Another challenge for the fun of it...

[Ross Macintosh]

In the Talkgraphics.com '3d Graphics' forum there is a poster named 'RJ Swift' who is very interested in the graphics style used on the cover art of many hip-hop/rap cd's. In his thread many have suggested Xara X as good software for designing cd cover art.

I thought it might be fun to post a challenge. The idea is to design a hypothetical cd cover - using yourself as the recording artist. You don't have to use your pic if you don't want. Please don't post anything using actual band logos etc. - make up your own and have fun!

My quick example hopefully expresses the idea adequately. Please rise to the challenge and post your own imaginary cd cover...

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Ross Macintosh]

In the Talkgraphics.com '3d Graphics' forum there is a poster named 'RJ Swift' who is very interested in the graphics style used on the cover art of many hip-hop/rap cd's. In his thread many have suggested Xara X as good software for designing cd cover art.

I thought it might be fun to post a challenge. The idea is to design a hypothetical cd cover - using yourself as the recording artist. You don't have to use your pic if you don't want. Please don't post anything using actual band logos etc. - make up your own and have fun!

My quick example hopefully expresses the idea adequately. Please rise to the challenge and post your own imaginary cd cover...

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Dan Huff]

Hi Ross. I hope you don't mind, but I used MY real band's CD cover, with our real logo, which I designed with.....yup! You guessed it, Xara X! Xara made it easy to do revisions, and there were quite a few before we decided on a final.

Danny Huff
http://www.asherrocks.com
(I'm the guy who USED to have a lot of excess hair)

[Ross Macintosh]

My point about not using real bands and logos only related to copyright issues. If it is your own band I doubt there could be any problem. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

I still haven't figured out which guy in Asher you are. There are two guys with much hair...

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[mgeduld]

Danny, is that 100% Xara, or did you sneak into Photoshop for lightning and lens flare?

Marcus Geduld
{ email me } { visit me }

[Dan Huff]

..they weren't made in Xara, either.

Marcus, that lightning and lens flare are 100% REAL, and the background image of the CD cover was a photograph my drummer took, I believe, in South Dakota. He was less than 100 feet from the nearest lightning strike (on the right side of the pic) when he took that pic. I thought it was a stunning photograph so I suggested we use it for the cover, with some resizing alterations. It was actually a much wider shot that I squeezed on the x-axis and stretched on the y-axis, to get it to fit where I wanted it.

Xara was used for designing the logo, and the overall layout of this cover. Unfortunately, I didn't need to use many of it's wonderful illustration qualities for this project. I even had to redo everything in (gasp) Illustrator(and version 8, at that(errr.. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img]), for the sake of the printer making the film.

When the CD's were produced, they came out considerably darker than the original image, but I was still very happy with the result.

Danny Huff
http://www.asherrocks.com
(I'm the guy who USED to have a lot of excess hair)

[gwpriester]

A bit of this and a bit of that.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://www.gwpriester.com">
www.gwpriester.com </a>


XaraXone

[RTK]

... entries guys!

Ross - I love your shimmering eyes! They make me feel all tingly inside! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Danny - Fantastic image! What was your friend doing next to those power-lines in a thunderstorm?!

Gary - I can tell from the faint background image that the album cover is from your younger days!

I would buy a Album by the Crystal Balzak - from the name alone! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[Soquili]

Ross - I like the filaments flowing through your image. Are the balls a tribute to "Sing-a-long with Mitch" from the 1960s? Follow the bouncing ball ;-)

Danny - a very impressive CD cover.

Gary - is your photo from the days when you still had your guitar?

Soquili

[RAMWolff44]

Come on guys. It's fun and it's a learning experience.

While this is not as good as I would like, I have got to get back to MY reality.

Just for the record, that IS me. It was taken at the SF International Gay and Lesbian Parade this last year.

The horns exist too. They are attached with a stretchy invisible wire. There is a web site, I will post the link in case any one is interested. There all all sorts of sizes and finishes. They are really lite and sturdy.

Now you know what the Wolff looks like [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Hope you like the cover.

RAMWolff [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]