UFO:Alien Invasion
Development => Artwork => Topic started by: eleazar on February 09, 2008, 07:55:16 am
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On of the things that helps make an imaginary world look real, are the various symbols, logos, for companies, nations, signs, etc. in use as part of every day life. I thought it would be interesting to develop some.
I'm starting with flags for the national blocs. Don't know exactly where they will be used, but opportunities should arise, if they are available. All this flags are at least a partly original, and should more or less be guessable, if you know the backstory.
Africa: self explanatory.
Asia: Most Asian flags have some sort of sun symbol, and use red. I did both in a way IMHO that feels Asian.
Europe: a modest evolution of the EU flag.
Islamic Union: Using the colors of many Arab flags, it's reminiscent of the flag of "Organization of the Islamic Conference" and the colonial flag of Arab Revolt.
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North America: obvious
Oceania: a monstrous frankenstining of some of the major flags of this national bloc, however it's hard to believe that one of these blocs wouldn't have a committee that came up with an unwieldy flag. The Southern Cross is still prominently displayed, as is appropriate for these nations.
Russia: mostly the same. added a star... because.
South America: A revolutionary looking design using colors in most south american flags.
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also refined medic symbol.
I've created all these as SVGs, so they can be scaled and used in any situation. I'd recommend creating a folder in the trunk somewhere for graphics like these that aren't used directly by the game but are useful for creating various in-game content.
Other useful symbols/logos (which i haven't made yet):
* a PHALANX symbol
* symbols for a few multinational conglomerates (fictional)
* biohazard
* warning: deadly stuff
* top secret
* cryptic symbols found on alien stuff
* ranks (currently low res pixel in trunk)
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Great job on the flags. I like.
Note that we don't have an "Islamic Union", it's the "Middle-Eastern Alliance". Flag still works for me, though.
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Wow, that's some damned nice work. The only two I don't love at first sight are the America and Oceania flags. The America one just doesn't work, in my opinion, and there are far too many countries in Oceania to be able to make a coherent combination flag.
By the way, we already have a PHALANX symbol of sorts -- it's in SVN somewhere, crossed golden spears over a gold circle.
Regards,
Winter
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I'd recommend creating a folder in the trunk somewhere for graphics like these that aren't used directly by the game but are useful for creating various in-game content.
We have this. It's the data_source branch. SVN path:
https://ufoai.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ufoai/ufoai/data_source
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I've created all these as SVGs, so they can be scaled and used in any situation. I'd recommend creating a folder in the trunk somewhere for graphics like these that aren't used directly by the game but are useful for creating various in-game content.
It already exists: see http://ufo.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/ufoai/ufoai/data_source/
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We have this. It's the data_source branch. SVN path:
https://ufoai.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ufoai/ufoai/data_source
Ah, i missed that.
Wow, that's some damned nice work. The only two I don't love at first sight are the America and Oceania flags. The America one just doesn't work, in my opinion, and there are far too many countries in Oceania to be able to make a coherent combination flag.
The North America flag seems pretty clever to me (i can say that 'cause i got the idea elsewhere), a little over-complex, but highly reminiscent of all 3 flags.
But you're right about Oceania. I can't stand it today either.
New Oceania flag: The big star is know as the "star of commonwealth" in the Australian and NZ flags. The vertical bars represent "diversity" (displaying most of the colors in commonwealth flags), and the constellation still represents the "southern cross".
By the way, we already have a PHALANX symbol of sorts -- it's in SVN somewhere, crossed golden spears over a gold circle.
Ok, i wondered what that was for... but really it's looks like a medal. It's not really graphic enough to be used as an insignia. Perhaps a more graphic version of that concept.
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I love most of the flag proposed here
I like Africa and Asia best, and the simpler Oceania flag with the South Cross
The GEU flag should stay the same as the current one, because the 12 stars represent unity and completion (see the significance of the number 12)
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There are 12 stars in the ring, and the one in the center is a different size, so it's clear it's not part of the 12. I think the symbolism is adequately preserved. The star in the center could well symbolize something else. More importantly, I think it's a good thing to use a different flag, because it enhances the feeling that this is 80 years in the future.
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I'm generally in agreement with Winter on the flags, the North American one especially. It's overcomplex and clashing. Red and white should probably be the focal colours, as these two are common to all three member nations.
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More importantly, I think it's a good thing to use a different flag, because it enhances the feeling that this is 80 years in the future.
Yeah, part of my reasoning. Also those with strong -/+ feelings toward the actual political bodies can more readily take a step back, since we're not talking about the real EU, but only something similar.
