Hello,
I'm designing my board game box. I first looked at other game boxes in a local game store. I found that many games have icons on the box that say something about the number of players, the age of the players, length of a game.
My questions:
Has anyone seen these icons on the web? Where?
Is anyone permitted to use them? For free?
Thanks,
Pelpo
It looks like each company has designed their own version. I think it is reasonable to assume that they are not public property.
The solution would be to have some sort of open source icon set. Since we have so many talented graphic artists here how about someone step up and produce a set for public use and put it in the download section in a widely used format.
I'm game. :-)
Let's use this thread to compile a small list of desired icons and I'll gladly produce a BGDF-free-to-use set of icons. I'm sure a few other members will be as willing as me to provide their own verisons, so we could have several sets to choose from, so everyone can have one set of icons that matches his box design.
So start listing which icons are needed.
Seo
also 'Complexity Rating', lots of ways to indicate this...
and if there are any little bits that babies (or small children) might swallow ;)
maybe a mature content rating?
Nestalawe wrote:
also 'Complexity Rating',...
Maybe icons for luck, bluff, tactics, strategy,... However, just writing these words and putting their rating next to it is probably easiest to understand...
Cheese.
Nestalawe wrote:Quote:I think complexity is somewhat tied to age.also 'Complexity Rating',...
Yeah maybe, but to an extent...
Saying Strip Poker and Advanced Squad Leader are both 16+ games wouldn't give much indication on how complex the games are...
Level of...
Chance (a die?)
Strategy (sillouette of The Thinker?)
Analysis/complexity (brain aflame?) <-- would be a good logo for a game design or publishing house, no? A brain on fire?
Player Interaction/social-ness (stick figures in a club, drinks in hand, dancing and talking?)
- Seth
I think these should incorperate the BGDF logo whenever possible. At least the BLUE GREEN YELLOW RED
- Dwight
I think I'll whip up a set of icons as well. Photoshop would be my preferred format, though I'm not sure how many folks here are able to use that.
Is there another multi-layer format thats accessable to most here?
UPDATE: I've whipped up some quick and dirty samples, if you'd like the full .psd files, let me know and I'll find a way to get them to you.
I'll try a black only, line art approach. Something you can use like a font.
Actually, now that I think of it, placing the icons into a TrueType font would be an interesting option, easy to use for most people, regardless of the software they're using.
As for multi-layer formats, TIFF is a standard that also accepts multiple layers, but only in a few applications. I would stick to PSD for compatibility, but avoid layer effects, as these might produce some weird results when read on earlier releases of PS and other packages.
Seo
UPDATE: I've whipped up some quick and dirty samples, if you'd like the full .psd files, let me know and I'll find a way to get them to you.
Very nice, this is a great thread/idea.
if you'd like the full .psd files, let me know and I'll find a way to get them to you.
Player Icon
Time Icon
I like them... I could also use a photoshop tutorial if you have Skype and a free evening!
- Seth
I think the final format should be gif or jpg. Those are universally ok. If you want to save layered copies so you can modify them in the future that is fine.
I like how large they are people can scale as needed.
- Dwight
Ok, I zipped up the time and player icons.
Box Logos 1 (approx. 170KB)
I'll do my best to get a couple more done tommorrow. I'll try to get them out in jpg/gif formats as well but that might have to wait until I have a bit more free time.
Feel free to use them however you'd like, I'm releasing them under a very simple creative commons licence. ( Click here )
If anyone is curious, I'm drawing the logos in AutoCAD, then using Photoshop to pretty them up and add the text.
Seo, I like the idea of making logos into a true type font, do you have the tools/knowlege to do that?
Seo, I like the idea of making logos into a true type font, do you have the tools/knowlege to do that?
Right now I just lack the time to sit and draw the icons. :-(
But I'll manage to find some time. Right now I'm struggling to find time to complete my GDS entry. And a few clients are also annoying me, pretending their works to be done too. They really slow done my game developement process. I should get rid of them. ;-)
Seo
Just a quick update, my day is looking busier than I thought, so I might not get the age icon done until tommorrow, I'll clean up the time one a bit more at the same time, and try to get all the sized the same while I'm at it.
Is there not a kind of commision or organisation that rate board games like ESRB for video games ?
Here is a few other icons ideas
For the age rating, we should instead make separate icons that determine why there is an age rating. Ex :
Complexity of the rules
Dangerous component for low age kid
Theme of the game
We could make icons that can inform about the game mechanics
Has player elimination
Random vs Deterministic mechanics
One of the player has a special role (ex: Dungeon master)
Expandable game
I've made a (very) quick Ages Logo and added it to my zip.
BGDF Box Logos (zipped PSD files, 255 KB)
I've been dragged intodoing technical direction for a christmas production at pretty much the last minute, so I'm not going to have time to do any more work on these until after the holidays. As before feel free to use the icons however you'd like, and I'm sure someone could use my base to come up with more of the icons suggested here.
Could an admin mirror the file here on BGDF and add it to the downloads section? I'm not sure how much bandwith I've got available to me.
Actually, now that I think of it, placing the icons into a TrueType font would be an interesting option, easy to use for most people, regardless of the software they're using.
Illustrator might. I'm not sure. I've done fonts with CorelDraw and Fontographer, and played several years ago with FontLab, which was excellent (and I think the company bought Fontographer from Macromedia).
There are several freeware or shareware font editors available, too.
Seo
WOW! this is fun and easy.
This is some joke icons about games.
Good fun before going back to work.
A "small parts warning" seems redundant if "Age" is an icon. If a game is suitable for, say, 5-year olds, it should not have parts that are inappropriate for the target age.
Re: icon types and looks
If icons are the goal, then utility favors simple, language-neutral pictographs. I think the less there are, the easier time your audience will have understanding them. These are usually limited to simple concepts. Things like “theme” or “expandability” are better left to the descriptive text, as struggling to understand the meaning of a logo tends to defeat its purpose.
Scales (like time or complexity) are best left to something universal as well: clocks, thermometers and the like. Something where you can understand the minimum and maximum as part of the icon.
I would say that Age Range, Time to Play, Number of Players, and Complexity are the most important “at a glance” details one would need on the box.
Maybe the complexity could be a stack of books, to imply the time to read the rules?
A good source for ideas would be free or open-source clip art files. They usually have .eps files that are easy to modify for icon (or logo) design.
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Hey,
Thanks allready for the support. I think of these items to start with, feel free to add other ideas:
- number of players
- age of the players
- duration of the game
- time it takes to understand the rules
Thanks once again.