of Cars

My finished design for Stage Two: On Disc Label

As mentioned in Blog Post 39, the following posts will be in regards to the explanation of not only how, but more importantly why I went about designing the On Disc Label in the way that I did. For reference, my finished design is posted here. In a similar vein to that of the DVD Amaray Cover, these posts will be split into the following elements: Background; Border; Titles; Gene Hunt; Trio of Cars; Background Pattern; Logos; Information. The next element that will be discussed is that of the Trio of Cars.

Trio of Cars

Following on from that rather lengthy process of the Gene Hunt element of the On Disc Label, a similar task of adding the Trio of Cars to the On Disc Label was to follow. In a similar fashion to that of of the Gene Hunt element, I once again decided to use the same base image that I used in Stage One of the assignment for the DVD Amaray Cover. The trio of cars has been previously documented in much detail in Blog Post 13 - Trio of Cars whereby I created this trio using three different images which needed much work to come to the end result. One of the other reasons that I decided to use this image again is to stay in keeping with the House Style of the design whereby the On Disc Label will link in nicely with the DVD Amaray Cover too. Another reason that I opted to stay with this trio of cars set up is that the symmetrical element was also able to be continued on the On Disc Label too due to there being the one car in the middle, and two either side - all of these reasons made my mind up to stay with this image to use.

Image Trace Options

Appearance-wise for that of the trio of cars I decided that I would like to opt for something different to the DVD Amaray Cover that I had previously used it on. The first stage though was to open a new document in Illustrator so that I could start the work on the Trio of Cars image tha I had previously made. Once the new art board was open, I could got to File -> Place.... and find and place the photograph of the Trio of cars into the artboard so that it was ready to be edited to how I wanted it to be. Once again I decided to use that of a clipping mask to remove the background around the Trio of Cars, however before that I wanted to return to that of the effects and options that I could use to subtly change the appearance of the Trio of Cars. I used the original image perfectly fine for the font cover of the DVD Amaray Cover however I felt that, just like the Gene Portrait in Blog Post 43 I wanted to make some small changes. Once again I decided that I would like to keep to the House Style which would ensure that the design would link in a work well as a whole. With this in mind, I decided to have a look back to Blog Post 43 and that of the Gene Portrait and then looked back to Illustrator to see what I had used. After looking at this I decided that I wanted to use the Image Trace option that is situated on the Toolbar. Further details are in Blog Post 43, however basically it will trace the image selected and convert from a bitmap image to that of a vectorised image, whilst there are numerous options to tweak and control the end appearance of the image. For the portrait of Gene I opted for the 6 Colours element, which I felt worked well, however in this case I wanted to go for more of a custom route to show some creativity and going beyond the standard options that were available. With this in mind in the Trace Options I selected Custom and I was able to then tweak the settings to what I wanted. The Mode was set to Colour, as I wanted to keep the colours of the cars present as opposed to, for example, Black and White, and the Pallete was selected to Full Tone. By selecting this to Full Tone this meant that a whole hole of colours would be available to the program when vectorising, especially needed once the Colours number was set to 85. Heading into the Advanced settings I decided that I really wanted a created a subtle cartoon-effect to the image, and by tweaking the Paths to 36%, Corners to 72% and Noise to 56 Pixels this ended up at the effect that I was looking for. In regards to the Paths, this is in relation to the fit of the of the vectorisation, with a higher path setting meaning a tighter fit. Personally I felt that at 34% this was a fairly loose fit, and I felt this benefited the end result well. In regards to the Corners, this is in relation to the emphasis of the corners. Choosing 72% for the corners emphasis meant that there was a strong emphasis of the corners in the vectorised image which I felt was beneficial to the image as it made for a clear definition to the image to help create a real feeling of appearance. Finally, the Noise element is in regards to reducing noise by ignoring areas of specific pixel size. In my case, I opted for the size of 56 pixels as I felt that at this level there was just enough detail being captured in the image, however the element of noise was not being an issue. However, if this level was decreased the level of noise was very much apparent and I felt that this was not beneficial to the appearance of the image. 

