A couple weeks ago, I brought up the topic of digital art that is commonly overlooked. Today, I would like to step back to that topic and bring about something similar with box art. Because box art spreads a number of categories, I will focus on video game box art because of their visual accomplishments and failures.
When we look towards purchasing a video game, or even DVD, we don’t think about what it is packaged in. As the consumer, we are more interested in what comes packaged in the disc rather than what is packaged in the containing wrap. I have a collection of games which presents me with a collection of DVD case art work that never receives much attention. One of the biggest questions that bother me is, “Why do distributors put so much time into creating box art?” Box art and the art that covers the top face of the disc appears to be rather pointless at times doesn’t it? We end up shelving our cases anyway and the disc which usually contains the same or similar designs as the case does normally gets fed into our disc drives where we never see it again until we decide to swap disc. There are many artistic designs that I have seen currently on video game case inserts.
The cultural favorite fighting game Street Fighter has returned in its fourth iteration titled Street Fighter IV and its cover art is just as attractive as the game. The reasoning behind this belief is that the actual game that is packaged behind this cover looks just like the cover. A unique Sumi-E art style gives the game and the cover a better pop in perspective. When playing the game, character models tend to jump at you and move so sleekly. The cover retains the same attributes as the game itself and isn’t deceitful.
Another game that I feel shows of great artistic qualities is Electronic Arts revolutionary game Skate. The cover is unique because of its simplicity. It doesn’t use overly saturated colors and doesn’t cram as many images and detail into one 7.125x5.00 inch space. The image contains no saturation to improve on its simplicity which also matches the simplicity of the name of the game. This type of approach is not normally taken and the outcome here is looks like an aged film, and if you aren’t familiar with the game or skating, filming is a major part of the sport.
One final game which displays a fine cover art is Burnout Paradise. I mentioned above that one good quality to Street Fighter IV’s art was that it wasn’t deceitful… well in this case, deceit is the next best thing. Anybody familiar with the Burnout franchise knows that the name Burnout and Paradise don’t mix well in reality, but mix flawlessly in a game. This cover art displays a very nice stenciled image of a vehicle which mask off a background of vibrant colors. The colors give off the paradise feel and may attract consumers who aren’t used to the franchise, but the game is everything but. High speed races and unrealistic vehicular crashes are breathtaking and make for a great game. The art doesn’t just mask away the colors, but it masks the gameplay as if not to reveal its goods.
Even with some pretty attractive art, box art of all forms will typically go unnoticed. As stated above, the cases will get shelved and often times thrown away as they take up a lot of space of those “collectors”. It is understandable to see the creation of attractive box art to lure the consumer in to purchase the product, but in an era with the internet, it isn’t box art that attracts people, it’s normally trailers, reviews, and perhaps the biggest, hype.
I do agree in that selling a product lies mainly on it's delivery. This is definitely where the artist meets the consumer. Box art for games, dvds, even posters for box office hits are important to the sales. The look compliments the feel, so to say. Games like Street Fighter IV show a beautiful box cover that depicts two fighters engaged in combat. This kind of representation, along with rumors of success or failure, lead to more sales. If, for instance, the designer decided to make the cover with one lone fighter standing there playing tetris, the idea of the game would be confusing and others not keen on the game play would be shunned. Movie posters tend to give the goer a quick look at what they're in store for and this benefits sales as to how artistic and beautiful the poster is. There Will Be Blood, for example, shows Daniel Lewis' main character shadowed out. This shows the viewer the character is possibly both deviant and angelic. Contrasts help in many ways of box art, leaving the viewer/player extremely curious.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always been a big fan of box art, and I really want to design game covers when I break out into the industry. There are many gems of good design on store shelves like the ones you discussed in this post. To add to your list, other games that have interesting box art are Rock Band 2, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and Viewtiful Joe. These box art covers are excellent at telling the customer what their game is about. They stand out of the shelves and catch a lot of attention.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are games that flounder in advertising the game inside its box. Such games as Mirror’s Edge, Left 4 Dead, and Assassin’s Creed all have horrible designs that do not tell the customer what the game is about.
I agree that nowadays the consumer is caring less about what the box art looks like and more about the actual game play. The actual game is what people are going to be spending their money on and many people end up discarding the boxes anyway. However, I feel that it is the full presentation of the product as well as the game play that makes the whole experience fun. Many graphic designers spend a lot of time on the packaging and their work should be admired.
You know, I have to disagree with some of the Cicconi's bad examples. I do think that "Left 4 Dead's" box art was well-thought what with the zombie hand with the severed thumb. It's simple, serious, and bears a degree of dark humor with it. But I really have to disagree with "Uncharted: Drakes Fortune." The design is well executed, but I think there's simply too much happening on that small surface area. I think it's trying too hard to be awesome. To be honest, I think there's too much bad cover art simply because of that reason. Of course, advertising differs from art principles. "Mass Effect" is my bad box art choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vinh that the Left 4 Dead cover is successful. There is no way the artist could have given away more information about the game without the cover becoming overly crowded and busy. They lone hand instantly tells you it is a zombie killing game. Also, the fact that there is a single hand gives you a feeling of loneliness, which is inherent in the game, where you are one of four humans amid of see of the undead. Overall, I think that box art is extremely important. Although you usually go by reviews, video, and other hype, the box art could entice other people to buy the game.
ReplyDeletei can really relate to this type of art because my focus is graphic design and a big part of what i do is packaging design. The important thing that gamers focus on is how the cover will attract the particular audience that would be interested in playing the game and also how it relates to the graphics of the game. I think its interesting that all three compositions are composed of similar color palettes and are not flat color. Also all of the artwork breaks beyond the visible plain. It is obvious that there is a very specific audience that these particular games are being marketed to. All of the artwork takes on an "extreme" quality. The box is one of the main components in selling the product. It's the first impression that consumers will have and therefore need to effectively attract the right buyer.
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