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I think the GEU flag is one of the cleverest of the lot, a very subtle but effective change. My only gripe is that the colours seem ever so slightly off from the current EU flag.
I'm happy with the new Oceania one, although I'd be even happier if you reduced the number of coloured bands on the left.
Will you give the American one another go at any point?
Regards,
Winter
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I'm happy with the new Oceania one, although I'd be even happier if you reduced the number of coloured bands on the left.
Will you give the American one another go at any point?
For Oceania, simpler is better.
As i was bathing and trimming the dogs, i turned North America over in my mind. Here's a more streamlined version.
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Yeah, I'm a lot happier with these new ones. Nice work.
I'd be open to a reworked PHALANX logo, myself, ideally with some matching text over it or below it.
Regards,
Winter
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The X-circle-crosshairs-thingy being my first idea.
I'm trying to go for something with a strong graphic element that can be recognized in a variety of contexts. A more elaborate crest-like version with "PHALANX" spelled out, i haven't done here.
The blue represents earth, the red represents and external threat, and the black represents the secret organization that protects earth... unless i find something that looks better.
I'm not sure what i think about this, but i'm sure leaving it out overnight under the collective eyes of the internet will clarify my thoughts.
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The black circle with those thorn-like shapes looks a bit like a crosshair to me. I dont really associate that with protection. So if you want to modify anything, that's where I'd start.
I've also expected a more traditional logo, closely attached to the greek Phalanx theme :P.
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which reminds me - the red cursor we have in battlescape could also need some tweaking - also some proper license ;)
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This is much too abstract, I think -- I couldn't possibly think of it as the visual identity of anything. A good logo has to communicate something. Like Blywulf said, I was expecting something more traditional with a Greek phalanx feel to it.
Regards,
Winter
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If I may suggest something, I'd move in this direction:
(http://home.autocom.pl/bilinski/phalanx-logo.jpg)
I think it should resemble a mission patch that space shuttle astronauts wear on their space suits. A latin sentence located somewhere on the badge is a must ;D
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Oh, I like that one.
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As do I, although I'm still attached to the crossed spears emblem . . . Maybe we could have two logos -- one for the old, 1950s PHALANX, and one for the new revitalised version?
Regards,
Winter
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Looks awesome :D That should be in ancient Greek though, right? Phalanx? ;)
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There's some mistaken preconceptions here. Note the following symbols...
They are both extremely simple and very easy to recognize, and well known. None of these shapes and colors originally were associated with whatever they now represent, and yet (possibly excluding the RAF symbol) there are among the most successful visual identities.
When the logo will often be seen at a small size, the importance of easy-recognition and simplicity is multiplied.
I'm expecting to use the symbol on the armor and/or helmet and the aircraft wings. Something with the complexity of a NASA mission patch wouldn't work well in these situations. Note that my "cross-hairs" is recognizable even reduced to one color, IMHO a necessity for some uses.
It could possibly in some other contexts, such as on the wall at the entrance of the base where a more complex version with name and motto included could be used. But that's a secondary use, and it's much easier to fancy up a simple identity than simplify one that's too complex.
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There's some mistaken preconceptions here. Note the following symbols...
They are both extremely simple and very easy to recognize, and well known. None of these shapes and colors originally were associated with whatever they now represent, and yet (possibly excluding the RAF symbol) there are among the most successful visual identities.
When the logo will often be seen at a small size, the importance of easy-recognition and simplicity is multiplied.
I'm expecting to use the symbol on the armor and/or helmet and the aircraft wings. Something with the complexity of a NASA mission patch wouldn't work well in these situations. Note that my "cross-hairs" is recognizable even reduced to one color, IMHO a necessity for some uses.
It could possibly in some other contexts, such as on the wall at the entrance of the base where a more complex version with name and motto included could be used. But that's a secondary use, and it's much easier to fancy up a simple identity than simplify one that's too complex.
That's all well and good, but the fact is that I'm not feeling anything looking at your proposal. Nor am I thinking anything -- you'd have to have it explained to you, know exactly what the individual pieces are, in order to make any sense of it.
These other logos you've pointed out have clear visual or cultural messages/meanings. The Nike swoosh is an image that implies speed. The Nazis used the swastika on their flags because of its use in old Norse runes. The RAF colours are the colours of the Union Jack. And the peace symbol . . . Well, god knows where that's from, it's always been rather meaningless to me -- but it is still instantly recognisable as a unique emblem. There is only one use of that particular shape, that being the peace symbol. Coloured circles, on the other hand, are fairly common by comparison.
