A contest to design the vgmstream logo!
Before I list the rules, let me make clear that I welcome pretty much anything, and I want to see as many suggestions as possible. I just don't want to have to deal with legal crap, or crap submissions.
The rules:
1) Within the next 14 days (last day July 7th) post your suggested logo in this thread. It need not be finalized and polished, line drawings are OK, vivid descriptions might be marginally acceptable if they describe something sufficiently awesome. Note though that preference may be given to complete, usable logos. You don't have to put the image inline (with the [img] tag), you could just post a link to wherever you have it.
2) Submissions must be accompanied by a statement explicitly allowing their reproduction without restriction (though you may demand attribution if you like).
3) No limit on the number of submissions per person, joint submissions are OK but you'll have to decide among yourself how to split any (potentially awesome) prize.
4) Submissions should not be made of copied stuff, i.e. sprites from games and such. Freely drawn images of such things or custom sprites are fair game, though.
5) I'd like to see incorporated the concepts of A) video games B) music and possibly C) streams/rivers/etc (though don't struggle too much with that). Something that came up in early discussions was to avoid suggestions of lo-fi game sound (i.e. Space Invaders ships or such). As much as I love chiptunes, and though they are iconic and recognizable as video-game-related, vgmstream deals with prerendered streams, so such images may be misleading. This is more of a guideline than an actual rule, though, just letting you know ahead of time what my position is likely to be.
6) Please no intentionally stupid submissions. I'm sure they will be funny; let me laugh at them ahead of time to save you the trouble. Ha ha ha! And also LOL.
7) Winners will be selected by hcs (me). There may be more than one winner, there may be none if this turns out miserably. Though I only foresee using one logo as a primary (to avoid "diluting the brand") I see no reason not to reward sufficient awesomeness and maybe have a random spare image.
8) Winners will receive random items from my collection of random items, posted to wherever they happen to be (limited to Earth, sorry). You might get a choice if I can't decide. While I can't say what the value of the prizes will be just yet, they will be at least interesting.
And of course you win the right to have your logo on some awesome software.
So that's it, real prizes and fame for your good ideas. Since HCS Forum has a relatively small readership, please post about it elsewhere with a reference back to this thread (though please only somewhere appropriate, where people might be interested, and avoid seeming too spammy).
Edit #1: A question, Is it ok if the image is nintendo oriented?
Edit #2: or perhaps, if you're familiar with highly advanced, you might know of how the retarded cat pictures show every so often when you tag a gsf. Maybe multiple images could be in order? (with a GCN, PS2, or XBOX logo showing every so often)
edited 12:15 PM EDT June 24, 2008
edited 1:54 PM EDT June 24, 2008
While that'd be spiffy, I'm doubting it will happen, because that'd require a few more logos, as well as the fact that it might require extra coding to get it to show the various logos in that fashion.
Now that I've had the idea though, maybe I'll put some effort into making multiple logos... Knowing me though, I'll be lucky to get 1 logo made, let alone 5. Mouser X over and out.
It needs a lot of work. The "VGM" needs to be thicker, to help it show up more. The green circle is meant to imply the X360, the blue line is to imply the Wii, and the "font" of the VGM is meant to imply the PS2. Mouser X over and out.
edited 10:08 PM EDT June 24, 2008
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/11/9/1574507/VGM%20out.jpg
It may not be my only entry.
edited 9:10 PM EDT June 24, 2008
An old in_cube logo proposal. The idea was to go for the iPod silhouette effect, but with the GC's light glowing.
Entry One
Entry Two
Thoughts, maybe?
IconVer 1
IconVer 2
IconVer 3
Also, since it wasn't specified earlier and it's in the rules, all images I post here for this reason are free for use and reproduction. Credit is nice but not required. :P I'll post the source files if desired, too.
Thanks to all who've posted so far!
edited 12:24 PM EDT June 30, 2008
work in progress
HCS can do whatever he wants, its his file now. I do have one that is a bit higher res
http://www.mediafire.com/?2gmxdvmwath
edited 4:42 PM EDT July 5, 2008
Also, I am trying to come up with an icon to go behind the text to help along the game icon thing. Not sure what to make just yet. The initial idea was some gamecube/xbox360 fusion thing.
