Post by Cohen L. on Sept 20, 2024 6:39:55 GMT -5
Hello there!
It has been quite a long while since I showed my work off, I'll admit... but I have been busy improving my skills on PowerPoint, refreshing the graphics as time has progressed. And because I have made so much, I thought I may as well compile some of the stuff I've done in a 'showcase' like fashion.
Please bear in mind that I have added a watermark because, over time, I have noticed or been made aware that my unwatermarked work has been used by people on YouTube without my prior permission, so I want to be more careful for any future work. Better to be safe than sorry, so the saying goes.
A look at the two logos - the main print version and the wordmark-only version. The overall design of the print logo remains the same: Classic but being inspired by the Olga versions of recent, however I reworked it to some degree by adding textures to the diamonds, while keeping the inner shadow effect. I also added more gradients to the atoms, having been inspired by Fimoku's recreation of the Olga print logo. I also reduced the size of the outer text slightly, which in my opinion, helps the logo to look neater than before.
I then converted the original wordmark into an SVG, which was then converted into a shape through PowerPoint. This took some trial and error as I wanted to find the best conversion method possible - this method was also used for the wordmark-only logo.
Having seen images of the Fastest Finger screens which utilise the game being operated by touchscreens, I decided that, if I had an idea on making my own version of the show, I would utilise the latter software. So, taking inspiration from the Blue Rave version, I decided to make my version of the FFF screen, as seen from the player's view.
Following on from that, this is how the FFF graphics would look on-screen. The glow on the lozenges for the 'answer reveal' graphic was inspired by the US 10th Anniversary specials - taking the colours from the lozenges and turning them into a diffused shape. For the 'who was correct' screen, I decided against using a four-digit numeric system, because we don't tend to utilise that in the British version, so instead I decided to add a sign representing 'seconds'.
The bulk of my showcase will be devoted to my main on-screen graphics, and there is a lot to go through!
I wasn't satisfied with the way the lozenges looked almost razor-thin when I first came up with this design in January, so I decided to recreate the lozenges by utilising the 'Merge Shapes' tools PowerPoint offers, which gave me the knowledge on how I could learn to make the lozenges from scratch. I used an outline of the outer lozenge shape, recoloured it and then placed it behind the main outer shell.
The lifeline icons have been redesigned, while keeping the inspiration from the classic version. Keeping the Olga inspiration recurring through my project, I decided I wanted two separate icons for the money tree and the 'lifeline reminder' strap, which Finn gratefully supplied to me. I also went as far as recolouring the lifeline cross - which I hadn't featured in my earlier graphic package.
A look at the lifeline graphics - I realised I hadn't upgraded my ATA graph, so I decided to make one from scratch. I was inspired by Olga 2.0, with the coloured text representing the majority more clearly. I utilised the 3D tools on PowerPoint to create the percentage columns - the result of which changed the look of the gradient I had applied onto them, but in a rather cool and unique way. I was trying to go for a look inspired by the original, after all.
I retained the idea of, on specific questions, showing a photograph of the answer, like how the UK version briefly experimented with that when the (notorious) Big, Bad Clock was introduced in 2010.
Not much to say about the overall design of the 'total prize' straps - they have remained the same as last time. The only difference here is I've changed the name of the contestant for the 'top prize win' strap.
One thing I enjoy about Millionaire is looking into the inner workings of the show - and none more so than the host controller. After months of intensive research, discovering new information, experimenting with colours, and numerous modifications, I am rather pleased with the way it looks. I took inspiration from a number of sources; one of which included the Rave and Olga host screens, which feature a little piece of information about the supporters the contestant(s) are accompanied by. I then realised it could also serve a purpose for Phone-a-Friend, being used to show who the contestant has chosen to ring for advice.
Finn gladly assisted me with recreating the lozenges, which had to be stretched considering that I wanted the screen to be in 'true' 16:9 aspect, while keeping the features from the original 2002 controller designed by Cat & Mouse. I also have to thank Minh Dang for adding his input and advice, his redesigns of the host screen has somewhat inspired me to retain the classic look as much as possible.
Thinking even further to behind the scenes, I created some miscellaneous designs for various things that Millionaire would need for recording or production. Having watched Magic Moments and More, and reading Tom McGregor's excellent publication "Behind the Scenes at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", I began by creating the contestant passes (seen on the top right). I tried to come up with an idea for what might be used as a 'general' background or colour scheme for this package, and I settled upon using the colours seen on the board game released by Ginger Fox a few years ago.