Your logo just doesn't have a unique visual, it doesn't have a clear visual message or cultural meaning. That's why I have the problems with it that I do.
Regards,
Winter
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eleazar, what about reversing the ticks on the x? That's the problem with it I think -- that it looks too much like a cross-hair. EDIT: Something like the rough mockup here:
(http://lunarlollipop.co.uk/private/x.png)
BTW, does Humanity 80-years from now consider the Moon to be part of the Earth-Moon system?
Finally, the Union Jack is a good example -- while the RAF badge has its colours, the flag itself is actually quite a complex layering of different flags. So, the RAF badge is actually a simplification of a more complex visual identity... ;)
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Okay, I've got a rough idea on what might work for the Phalanx flag. The earth in greek symbol is a crosshair (not an x, but a plus with a circle around it) and the symbol for moon is a cresent moon upright. So what if we take the Earth symbol and place it to the left of the flag and the moon symbol on the right in the center could be some sword/spear combination with a latin phrase inscribed on a circle forming the field. What comes to mind for the center graphic is a rampant shield with a spear crossing it. This should place the spear and shield between Earth (Us) and the Moon(Outside). Does this work okay or do we need a new symbol for outside? A prototype should be forthcoming once I build it and host it somewhere.
Guildenstern
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I'm in NZ, Born and Raised, I like the most recently posted Oceania, I would have placed more emphasis on the southern cross as Oceania to me is majorly Australia+NZ (Population) as Japan etc. is generally considered Asian. But that'll be because I'm in the region, skewed viewpoint.
Peace symbol is a combination of N and D in Sempahore. Nuclear Disarmament, grew to be anti-war in general, hence peace.
The more you know...
I would personally try (And may end up trying, although any 2d art I do will just be concept, to flesh out my ideas for better artists to consider) to incorporate a shield into the logo, as part of the phalanx thing (A major part of the greek phalanx was the shield) and an overall feeling of defending the earth, spear is good as it gives the feeling of agressive defense (Offense) without the nastiness that a gun says, as well as the whole phalanx thing.
Not too fond of the moon = outside idea, Phalanx was put in place to defend from aliens, and it was always assumed that they were outer solar system at the closest (I'm sure you all know the spoilers) so moon probably wouldn't represent outside suitably. Maybe look at something traditional for a defense force and say that they kept the 1950's phalanx flag or dont show the old flag and only reference it.
I guess if art was provided for 50's and modern Phalanx and they worked in that context, use both in the game.
And yes I am aware I sound pretentious, I like to be thorough so that someone can get something from what I say. It's worth it if it helps improvement.
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Perhaps tossing the moon symbol out and moving the shield and spear onto a low- res earth graphic with a starfield behind it? We could then have a ring of white "atmosphere" around the Earth graphic in which to place writing of some sort. This would also give us a patch version by dumping the starfield.
Do we like that idea better?
Guildenstern
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Posted these under a new topic earlier not having seen this thread. No idea if the flags are set in stone already, but here's some designs I came up with:
Asian Republic - tried to use symbols from the more prominent Asian countries Korea (taegeuk), Japan (rays from the naval flag), and China (yellow stars on red).
New Africa - Took three of the panafrican colors, red, yellow, and green and combined them in a flag similar to Burkina Faso's, except with a vertical bicolor as opposed to a horizontal one.
Middle-Eastern Alliance - Picked the Panarabic colors and arranged them in five stripes so that they still feature the former flags of non-Arabic countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.
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I like your Asian and African flags, but the Middle-East flag doesn't do anything for me. It's too busy and fragmented.
The flags aren't set in stone yet, so if you really think you can improve on what we've got then you're quite welcome. The Asian one is definitely better than what we had before so I wouldn't mind replacing that one. The African one is a toss-up, I also quite like the old one.
Our need for revamped GUI artwork is also quite pressing, do you think there's anything you could do on that score?
Regards,
Winter
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our other flag images are released under "GNU General Public License 2.0 or later" is that ok for you, too?
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I like your Asian and African flags, but the Middle-East flag doesn't do anything for me. It's too busy and fragmented.
The flags aren't set in stone yet, so if you really think you can improve on what we've got then you're quite welcome. The Asian one is definitely better than what we had before so I wouldn't mind replacing that one. The African one is a toss-up, I also quite like the old one.
Our need for revamped GUI artwork is also quite pressing, do you think there's anything you could do on that score?
Regards,
Winter
As I said elsewhere, the flags were done before I knew what the others looked like. I'm partial to the old African flag as well, as it uses pretty much the same concept as mine.