No reason not to img tag this since you're going to see it anyway.
As per rules, you're free to use this, blah blah, you get the idea. Only condition is if I come up with something better, could you change to it that? ^_^;; This is the general idea, though, I'll only be building onto it, not massively changing it.
If you got any suggestions, I'll take a look and see if they work.
EDIT:
Another version you might like better. I can't decide, both look great.
edited 8:04 PM EDT July 5, 2008
I'm accepting submissions until the end of July 7th (tomorrow!) and then we can all find out who won. I'm looking forward to finding out myself...
Another yet entree.
[img]http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/11/9/1574507/VGSTREAM%20Gameboy.jpg[/img]
As for an individual icon, my idea right now would be this metal diamond with just the streaming S on it, possibly having the elongated parts run close to the edge, then bend to follow the edges in a diamond shape around the s.
I might work on it more later if I have some time, though I won't have any tomorrow as I have to work. If it wins, I'll be sure to work out all the details and stuff over the week or a few weeks. Want to make sure it's a damn nice logo/icon for a damn nice job done ripping this music format.
Not useable, as the musical notes are stolen (don't have the time to create it myself at the moment).
Description:
- in the final version, the upmost line of the sheet music is a little thicker as it would actually be the cord of the controller (then of course coming out from the middle of the controller's upper side)
- sheet music should be the first six/seven notes from the Super Mario Bros. main theme ("Ground BGM"), probably the most recognisable VGM tune there is
- moreover, I'd like to incorporate pixels to have it more video game-like, for example use pixelated notes or something like that
Also, nensondubois's misspellings are hilarious...if they're meant to be.
My real entree is.
[img]http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/11/9/1574507/VGMSTREAM%20Gameboy.jpg[/img]
There was one other thing I had thought of using, and that was a CD as the icon, since most of the systems are cd systems. I'd have to see how it looks, or see how it might look combined with the diamond icon.
I'd be working on mine more right now, but thanks to 3 hours of sleep, I'm pretty wasted right now... if only there was a few more days. I might try to get one more concept up later before the day's over, but it isn't looking too good at the moment.
edited 5:58 PM EDT July 7, 2008
Very nice and very clean. I'm liking what you have already up, but I'd like to see what'd you come up with next.
Bring it!
And to nensondubois, since you're so intent on insulting another's submissions, you broke rule 6 by intentionally submitting joke submissions as you admitted above:
"I made them to be funny.
My real entree is. (link)"
Not only that, but your design has nothing to do with streamed music from systems that use it (gameboy isn't streamed), and goes back to being in line with chiptunes, which was what was suggested not to do in rule 5.
Now, please don't insult others' submissions. Try making suggestions instead.
I have other ideas for mine, too. I have this awesome gold gradient I made that looks nice on the text, and also nice as turning the metal diamond into a gold plate. I might post them, but those were really tests from earlier.
EDIT: You know, I was thinking about a joint deal kinda thing, too. I got the text, but no icon, aside from the diamond "plate", might be neat to try to come up with something together.
edited 9:35 PM EDT July 7, 2008
The time limit isn't really there to exclude anyone, anyway, it's just to provide a bit of urgency.
If I do get picked, I would like to work on something with the others to try to make something final, if possible.
For now, here's just some neat things I got just playing with some colors and a few other things, not anything final. The gold gradient font looks pretty awesome, imo, though the blue one seems to fit better somehow. I'll have to see how it turns out if I get help coming up with a symbol/icon to go with the words. Music notes are definately something that seems needed, I'm just not sure where to have them yet without an iconic figure.
example 1 (My favorite one as a just text logo)
example 2
example 3
example 4
example 5
example 6
I have another idea now, too, using a spectrum analyzer behind it all to represent the music aspect. I might try to get that out before time's up.
EDIT: Here's a sorta mockup of that idea.
edited 11:36 PM EDT July 8, 2008
I would have done more work on this, but I ran out of time. I was gone all weekend, and didn't get back until very late on the 8th (due to transportation problems. One of the tires lost its tread. I'm just glad we didn't have a blow-out...). Tomorrow I will have a little time, but not much. In other words, while it would have been nice to come up with some more ideas, I doubt that even with more time I would have been able to produce much. Maybe, if I have the time tomorrow, I'll submit a "late" entry and see how it turns out. Don't hold your breath on that though, as I don't have any spectacular ideas right now.
