Graphics Design Unit: Web Banners James Buckmaster

The Plan

• To create a graphic involving my game assets to create a web banner.

• Show evidence of the graphic in a working progress.

• Get feedback, reflect and redesign graphic.

• Research other games stickers and banners to see if it helps my work.

Where I Stand With Banners

• Over the year of doing the diploma I have used Photoshop and Illustrator many times and am familiar with how to use them both effectively.

• Creating banners will demand a way of making it look good and effective so it stands out to possible customers, this is what I need to research.

• I already know that banners are a key part of direct marketing and that it leads to sales directly with just a click, therefore it has to look as good as it can to be effective.

Banner Examples

• These examples are all online advertisement but vary in what they advertise.

• Some advertise websites, some apps, some games.

• You can see that the app store advertisements (destiny island & wanderlust), have a certain way of presenting their app or game - keeping up with the trend.

• Web advertisements are quite glossy and a bit tacky, they make you not want to click on it.

App Banner’s Close Up • If we take a closer look into app advertisements,

most of them are similar - they have a clean theme to them.

• Fan Area and Magic Direct both have mute simple backgrounds to bring out the typography - they both have empty space within the box.

• The Surf Reporter App does this differently, they have filled the space with different texts, a themed character and a large iPhone - this sort of ad makes you not want to click on it as it doesn’t look professional and is most likely a waste of time.

• The Go Mobile skyscraper ad is a cross between the two, it keeps spacing and a similar colour scheme like the one above it but at the same time uses the wrong text and doesn’t have a ‘Available on the App Store’ logo.

• The ‘Available on the App Store’ logo makes the ad look professional, it’s all about the positioning of it as well.

First Banner Ad

My Reaction:

• Good first start, taken in simple ideas from the app ads I looked at.

• Composition is good, spacing and positioning is key in this task.

• Black and white image (expect from phone screens) to start with, makes it easier to concentrate on the composition.

Client Reaction:

• Framing between top of ad and phone doesn't match framing between bottom of ad and app store icon.

• Try having phones next to each other rather than overlap.

• Change slogan to something else.

• First phone covers main character, try switch.

Pushing On..

• I’m going to work on framing everything a lot more, by reducing the size of the app name and the icon.

• Change the black and white background and text to colour.

• Try new things with the iPhones, maybe add another phone or change the screens around.

• Work on a new slogan or have something else there instead.

Second Banner Ad’s

My Reaction:

• I think the second lot of banners are better than the first lot, especially with colour.

• The use of three phones instead of two is effective as it uses more of the page.

• I am in the middle about the text telling them to download instead of the icon.

Clients Reaction:

• Use of assets are good.

• Look’s like an iPhone wallpaper rather than the game.

Pushing Further..

• The clients reaction wasn’t as good as I hoped, they felt that the phone screens doesn't show the game off enough.

• I need to include gameplay or assets in a certain way to make it look like a game.

• I might swap around colours to bring it out a lot more.

Third Banner AdMy Reaction:

• Defiantly included in game screen shots including gameplay and a splash screen.

• Kept the colour scheme going but changed the light background to a maroon colour, same colour as the helmet.

• Kept the 3 phone positions the same, I removed one and made the other landscape but it didn't work.

Clients Reaction:

• Good I put the text instead of app store logo.

• Colour work.

• Gameplay works.

• Looks clean and professional.

• Maybe add another screen shot rather than splash screen.

• Adjust assets to add slogan.

Pushing Further Again..

• The overall feedback from the client was good, much better that the previous designs.

• I agree with the change of the third phone from the splash screen to another gameplay shot, it would make it look a lot better.

• I think a slogan would give it a bit of life, attract attention of the audience.

Final Image

• Myself and the client are very happy with the final ad.

• It shows Achilles in a modern app advertising way and shows it for what it is - 2D pixelated platformer.

• This style and format of this ad will carry over in other sorts of web advertisement like skyscrapers, square pop ups and full banners.

• You can see the skyscraper example next to the main banner in this presentation; same style to not confuse customers.