I admit I have a soft spot for the Celador International audience keypad, and I decided to experiment with the 3D tools further by recreating the keypad from scratch. I found a good reference photo from a user by the name of 'ocsham', on Flickr, who attended a taping of the US Syndicated version in 2006, sitting in the audience. It just so happened they had snapped a photo of their keypad, which served as the main basis of my recreation. And, because Celador no longer owns the rights to the format, I replaced their logo with that of Sony's. From a photo I found on the Millionaire UK account on Facebook, I know that this was removed from the UK keypads at some stage in the 2011-14 era, but I didn't want to leave it blank for my recreation.
Keeping the theme of 'bringing back the old', I decided to make my own version of the Millionaire billboard which used to adorn the wall of the studios the show used to be filmed in, at Elstree. Naturally, I had to change the location to dock10 in Salford, but it gave me an opportunity to find as much press photos from the revival of the show, trying to find one photo for each section the original poster (including contestants such as Jo Webb, Sheelagh Saunders and Pat Gibson) used to feature.
The audience sign was inspired from a photo I had seen from a person called Anas Hassan, who attended the taping of the 2012 Christmas Special (coincidentally, the day the article was posted was the same as my 8th birthday). I will provide the link to his blog post here:
officialanashassan.blogspot.com/2012/12/being-on-itvs-who-wants-to-be.html
Another big project I took on was the idea of a brand-new DVD game. I am fortunate to own all six editions, although I really like the 4th and 5th editions in particular. Having seen a playthrough of a Test The Nation game that was produced in 16:9, it made me realise that I could do the same for this concept. I've technically counted this as the 7th edition, as much as it would be promoted as the first game for DVD in a long, long time - but featuring new additions to gameplay, such as the chance to select how many questions to answer (as little as 12 or the classic 15), how many lifelines to play with, and even an opportunity to select what bonus lifeline to add. I designed the whole look of the game, however I've chosen only a few photos to showcase here.
Although the graphics here are based on the main pack I've created, I tried to make it seem slightly different - so I looked at the International Brand Guidelines, which gives a good guide on what fonts are used, how to use them, and even the graphics themselves. In this case, I used Clearface Gothic more frequently, whereas it doesn't really feature as much in my main graphics pack.
The process of getting to this stage has taken me practically all of this year, while balancing college - and now, heading into university. I would love to know what you think of this, and I will be happy to take any suggestions for improvement or change.
Thank you for your attention!
It has been quite a long while since I showed my work off, I'll admit... but I have been busy improving my skills on PowerPoint, refreshing the graphics as time has progressed. And because I have made so much, I thought I may as well compile some of the stuff I've done in a 'showcase' like fashion.
Please bear in mind that I have added a watermark because, over time, I have noticed or been made aware that my unwatermarked work has been used by people on YouTube without my prior permission, so I want to be more careful for any future work. Better to be safe than sorry, so the saying goes.
A look at the two logos - the main print version and the wordmark-only version. The overall design of the print logo remains the same: Classic but being inspired by the Olga versions of recent, however I reworked it to some degree by adding textures to the diamonds, while keeping the inner shadow effect. I also added more gradients to the atoms, having been inspired by Fimoku's recreation of the Olga print logo. I also reduced the size of the outer text slightly, which in my opinion, helps the logo to look neater than before.
I then converted the original wordmark into an SVG, which was then converted into a shape through PowerPoint. This took some trial and error as I wanted to find the best conversion method possible - this method was also used for the wordmark-only logo.
Having seen images of the Fastest Finger screens which utilise the game being operated by touchscreens, I decided that, if I had an idea on making my own version of the show, I would utilise the latter software. So, taking inspiration from the Blue Rave version, I decided to make my version of the FFF screen, as seen from the player's view.
Following on from that, this is how the FFF graphics would look on-screen. The glow on the lozenges for the 'answer reveal' graphic was inspired by the US 10th Anniversary specials - taking the colours from the lozenges and turning them into a diffused shape. For the 'who was correct' screen, I decided against using a four-digit numeric system, because we don't tend to utilise that in the British version, so instead I decided to add a sign representing 'seconds'.
The bulk of my showcase will be devoted to my main on-screen graphics, and there is a lot to go through!
I wasn't satisfied with the way the lozenges looked almost razor-thin when I first came up with this design in January, so I decided to recreate the lozenges by utilising the 'Merge Shapes' tools PowerPoint offers, which gave me the knowledge on how I could learn to make the lozenges from scratch. I used an outline of the outer lozenge shape, recoloured it and then placed it behind the main outer shell.
