Custom Cover Art Thread

[GuyIncognito]

So will people randomly take others up on Custom Designs? I've seen a few people request some titles (myself included) but haven't seen anyone volunteer and make one. Just wondering how that would work.

[DrrnHarr]

Originally Posted by RUsum1

So will people randomly take others up on Custom Designs? I've seen a few people request some titles (myself included) but haven't seen anyone volunteer and make one. Just wondering how that would work.

It's very rare that someone will make a custom cover for somebody else after just a request. Those who do these sorts of commissions usually are rewarded financially.

Personally speaking I only make customs that interest me, because it takes a certain amount of effort and I'm not going to expend effort on something I'm not interested in.

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by RUsum1

So will people randomly take others up on Custom Designs? I've seen a few people request some titles (myself included) but haven't seen anyone volunteer and make one. Just wondering how that would work.

I would also check some of the custom cover sites...everyone will usually find most of what they are looking for. If you do not know where these sites are located PM me and I will be more than happy to give you a list.

[Nissen]

Originally Posted by Imrahil2001

I honestly just find it incredibly difficult; I haven't seen the movies, usually, so have no idea what's appropriate, or who the characters are, or the milieu, etc. And yeah, it's a lot of work for something I don't really care about.

No to mention, if you do decide to be a good guy and actually make a cover in answer to a request, they will always, always want something changed. "Thanks, but can you use a different poster?. Can you make the logo bigger?"
No good deed goes unpunished

[Nissen]

Originally Posted by Imrahil2001

Well, I was being a little silly, but I truly am impressed by your work, and I"m sorry you got such a negative reaction from them about these. Imitation, flattery, and all that.

No problem, Im. I've been approached by design bureaus before with much the same suspicious tone. With regards to the Reel Heroes covers, I can see where they're coming from, especially with something that so obviously mimics a copyrighted design, but I don't see the need for the condescending tone. Heck, here's the full exchange:

Originally Posted by Hixville

We are the creative studio that came up with the Reel Heroes design for Universal Pictures.
We're a bit disappointed to see our design work replicated here, but most bothered by who your client is and why they'd want these sleeves propagated over the internet?
At the start of this discussion you asked people to post their own work only. Yet there are these and many other designs on this thread that blatantly rip-off ours and others agency's hard work.

Rennie Mitchell
Creative Director
Hixville

and my response:

Hello Mr. Mitchell.

Yes, the Reel Heroes design is a well known Hixville product (amongst designers at least), and let me first congratulate you and your team on a design that is quite distinctive and highly popular amongst film collectors and custom cover artists.

The Reel Heroes design has a huge fanbase out there, as I'm sure you're aware, and I'm not at all surprised that people would want a similar theme for a more diverse set of films than the Universal catalogue. Your design has taken on a life of it's own and is now being adopted, remixed, aped and quoted in many works out there. (With varying degrees of design skill and draftsmanship, alas.) Indeed, it is known that several custom cover artists have had interactions with designers from within your own company in this regard. "Reel Heroes design" has become a term of its own.

These are the first I have been asked to do myself, but I have seen many other Reel Heroes inspired covers for just about every comics-themed film out there. I do find the word rip-off quite harsh, but yes, they aim to follow the style-guide you established as closely as possible.

I recognise your concerns in protecting intellectual property, but rest assured these look-alike covers are commissioned by a private person and will not be employed in a commercial fashion. Once they're finished, my client wants to share them for free with anyone who would want to download them and print them for their own personal use. The existence of fan-art and custom covers is merely a celebration of the brands they represent, and for me as a graphic designer is a celebration of design (admittedly not original, in this case). Nothing sinister should be inferred by their existence. As you point out, your work is not the only brand to suffer homages in this fashion (you are of course familiar with the "FakeCriterion" site?).

Kind regards,

and that's the last I heard.

[phraseturner]

Added these to my Flickr link below:

Mission Impossible 4-film set
Star Trek 1 - 6 set
Star Trek 7 - 10 set
Planet of the Apes 5-film set

Originally Posted by phraseturner

Uploaded some more multi-pack covers to my flickr stream. Space-saving is key for my storage needs, so anytime I can put sequels in with the original film in a slimmer case, I try to.

Wall Street & Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Westworld & Futureworld
Gremlins & Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The Magnificent Seven & Return of the Seven (ignoring the last two not-very-good sequels...)
The French Connection I & II
Universal Monsters Collection (character covers for original blu-ray + DVDs of their sequels )
James Bond 007 (5 volumes, including Never Say Never Again and '67 Casino Royale + DVDs with features not on blu-rays)
The Hustler & The Color Of Money
Poltergeist I & II (ignoring the awful III)
Back to the Future Trilogy
The Fugitive & U.S. Marshals

If there's anything there that is of use to you--and you can't download it from that site in a quality suitable to you--PM me and I'll email you the file.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2164374...7629547569639/

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by DrrnHarr

It's very rare that someone will make a custom cover for somebody else after just a request. Those who do these sorts of commissions usually are rewarded financially.

