Love Some input...........

Doc Bernard

Doc Bernard

Indie Arms Member
Doing the Poster for the last project I worked on. LOL, it sucks being a man of many talents. My constraints were that the posted could only use red, white and black and grayscale.
Dilated-2.jpg
 
Isn't too great IMO. Just being honest, but it looks very amaturish.

Its not so much the colors, which I understand is limited, but it's the way the pictures are used and the fonts that go alongside it.

The pictures are arranged too cleanly IMO. If it's a collage they should blend into each other in a more natural, less unified way.

Then the fonts are very off. Using 'fancy' fonts tends to hurt the professionalism of a poster, or anything. Try something a bit more neutral. There are many fonts that are very neutral, but are interesting as well. It just takes a lot of looking. Plus the 'Dilated' letters seem to not be perfectly aligned.
 
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The font doesn't fit and doesn't look great. But most importantly, there's way too much. Good marketing calls for simplicity.
 
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If I may, since I am happy to see that honesty is delivered here.... I am curious as to what you are trying to "deliver" in your poster.

I am confused by it. (it's kinda ironic that there is a subliminal "?" in your layout)

The use of the "eyes" are the best thing in this poster. ALL of the other images need to go. The "storm-troopers, the bleeding body, the zombies??? and ESPECIALLY the "hero" shot. (if THAT is the hero, it is not a very "selling" look of him. sorry. not sold) And the text is HARD TO READ. Not good for SUCH an important feature of marketing.

I DO NOT write to be cruel. But if you are a man of many talents (a concept I understand) then I am trying to help you reach a point that I took to long to reach.... LET OTHER'S DO WHAT THEY DO BEST and YOU FOCUS ON WHAT YOU DO BEST.

Sorry. This poster is not good and I do not think you should use it.

This is my honest opinion but it is only an opinion.

I mean no disrespect and I hope none was taken.

Continue to create!
 
No offense taken. LOL! I love honest feedback. I didn't catch the "question mark thing" But now I see it. Good eye!

These are rough concepts I am doing now. I was asked to help out, since I did the last one for them. (And there is NO budget).

It is funny, as I do like to focus on what I normally do (GUNS, and stunts), but I dabble in PS, and have been a user of it for about 6 years now.

Latest Version:

Dilated3.jpg


But I think this one is too busy as well. I think I am going to "simplify it" even more. Thinking of killing of the "assault team" on top and expanding the title to fit in that negative space
 
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MUCH better!!! Much, much, much better. FOCUS is on the hero. The others toned WAY down... nice. The "assault team" is kinda cool BUT they need to "flow" into the "scene" as Jon eluded to. Not necessary the *same* scene but blend them in. They stand out like a model shoot or something.

The use of "Dilated" is better but STILL NEEDS TO BE BOLDER in my opinion. The "Hero" and "Dilated" should take ALL OF MY FOCUS... I should want to look deeper into the poster to find out more.

Don't let "subtlety" elude you. Use it.

Much better!!!
 
btw, in this version, try making your hero bigger than the poster. let his forehead get chopped off the top border. Make him the focus. Let his eyes that you used before "fill" the canvas. Experiment.
 
Mucho progress from 1 to 2.

Typography is the most important element missing here. One should not treat font and text as characters in a text box, the controls to adjust them are not enough. You'll want to turn your letters into objects and really make them work as far as proximity goes from letter to letter.

Look at each two letters first, see how they're standing next to each other, then compare with two other letters that seem to be standing unusually closer or something. adjust, as they were objects, as in turn them into objects in illustrator, tweak and place back in photoshop.

Go through each pair or three letters, and keep looking at the whole word. People read words as groups, they don't read each letter in sequence, we all remember the internet forward where all was jumbled except the first letter and last letter.

I would mix a tiny bit of gray with the red. just a tiny bit.
 
to Ted Arabian on making character the focus :

Too True, Doc Bernard. Use your cinematic knowhow as well, try taking the guys in the back and making them a little less ontrasty, heck maybe even throw a soft blur on them ;)

We're just setting up our website, and our graphic designer is having a ball with the way things are emphasized cinematically.

Always experiment, but experiment consciously.

Cheers
 
Also, use illustrator to set up your poster dimensions and all, the final file, and use photoshop to handle your raster images, and bring em into illustrator. My several cents :)
 
Latest Version, I forget which one:

Dilated4.jpg


Greymog, doing a 24x36 poster, like I did with the last one. I can take this to a particular local printer and get it printed and mounted on 1/4" foam for $75 USD.
 
The problem with #3 is that broken glass just doesn't look like real broken glass. It's a cool concept, but it's not working. And that font with the shadows behind it... really ruins it. Maybe it's my monitor, but the red even looks a tad on the pink side.

I preferred #2, which is much much better, but the font is still a problem. I remember this problem with your demo reel. Why do you like using fancy fonts doc!?!? :)

Well okay, maybe the fonts are better in #2, but they still feel a bit off. I would just go with something more neutral, but that's just me. At least they're not military stencil fonts. I think Greymog has a point. It's about how you use them more than anything. Typography is an art in itself. It's tough, time consuming, and requires hundreds of fonts on your hard drive, and sometimes you still won't find the right font and have to search online for an hour or two.
 
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I hate fancy fonts. I thought this one was simple. Where am I going wrong?????? The broken glass was a "inspiration" on the drive home from work. I think about this constantly, how to make it "remarkble", "set it apart", "win a Emmy or an Oscar for just the poster alone". Guess that is out of the question, unless all of you are wrong!!!!!!!! But I think you are not. LOL, I agree. Indie's are cursed with this aspect. Designing the poster "should" involve professionals, but if the budget does not allow it, where do you turn? To people like me, those that enjoy Photoshop though are still amateurs at it.


I love simplicity. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Doc Bernard said:
I hate fancy fonts. I thought this one was simple. Where am I going wrong?????? The broken glass was a "inspiration" on the drive home from work. I think about this constantly, how to make it "remarkble", "set it apart", "win a Grammy for just the poster alone"


I love simplicity. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Maybe fancy is the wrong word. You're right, it is simple. But it's just not the 'right' font IMO. Well at least I'm not a fan of it. But I don't know the movie, so it's hard to judge.

But what does everyone else think? Cause it may just be me.
 
What kills me is the previous poster on "Gig". It was a hit, instantly, I hate to think I was a "one-hit wonder". I know the creativity is in me. But right now......... running on empty,
 
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What font is that???????? I like what you did with this!!!!!!!!!!! Two layers of glass. Nice!

Or are you saying use this concept, slam the opacity to 100 and use it as a "border"
 
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