The lifeline icons have been redesigned, while keeping the inspiration from the classic version. Keeping the Olga inspiration recurring through my project, I decided I wanted two separate icons for the money tree and the 'lifeline reminder' strap, which Finn gratefully supplied to me. I also went as far as recolouring the lifeline cross - which I hadn't featured in my earlier graphic package.
A look at the lifeline graphics - I realised I hadn't upgraded my ATA graph, so I decided to make one from scratch. I was inspired by Olga 2.0, with the coloured text representing the majority more clearly. I utilised the 3D tools on PowerPoint to create the percentage columns - the result of which changed the look of the gradient I had applied onto them, but in a rather cool and unique way. I was trying to go for a look inspired by the original, after all.
I retained the idea of, on specific questions, showing a photograph of the answer, like how the UK version briefly experimented with that when the (notorious) Big, Bad Clock was introduced in 2010.
Not much to say about the overall design of the 'total prize' straps - they have remained the same as last time. The only difference here is I've changed the name of the contestant for the 'top prize win' strap.
One thing I enjoy about Millionaire is looking into the inner workings of the show - and none more so than the host controller. After months of intensive research, discovering new information, experimenting with colours, and numerous modifications, I am rather pleased with the way it looks. I took inspiration from a number of sources; one of which included the Rave and Olga host screens, which feature a little piece of information about the supporters the contestant(s) are accompanied by. I then realised it could also serve a purpose for Phone-a-Friend, being used to show who the contestant has chosen to ring for advice.
Finn gladly assisted me with recreating the lozenges, which had to be stretched considering that I wanted the screen to be in 'true' 16:9 aspect, while keeping the features from the original 2002 controller designed by Cat & Mouse. I also have to thank Minh Dang for adding his input and advice, his redesigns of the host screen has somewhat inspired me to retain the classic look as much as possible.
Thinking even further to behind the scenes, I created some miscellaneous designs for various things that Millionaire would need for recording or production. Having watched Magic Moments and More, and reading Tom McGregor's excellent publication "Behind the Scenes at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", I began by creating the contestant passes (seen on the top right). I tried to come up with an idea for what might be used as a 'general' background or colour scheme for this package, and I settled upon using the colours seen on the board game released by Ginger Fox a few years ago.
I admit I have a soft spot for the Celador International audience keypad, and I decided to experiment with the 3D tools further by recreating the keypad from scratch. I found a good reference photo from a user by the name of 'ocsham', on Flickr, who attended a taping of the US Syndicated version in 2006, sitting in the audience. It just so happened they had snapped a photo of their keypad, which served as the main basis of my recreation. And, because Celador no longer owns the rights to the format, I replaced their logo with that of Sony's. From a photo I found on the Millionaire UK account on Facebook, I know that this was removed from the UK keypads at some stage in the 2011-14 era, but I didn't want to leave it blank for my recreation.
Keeping the theme of 'bringing back the old', I decided to make my own version of the Millionaire billboard which used to adorn the wall of the studios the show used to be filmed in, at Elstree. Naturally, I had to change the location to dock10 in Salford, but it gave me an opportunity to find as much press photos from the revival of the show, trying to find one photo for each section the original poster (including contestants such as Jo Webb, Sheelagh Saunders and Pat Gibson) used to feature.
The audience sign was inspired from a photo I had seen from a person called Anas Hassan, who attended the taping of the 2012 Christmas Special (coincidentally, the day the article was posted was the same as my 8th birthday). I will provide the link to his blog post here:
officialanashassan.blogspot.com/2012/12/being-on-itvs-who-wants-to-be.html
Another big project I took on was the idea of a brand-new DVD game. I am fortunate to own all six editions, although I really like the 4th and 5th editions in particular. Having seen a playthrough of a Test The Nation game that was produced in 16:9, it made me realise that I could do the same for this concept. I've technically counted this as the 7th edition, as much as it would be promoted as the first game for DVD in a long, long time - but featuring new additions to gameplay, such as the chance to select how many questions to answer (as little as 12 or the classic 15), how many lifelines to play with, and even an opportunity to select what bonus lifeline to add. I designed the whole look of the game, however I've chosen only a few photos to showcase here.
Although the graphics here are based on the main pack I've created, I tried to make it seem slightly different - so I looked at the International Brand Guidelines, which gives a good guide on what fonts are used, how to use them, and even the graphics themselves. In this case, I used Clearface Gothic more frequently, whereas it doesn't really feature as much in my main graphics pack.
The process of getting to this stage has taken me practically all of this year, while balancing college - and now, heading into university. I would love to know what you think of this, and I will be happy to take any suggestions for improvement or change.
Thank you for your attention!