Personally speaking I only make customs that interest me, because it takes a certain amount of effort and I'm not going to expend effort on something I'm not interested in.

Originally Posted by Imrahil2001

I honestly just find it incredibly difficult; I haven't seen the movies, usually, so have no idea what's appropriate, or who the characters are, or the milieu, etc. And yeah, it's a lot of work for something I don't really care about.

Generally if I like a movie enough to own it I like it enough to do a custom for, so I tend to only do my movies. Which are mostly '80s and '90s, and a lot of comedies and sci-fi.

I guess I didn't know how much went into making a custom cover. I've never really done anything with photo manipulation aside from cropping and resizing. I guess I just figured the hardest part was find a picture that you liked.

Originally Posted by Nissen

No to mention, if you do decide to be a good guy and actually make a cover in answer to a request, they will always, always want something changed. "Thanks, but can you use a different poster?. Can you make the logo bigger?"
No good deed goes unpunished

I'm probably guilty of that but in no way is it ever intended to be ungrateful. That's just from a matter of difference of tastes.

Originally Posted by phraseturner

Added these to my Flickr link below:

Mission Impossible 4-film set
Star Trek 1 - 6 set
Star Trek 7 - 10 set
Planet of the Apes 5-film set

Out of curiosity, why did you choose to go with the DVD covers for MI instead of one of the blu-ray covers? Granted the first three DVD covers aren't bad for some reason the 4th one doesn't look as good as the blu-ray covers I think.

[Aspect54]

Anyone with individual covers for the Jurassic Park films?

[Nissen]

Originally Posted by Aspect54

Anyone with individual covers for the Jurassic Park films?

These were my very first customs, way back in 2011. If you think these will do, PM me and I'll set you up.






And a Trilogy cover for good measure:

[vidjunkie]

Would anyone here be interested in making up some custom, I know not Star Wars again lol, but yes Star Wars, we need a 3-disc cover for the Original Trilogy, and a 3-disc cover for the 1997 Special Edition, and we would love a 6-disc cover for all 6 of these, the OT and 97 SE, anybody up for this?

Thanks

[Torrente]

So you don't need my cover for "A New Hope" '97 Special Edition anymore?

Don't hesitate to tell me, it will make me win some precious time buddy

[vidjunkie]

Originally Posted by Torrente

So you don't need my cover for "A New Hope" '97 Special Edition anymore?

Don't hesitate to tell me, it will make me win some precious time buddy

Hell yes we do, you are still on board lol, you are not getting off that easy, I am just seeing if anyone would want to take a stab at multi movie case art is all, but it looks like we will have to pass on this, I asked here and at OT and no takers.

[phraseturner]

Originally Posted by RUsum1

Out of curiosity, why did you choose to go with the DVD covers for MI instead of one of the blu-ray covers? Granted the first three DVD covers aren't bad for some reason the 4th one doesn't look as good as the blu-ray covers I think.

Regarding my Mission: Impossible 4-film cover: those aren't necessarily the DVD covers. Before they were the front artwork for the DVD covers... they were the original theatrical release poster artwork. Which I tend to prefer to most of the crap studio-produced DVD and blu-ray cover art.

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by phraseturner

Regarding my Mission: Impossible 4-film cover: those aren't necessarily the DVD covers. Before they were the front artwork for the DVD covers... they were the original theatrical release poster artwork. Which I tend to prefer to most of the crap studio-produced DVD and blu-ray cover art.

Ah okay that makes sense. I never really go to movies anymore so I never know what movie posters look like anymore. I rent all of mine from the library so I'm only familiar with that artwork these days.

[DrrnHarr]

Early prep work of this future WIP:

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by DrrnHarr

Early prep work of this future WIP:

Looking good!

[Groge511]

Thanks to dvdmike for this. Looks so awesome!

[Show spoiler]

[Hit Girl]

One of the best cover I've seen

[Torrente]

Originally Posted by vidjunkie

Hell yes we do, you are still on board lol, you are not getting off that easy, I am just seeing if anyone would want to take a stab at multi movie case art is all, but it looks like we will have to pass on this, I asked here and at OT and no takers.

You're right to ask then, because I suck in multi movie case art, and I wouldn't be good enough for the task.
Imrahil will do a great job I'm sure!

I'll try to send you my "New Hope" cover on Tuesday

[Groge511]

Thanks to Nissen for these exterior covers. Haven't got around to doing Spidey 3 yet though. I also went to the liberty of adding my own inside artwork

Spider-Man
Outside

[Show spoiler]

Inside

[Show spoiler]

Spider-Man 2
Outside

[Show spoiler]

Inside

[Show spoiler]