Pen Tool and Clipping Mask used

Having now explored the function of the Image Trace to vectorise the image and also create an aesthetically pleasing effect to the image too, I was able to go about removing the background from the image. Once again this was something that I wanted to do as the current white background was something that was not wanted in my design due to the background being grey in colour so would of definitely looked out of place and unprofessional. With this in mind I once again decided to use a combination of the Pen Tool and a Clipping Mask. To start with the pen tool was used so that I could careful draw around the Trio of Cars to select just them and not the background which I was wishing to discard. Having previously used the pen tool in the Blog Post 43 for the portrait of Gene I felt that as this resulted in a good result for the accurate selection it was the best tool to use. Further details in regards to the Pen Tool can be found in Blog Post 33 - Pen Tool however another reason for using this tool is that is allows the precise selection of the area that I was wanting to keep. After the pen tool was used to select the outline that I wanted, I was then able to right click and Clipping Mask -> Make. This then allowed the selection to be effectively clipped away from that of the rest of the image, with the end result being of the selection of the Trio of Cars. Personally I feel that the clipping mask was the best solution to removing the background which is why I opted to use it - it was very swift to use and the end result was exactly what I wanted.

Trio of Cars Added to On Disc Label

Having then utilised the clipping mask this meant that I could save the Illustrator file with the name of TrioOfCars so that it would be quick and easy to find it in the future. Quickly reverting back to the DVDDiscCover Illustrator file meant that I could go to File -> Place and fine the TrioOfCars file. Once this had been placed this meant that unfortunately it had been placed in a layer with another element of the On Disc Layer. I really wanted to keep each element separate, so a New Layer called TrioOfCars was created. Then, with Gene selected this meant that I could navigate to Object -> Arrange -> Send to current layer where by the Trio was then able to be moved to it's own separate layer. I felt this best as if in the future I needed to edit this further, for example moving or creating some more effects, then I would be able to find and select the layer ready for editing. Also, it just makes everything much more accessible and easy to use when all is nicely in order and in separate Layers. Once the Trio was in it's own Layer, then meant that I was now happy to move and resize the new layer to the area that I wanted. By utilising the selection tool I was able to move and also resize the Trio of cars image (as per usual, holding down the Shift key which meant that the aspect ratio was kept the same as to not skew the orientation which would not be professional and result in a poor appearance. Regarding the end position I was careful to ensure that the centre of the Ford badge on the grill of the Capri lined up with the centre guide line of the disc which mean that the image was symmetrical, as that was something that I was careful to bear in mind. 

One last slight alteration that I carried out was in relation to the Brush Tool. Where I had decided that I like the Trio Of Cars being located, this meant that there was a bit of Gene Hunt protruding at the bottom of the cars just where they interacted. Just to remove this, I decided to select the Brush Tool, use the colour of the background and with the Gene layer selected I could then simply brush in the areas I did not need. Personally I felt the use of the Brush tool in this instance was the best route and resulted in the quick remedial action to create the effect that Gene was standing behind the Trio of Cars. It was also important to ensure that the Trio of Cars Layer was above that of the Gene portrait as to give the impression of depth.

Once this was completed, this meant that I was now ready to move onto the next element of the On Disc Label which was in relation to the Background Pattern.

Blog Post 43 - Stage 2 - Completed Design: Gene Hunt

My finished design for Stage Two: On Disc Label

As mentioned in Blog Post 39, the following posts will be in regards to the explanation of not only how, but more importantly why I went about designing the On Disc Label in the way that I did. For reference, my finished design is posted here. In a similar vein to that of the DVD Amaray Cover, these posts will be split into the following elements: Background; Border; Titles; Gene Hunt; Trio of Cars; Background Pattern; Logos; Information. The next element that will be discussed is that of the Gene Hunt.

Gene Hunt

Putting Gene Hunt onto the On Disc label was always something that I definitely wanted to include in my design, as originally set out in Blog Post 38 - Design Ideas. My reasoning behind this is due to him being the main character of the DVD and therefore I felt that it was important that it was part of the label. Looking around at the images of Gene Hunt that I had previously researched for the Stage One DVD Amaray Cover I, after much consideration, decided to opt for the same base image as that of the DVD Amaray Cover.

Gene added to the label.

