STUDIO DEVELOPMENT - POSTER

In creating a poster, I was first confronted with the reality of this being a UI/UX Project. In analysing other examples of posters created in previous years, I noticed how they had visual representations of an Interface on the poster itself, acting as a portfolio-like display, which is what I based my first conceptual layout on.

While I recognised the merit of such a design, I was advised to create a poster more-directly inspired by concert posters, as my game had a unique style inspired by 60s psychadelic posters of this era - that would lend itself well to a more unique poster. I did, however, look towards more contemporary inspirations for this, as the 60s Psychedelic style would be hard to balance in regards to readability.

I then cross-referenced my style guide research into the different stylistic feats of each era, and how each were laid out. I found most of them had the band title on top, a band image in the middle, and descriptive text at the bottom. In doing this module, we were taught as to how to do character renders in Unreal Engine, which inspired me to follow this format - as I would be able to do so without the need for 2D Artwork. Thus, I established a new layout in light of this.

Additionally, I noted points of inspiration I wanted to take from. Most notably was the crumpled paper-like aesthetic that many of these posters have, that bring forth a unique filter to help the different elements to pop. I took most inspiration from the 80s style of posters, most notably "The Clash", which had a jagged outline, like it'd been cut roughly with scissors - as well as "The Police", which have the subject and background the same colour, yet uses the black of the filter applied to the subject to help it to stand out.

I noticed how many of these had the bands themselves with a unique filter applied. A connecting theme between many of them was that they followed a pop-art like artstyle, a type of artwork that based it's form on mass-produced objects and human faces. To help infuse the planned render of the band with stylistic flair, similar to the examples mentioned above, I decided to research different ways I could bring this to my poster. I found that Adobe Stock had many filters matching this style in the way of Photoshop templates, which I compiled together, for reference.

Finally, came the assembling of the poster.

Due to needing to create a poster at a 10866x15425 resolution, I understood that sizing would be important in this process. However, it was to my benefit that, in working with vector art as a UI Artist, I was able to scale this up without fault, and seamlessly weave it into the style.

In this poster, I incorporated several different UI elements from my project, such as;

• The display of my name at the bottom is wrapped around a button.

• The QR Code, which is displayed within the border used for grading your score.

• The top text "End of Year Show 2025", which was used in the pause menu to title pages.

• The distorted checkerboard background, inspired by the Turbulent Displacement Checkerboard of my title screen.

• The border with a light green accent, inspired by the top bar of the menu screen.

Having done these different elements in accordance with the style guide, I was able to establish stylistic clarity in bringing over these elements, inclusive of things even like the QR Code, which uses the exact orange used in the interface.

I then attempted to make a render of the band within Unreal Engine, setting up a camera within the level, and giving it the specifications of the poster. However, I repeatedly had an issue with it only rendering one tile at the correct exposure, with the rest being extremely dark.

This resulted in a rather labourious, crash-filled process of trial and error - but found that it rendered correctly upon having the project settings exposure set to 10, and the camera's exposure set to minus 10, even as that displayed as pitch-black in-game, as it would then flip the variable to a positive one upon rendering.

After then obtaining a transparent version by getting the alpha mask through setting the world around them to hidden, I masked that upon this image, and gained a transparent version.

From here, I attempted to experiment with some of the templates I had researched. I had found that the contrast from the results against the actual background stood out too much, and did not feel stylistically relevant to the surrounding poster.

I eventually found a suitable variant, using the Glued Pop-Art effect - which applied an aesthetically-pleasing filter without discolouring the image beyond recognition.

I brought the image in, getting the following effect on the layer.

Then, upon applying the paper texture layer within the template, I cut out around the white background roughly, using the polygonal lasso tool - much like the above examples, wanting the image to seem as if someone cut it with scissors.

Finally, upon applying the Luminosity effect upon it, I had the subject applied to the poster, which blended in by not being a colour that would take away from the text or QR code, all the while still standing out against the background through the cut-out outline.

I believe that this poster is a good display of my talent, as a designer and UI Artist alike. It shows how I am able to be stylistically cohesive and respectful to the work I've done before this, so that the style remains recognisable to my work and not disconnected. Additionally, the QR Code, through it's unique display and positioning, is easy to access, and allows my name to get noticed with potential publishers and recruiters.

SHOWREEL

In creating a showreel, I researched what is the most effective way for delivery of User Interface. I noticed the below videos, which managed to condense their interface showcasse between one and two minutes, not showing in-depth explorations of their menus - but instead quickfire demonstrations that leave an impact.

In doing so, I decided that my showreel would not be any more than two minutes maximum, and I would sacrifice some demonstrations of miniscule interfaces - credits, options, transitions - in order to ensure what stands out is able to be shown.

Additionally, since my game is themed around "rhythm", I decided to look into how rhythm games present themselves in trailers, even as I am making a showreel over a trailer.

I found that they often bind their shots to the beat of the song, such as displaying a new shot when a new bar is reached in a song - for example, Rhythm Heaven Groove's trailer, upon showing a gameplay montage, is in 4/4, and displays a new shot upon the completion of every bar. While I aimed to prioritise an etiquette showcase of my interface over flair, I also decided to bring a new shot upon a bar's completion, around approximately a two bar or four bar length in 4/4, depending on the shot's duration, establishing a rhythm to the trailer. While this was unable to perfectly maintain, such as some shots needing double the time, it was still something I found personally enjoyable to coordinate.

I am pleased with how the trailer came out, as it was able to demonstrate the different interfaces of the game, their imagery and quirks - all within a condensed timeframe. I believe this will be a good example for my portfolio that highlights my strengths as a UI/UX Designer, while also being digestable enough to - and has prepared me for the job hunt ahead. Going forward, even in minor projects, I aim to edit their demonstration video into a quickfire showreel akin to the project above, over a full-length showcase - allowing researchers to more intricately delve into my portfolio.