Not sure about the GUI, what exactly are you looking for in that regard.
our other flag images are released under "GNU General Public License 2.0 or later" is that ok for you, too?
No problem on my behalf.
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Pitching a couple more flags:
Revolutionary Countries: Used the colors of the flag of Gran Colombia, the country the liberator of the Spanish colonies in South America, Simon Bolivar, ruled. Hugo Chavez, for instance, sees his socialist revolution as a continuation of Bolivar's struggle, and I'm postulating so would the modern revolutionary countries (besides incorporating former non-Spanish colonies).
Commonwealth of Oceania: I tried something that moved away from the seven pointed star, as that's largely exclusively Australian. The globe is from the original commonwealth flag, as is the blue partial circle, which represents the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The southern cross gets used by a couple other Oceanian flags, so I included that as well.
Greater European Union: I basically used the same design as the previous one except that the stars are centered again and the colors are the official ones, because the others were off, as someone noticed.
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Hi UM, here's my take on your new flags:
Revolutionary Countries: Used the colors of the flag of Gran Colombia, the country the liberator of the Spanish colonies in South America, Simon Bolivar, ruled. Hugo Chavez, for instance, sees his socialist revolution as a continuation of Bolivar's struggle, and I'm postulating so would the modern revolutionary countries (besides incorporating former non-Spanish colonies).
I like it, but it's too busy and lacks the simple punchiness of the old flag. I think you'd have a tough time improving on that design.
Commonwealth of Oceania: I tried something that moved away from the seven pointed star, as that's largely exclusively Australian. The globe is from the original commonwealth flag, as is the blue partial circle, which represents the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The southern cross gets used by a couple other Oceanian flags, so I included that as well.
This is nice, I approve.
Greater European Union: I basically used the same design as the previous one except that the stars are centered again and the colors are the official ones, because the others were off, as someone noticed.
Good improvement, however I liked the design slightly off-centre as most of the other flags have centred designs. Can you move it slightly to the left?
Regards,
Ryan
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Current EU flag is centred. Uncentred it make no sens.
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UlteriorMotives, can you re-render your flags in 485x300? That's the resolution of the flags we currently use.
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UlteriorMotives, can you re-render your flags in 485x300? That's the resolution of the flags we currently use.
Sure, though it'll break my heart to use a ratio other than 2:3 =P
You want all of them or just the ones that have been "approved"?
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All of them, might as well.
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I like it, but it's too busy and lacks the simple punchiness of the old flag. I think you'd have a tough time improving on that design.
The original is a pretty slick design. My only real beef with it is that it's essentially a slightly modified Surinamese (Surinaman?) flag, and Suriname is perhaps even less Latin American than the United States. If that design gets kept, I wanted a more representative design to at least have been considered.
Good improvement, however I liked the design slightly off-centre as most of the other flags have centred designs. Can you move it slightly to the left?
I'd strongly recommend changing the EU flag as little as possible, seeing as it's legally required to stay the same. Adding a star reflects its name as the Greater European Union, though in earnest, I doubt there's real concern from the EU for using the original design:
Use by third parties
The European emblem may be used only if:
- there is no likelihood of the user of the emblem being confused with the European Community or the Council of Europe;
- the emblem is not used in connection with objectives or activities which are incompatible with the aims and principles of the European Community or of the Council of Europe.
Permission to use the European emblem does not confer on those to whom it is granted any right of exclusive use, nor does it allow them to appropriate the emblem or any similar trademark or logo, either by registration or any other means. Each case will be examined individually to ascertain whether it satisfies the criteria set out above. This will be unlikely in a commercial context if the European emblem is used in conjunction with a company's own logo, name or trade mark.
Linky (http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics2_en.htm)
That said, I did tweak it and made off center version as well.
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I've worked up new designs for the UA and Russia as well:
Russia: Essentially a variation of the current Presidential flag with proper colors. Removed symbols of Czarist authority (as well as the St. George part of the coat of arms) mainly because it would have been more work. Somehow I felt just adding a star was too simple.
United America: The old design felt more fused than united. Used an eagle to reflect the union between the US and Mexico. The colors of the banner at the bottom reflect the national colors of the member nations. The UA/AU symbol is meant to reflect the multilinguality of the UA, since I assume Spanish (and possibly French) would be recognized languages as well, which would change the order of the letters.
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And the Oceanian flag.
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Asia, Africa, Oceania, Revolutionary and both European flags have been committed to the SVN repository.