Not only did I feel that this was a very good image, I also felt that it was in keeping with that of the House Style that I was striving to keep to during the design phase. For the DVD Amaray Cover I applied some effects to the portrait of Gene in that the opacity was reduced as to form a type of ghosting effect - further details can be found in Blog Post 14 - Gene Hunt Portrait. Moving back to the On Disc Label for Stage Two I decided to opt for another effect. To being with I decided to open up a new document in Illustrator which meant that I would be able to start manipulating the image of Gene separately prior to placing it in the DVDDiscCase Illustrator File whereby I could place and arrange it to the area that I wanted it to be. With a new artboard open, I was able to go to File -> Place... and place the photograph of Gene into the new artboard so it was ready for editing. By using place was the best route for importing an image outside of illustrator into the artboard. Prior to using the function of a Clipping Mask,  I decided to explore the different options that I had to subtly change the appearance of the layer that was Gene. Although the original photograph element was perfectly acceptable, in the end I decided to utilise the Image Trace option that is situated on the Toolbar. This is something that I had not been previously shown, so some research and trial and error in regards to how it works was needed, however in basic terms the Image Trace tool literally traces the photograph that you have placed in the artboard and essential converts it from a bitmap image to that of a vectorised graphic. Not only is this really rather useful in regards to resolving pixelated images that would occur if a bitmap image was resized too large, for example, the Image Trace also produces some very interesting and appealing effects too. There really is a whole host of different effects, worthy of a blog post of it's own perhaps, however in my case after some trial and error I decided to opt for the option called 6 Colours. By using this option, when Illustrator traces the images and converts it from a bitmap to a vectorised image it takes into consideration the most common 6 colours and utilises these in the design. 

Image Trace Options

I feel that it is also worth bearing in mind that you can change the options in the Image Trace options for the number of colours that are present in the Image Trace, however I felt that the 6 Colours option was the best suited for my design. For reference, the different between the original and the 6 colours vectorised image can be found here. In regards to the other options for Image Tracing these include Shades of Grey, Sillhoeutree, Line Art and Black and White Drawing, however I felt that the effect given from the 6 Colours option was the best compromise in regards to the design that I wanted - all in all the simple colours worked well and for example I feel that the Black and White Drawing would of been too contrasty for my design.

After this was completed, I decided that I did not want the background to feature on the On Disk Label, and therefore I needed to go about removing the background from the photograph of Gene, so it just left me with the outline of him. I decided this as the background that was currently in place was nothing to do with what I had in mind for my design and therefore was surplus to requirements. To do this I decided to use a combination of both the Pen Tool and a Clipping Mask. To start with by using the pen tool this meant that I could draw around Gene to select just the areas that I wanted - in this case, just Gene. By using the pen tool I thought that this would be the the best tool to use to select around the portrait of Gene, and this was also a very accurate way to do things. Referring back to Blog Post 33 - Pen Tool explains more in depth details, however utilising the pen tool to it's full potential was certainly something that was very useful and allowed the precise selection of the area I was wanting to keep. After the pen tool was used to select the portrait of Gene, this meant that I could right click and Clipping Mask -> Make. This then effectively clipped the selection away from that of the entire placed image, and left me with just the selection. By deciding to use the clipping mask this was, I think, the best solution in regards to removing the background which is why I opted to use it.

Clipping Mask and Image Trace "6 Colours"

Once the clipping mask was in place, I was then able to save the Illustrator file with the name of the Gene which meant that I would be able to easily find it when I came back it in the future. This would be quite soon indeed, as reverting back to the DVDDiscCover Illustrator file meant that I was able to go to File -> Place and find the Gene Illustrator File. Once this had been placed this meant that unfortunately it had been placed in a layer with another element of the On Disc Layer. I really wanted to keep each element separate, so a New Layer called Gene was created. Then, with Gene selected this meant that I could navigate to Object -> Arrange -> Send to current layer whereby Gene was then able to be moved to it's own separate layer. I felt this best as if in the future I needed to edit Gene further, for example moving or creating some more effects, then I would be able to find and select the layer ready for editing. Also, it just makes everything much more accessible and easy to use when all is nicely in order and in separate Layers. Once Gene was in his own Layer, then meant that I was now happy to move and resize the new layer to the area that I wanted. Back in Blog Post 38 - Design Ideas I had originally decided that I wanted Gene to be in the centre of the disc, almost at the centre of attention. With this in mind, to resize I held down the Shift key which meant that the aspect ratio of Gene was kept the same as to not skew the orientation. Regarding the end position I decided this as of course I had to take into consideration that of the cut out whole in the middle of the disk that would not be there once made into production. With this in mind, I decided to try and keep things symmetrical again and place his hands where the hole would be which centred up the image well.

Once I was happy with the location and size of the image (had to take into consideration the other elements that were to follow in the design), I was able to move onto the next element of the design which was that of Trio of Cars. 

