Illustrator - Trialling Different Design Features

As stated in my previous blog post I am now at a stage where I can trial different design features within my selected design. I am going to explore many different ideas in order to improve the look and feel of my disk design. The main areas I wish to explore are the background, both in style and colour, the text again both in style and in colour and finally the positioning of the objects both clouds and actors included.

The first aspect I am going to look at is the background. In my initial designs I looked at a gradient fill background however I wasn't sure how well this worked with the white clouds and at the time the white text. For this reason I have tried a couple of different background options. These can be seen below.

 

 

After looking at different options in terms of the background fill for my disk I now feel I have created a big dilemma for myself. I started off with a background which I was unsure about and I have now developed three backgrounds which I like equally as much. My three favourite backgrounds are the solid purple, the solid light pink and mixed gradient at the bottom. Ultimately the gradient at the bottom is my favourite as it uses a mixture of all the colours in my colour scheme however how the title works with this will make my decision much clearer.

 

 

This leads me on nicely to the next area where I wish to trial different techniques. The title. At the moment I feel this is definitely an area which is letting my design down. Ultimately I did want to keep the font of my title the same as the one I used on my DVD inlay for continuity and for this reason I will only play around with the colour for now. I am going to work with the gradient background as this was my favourite. The images below show all the options I explored:

 

After experimenting with these different colour combinations I have really seen how important the title is to a design. The title needs to stand out and be seen yet still look professional. For this reason I only really like two of my ideas above. The first idea I like is number 1. I feel the white main body text sticks with my colour scheme while the black stoke makes it stand out. The second idea I like is number 4. This again uses the white main body text but with a bright pink stoke. I feel the black stoke stands out more but the pink stoke is more in keeping with my design. For this reason I haven't made a final decision yet.

 

Now I have looked at the colour of text I want to use I want to look at the positioning of this. Although I do really like the arched text around the top I want to explore different options in order to ensure I have made the right decision. The images below show the different options I explored.

 



After trialling these different title locations I am now sure I want my title to arch around the top of the disk. This is most effective but it also seems to stand out more here and in any other position.

 

From this process I now have a better idea of how my final disk will look. I like the gradient background with the White and Pink Text arched around the top of disk. I now simply need to play around with the refinements of this Illustrator to create the exact and final look. I am really pleased but also shocked at the progress I have made by simply trying different ideas and colours.