Last, DChronos's logos are my personal favorites, in regards to "snazziness"/completeness. However, I still like my original idea. I just think it needs to be cleaned up and refined. Perhaps add some form of "streaming" or musical notes, or something to it... Anyway, as I don't have the skills to do that, it's unlikely that I'll put forth the effort (at this time) to give it the refinement it deserves. Nice work DChronos! Mouser X over and out.
I'll have my decision in a few days.
./ |
| /
It was suggested that using a disk might suggest more towards being cd music, but I think that, since almost all streamed formats are from disk type games, with the other stuff, I think people would get the idea that it's a game disk it's streaming from. Technically, even CDA could be called streaming. P:
But yeah, anyway... I'd still like to collab on the final idea with whoever wins. I was really reluctant to use that PS2 controller or any one thing from a system because it would seem to suggest it's for that system, when in reality, it's for a whole slew of systems. That's one of the reasons I had a hard time trying to come up with some kind of graphic that really hits the spot to show it's for game console music. The game disk is the best thing that works since the logo says vgm. Too bad I didn't have time to illustrate my last idea. Oh well.
edited 7:19 PM EDT July 9, 2008
I appreciate everyone's participation, thank you very much! vgmstream will look slick as a result...
Well, anyway, I'm trying to think about what more to add to the main idea, but I'm running up a blank... especially when it comes to thinking of some kind of iconic thing to be put with the name text. But like I said before, I'd like to get input from everyone and to hear all your ideas and kinda collab on this and make something fitting with everyone that's willing to join in.
The main idea here is the idea of having a nice looking font with the streaming s design like I have a sample of here:
Though the font design doesn't have to be set in stone like it is, or the coloring, I'd like to look and see what you guys can come up with as well, and work with you guys and hcs to come up with the best logo design we can get. I'll take your ideas and work with them on my end as best I can, but it might take some time to get the final design with my schedule being hectic.
If need be, we can use that base design for the moment, though hcs wants me to change the white text to something else.
If you guys really like this design, though, toss me ideas at least for an icon. I'm not looking for something really that is specific to a certain console, since the stream format is across many systems. Ideas I have include a cd/dvd, a music note, things like that... something that would fit showing it's a vg music thing for the game systems that all use disks (hence the cd/dvd).
Well, toss me anything you got and I'll work with it and come up with some mockups!
But why a PS2 pad, when the main developments in VGMstream have seemed to be Wii and GCN games?
So would it be removed then..? Nothing console specific would be best. =)
I'm working on what the text says, but like this idea of stating what it's about, and it looks good down there. Plus I'd like it to be serious sounding, as the whole look of the logo has that serious look to it. I changed the colors a bit more like how they actually are in the ps2 logo ON my ps2, and they look good better this way, too.
This is still not a finished idea, and I still want some kind of iconic thing with it. I am working on the disk idea because I like that, but have a slight change to what I showed to you, hcs.
Also, at first, the line on the G looked weird and wrong, but I guess after awhile, it seems to look OK now.
edited 10:27 PM EDT August 9, 2008
But seriously:
STREAMING VIDEO GAME MUSIC PLAYER
Decoder is true, player isn't as it requires Winamp (the player) to run
We have over a hundred headers. What do you think we've been working on?
Decoder is true, player isn't as it requires Winamp (the player) to run
Fine, I'll concede this point. But note, Winamp only provides matchmaking between the input plugin and the output plugin. Literally, in_vgmstream directly calls out_whatever and Winamp stays the hell out of the way.
Well, it's a full-fledged library that outputs raw pcm audio, not only a Winamp plugin.
It outputs it not plays it, but yeah I see hcs's point.
edited 5:17 PM EDT August 25, 2008
edited 12:54 AM EDT August 30, 2008
Oh, and just to clarify my choice of words I chose for the white text, I state sound because it plays more than just music and just sounds cooler than music anyway, and format meaning streaming music as a whole. Even though it's hundreds of extensions and formats, I think streamed could be called a kind of macro format in itself.
Anyway, I'll try to find some time to mess with it again this weekend, and again, I'm sorry I haven't even gotten around back to that yet. u_u;;