Blog Post 42 - Stage 2 - Completed Design: Titles

My finished design for Stage Two: On Disc Label

As mentioned in Blog Post 39, the following posts will be in regards to the explanation of not only how, but more importantly why I went about designing the On Disc Label in the way that I did. For reference, my finished design is posted here. In a similar vein to that of the DVD Amaray Cover, these posts will be split into the following elements: Background; Border; Titles; Gene Hunt; Trio of Cars; Background Pattern; Logos; Information. The next element that will be discussed is that of the Titles.

Titles

One of the elements that was always going to be included on the On Disc Label is that of the Title mainly so people will know what the disc contains...! Reverting back to the House Theme and Style comments that I have previously mentioned numerous times, this was another element that I really wanted to keep in keeping with the rest of the design. Back in Blog Post 15 - Front Cover Title I explained all about how I went about sourcing the font of WrestleMania which I decided to use for my Title - full details can be found there. However, in the case of the On Disc Label I decided to make some subtle changes as for this to fit into the design better, with another play on words being used within the design - more on that, to follow...

Title in place

To begin with, though, as per usual a new Layer was created called MirrorManTop - once again by using the different named layers this meant that if one was to come back and need to edit a certain aspect then this would mean it would be easy to find in the future. Once this was created this meant that I could then head on over to the Type Tool, which would enable me to add some text (or type) to my design. As per the screenshot to the right, I decided that I was going to curve the Title to follow the curvature of the previously placed border. Prior to selecting the Type Tool I really did consider using the Type on a Path Tool which would mean that I could literally type around the edge of the border...however in practise when tried this did not result in the effect that I really wanted as it did not space correctly as to how I wanted it, even after adjusting both the Kerning and Tracking (previously explained in Blog Post 35 - Typography). So with this in mind I decided on the Type Tool, which allowed me to type the text how I wanted it, however I still had the slight issue of ensuring that the text was manipulated in such a way that it was able to be formed in line with the border curvature. Firstly I decided to edit the appearance of the text itself, and after the font of WrestleMania was selected (as to keep the house style), I decided to select the font size to that of 36 point, as I felt this filled the area well although some fine tuning later on in the process meant that the actual size was 33 point. 

Warp options used to curve the titles

In regards to the other appearance considerations, I decided to add a stroke of 0.75 point in the colour of white which meant that it was admittedly a bit different to that of the solid fill of the DVD Amaray Case, however I felt that in this application it worked well and was still in keeping with the house style. This contrasting stroke outline meant that it also worked well with the extended lettering areas which were in Black. After this, a few effects were applied to that of the text, namely a Drop Shadow - I decided on the Drop Shadow as personally I feel this makes the end result of the text appear much more professional as opposed to just being placed there with no shadow. Finally, the other effect was that of the arc effect, which was used to curve the text. Within the Warp options there was a whole host of different types of Warping however I decided on the Arc option. By using this option this meant that the text was equally arced and produced an aesthetically pleasing end result with the text matching the curvature of the border perfectly. This would not of been the case, if for example, I used one of the other warping techniques such as that of Arch or Bulge which do not curve the type in an equal manner. In regards to the amount of arc that I applied, I decided on 42% which meant that it matched the curvature of the border.

Bottom Title placed and Arc warped

With the title now in place, I decided that I wanted to add another title to the design, however this would be at the "bottom" of the design - obviously as it is a circle there is no true top or bottom, however in the design orientation that I was working with this was going to be opposite that of the first title. As previously mentioned, I wished to, once again in a similar fashion to that of the background used on the DVD Amaray Cover, use a play on words of that of the Mirror Man title.  With this in mind, I decided to create another version of the Mirror Man text (all details in regards to how are above), however once that had been placed and the appearance edited to be that of the same I decided to use the Rotate function to rotate the type 180 degrees so that it was effectively upside. Then, once again heading on over to the Warp options (Effects -> Warp) I was able to apply an Arc Warp effect, but this time to a degree of -42% as the warp was going to be to the other flip side of the previously edited top title. I realised that admittedly this was not of course going to be a true Mirror effect, however personally I felt that the slightly affect and subtle play on words worked well and I thought that by incorporating the second title this made it also slightly different to the masses that usually only feature the one title.

With the two titles now in place on the On Disc Label, this meant that I could now move onto the new element which was that of Gene Hunt.