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I've worked up new designs for the UA and Russia as well:
Russia: Essentially a variation of the current Presidential flag with proper colors. Removed symbols of Czarist authority (as well as the St. George part of the coat of arms) mainly because it would have been more work. Somehow I felt just adding a star was too simple.
United America: The old design felt more fused than united. Used an eagle to reflect the union between the US and Mexico. The colors of the banner at the bottom reflect the national colors of the member nations. The UA/AU symbol is meant to reflect the multilinguality of the UA, since I assume Spanish (and possibly French) would be recognized languages as well, which would change the order of the letters.
Both flags are top notch, thumbs up, no complaints from me whatsoever!
Regards,
Winter
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Committed.
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I figured I'd weigh in a little on this topic, since I'm interested in flags a bit myself.
First, on the matter of the currently implemented ones: I honestly think some of them are a bit ugly and / or impractical. Specifically, United America, the Middle Eastern Alliance, and Asia. The Rev. Countries flag could also stand being changed to something a little more traditional. The New Africa flag, on the other hand, is superb; I don't think it needs any changes.
Second, regarding some of UlteriorMotives's proposals: I like a lot of these, especially the American Union, Russia, and Asian Republic ones. The Rev. Countries one is on the right track, but like Winter said it's a bit cluttered, and the MidEast one doesn't really seem appropriate, either.
I'm kind of tossed up between the two Oceanian flags, though.
As far as the two remaining flags (MidEast and RevCountries), I've worked up a few proposals of my own. Both of them are pretty much reworkings of existing designs that I tweaked a bit to fit more traditional patterns for their respective regions. Let me know what y'all think of them :)
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I like them, though the middle east one strikes me as a modified version of Iraq's flag.
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You're kind of right: The flag is based on the Arab Liberation Flag (http://www.fotw.us/flags/arabcol.html#lib), which was the inspiration for the current Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian, Sudanese, and Yemeni flags, as well as the historical flags of these nations plus Libya (http://www.fotw.us/flags/ly_1951.html#1969) and the short-lived United Arab Republic (http://www.fotw.us/flags/uar.html). It also borrows the triangular hoist from the Arab Revolt Flag (scroll up a bit on that first link), which in turn inspired the flags of Palestine and Jordan. (In general, the article I just linked to covers the subject pretty well.)
Actually, I'm starting to wonder if a design based more closely on the Arab Revolt Flag itself might be a bit more appropriate. I've quickly flipped the colors around to match; see which one you like better.
P.S.: Sorry for the infodump. I tend to overthink these things sometimes :P
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Yet another variation, based on the Iranian color arrangement.
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For the Arab flag, I prefer the one with the red triangle. I'd be happy using it in the game.
For the Rev. Countries flag, I think your proposal lacks the aggressiveness of the one from eleazar, which is one of the reasons why I really like that one. It's a very uncompromising set of colours and captures the revolutionary spirit quite perfectly.
Overall, we need to review which of the various proposed flags we're going to use as final. I've got my favourites which I think are all pretty good, but I don't think it matches what's in the game yet. ;)
Regards,
Winter
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A suggestion for North America ...
I didnt notice UlteriorMotive's latest one before i made this. I think his one's better - mb too much white - but well, now ive done that i might as well post it. ;)
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/338/northamerica.png)
Yes, Quebec got independance from Canada, before everyone united :P ...
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After reviewing some of the earlier conversations about the PHALANX logo, I decided to whip up a few "concept" mockups using a piece of clipart (http://www.openclipart.org/detail/21038) as a reference / base. Since the images are rather large, I decided to upload them to my Photobucket account and then link to them here. I'm not proposing that they be used in their current form per se, but they might be useful for someone else to work off of.
Elaborate (http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv213/Specialist290/UFO%20Alien%20Invasion%20Work/phalanx2.png)
Simple (http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv213/Specialist290/UFO%20Alien%20Invasion%20Work/phalanx_simple2.png)
EDIT: Graagh, I just realized that the globe on one of those is off-center... Meh, I'll fix it later.
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@BTAxis, @Winter: Which one of these should be used now? in every case, please add them to data_source with the svn:license and svn:copyright tags.
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You mean the logos? For now I say stick with the old logo until there's something better that has the same design (earth on the shield, etc).
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A burst of inspiration and a quick edit gave me this:
Simple, Large Globe (http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv213/Specialist290/UFO%20Alien%20Invasion%20Work/phalanx_simple_bigglobe.png)
I've decided that I like this one much better than the other two. For one, less clutter, and you could identify it more clearly from a distance.
Which reminds me--I really should get to work on an aircraft roundel mockup. That ought to be pretty easy...