OUYA Artwork Competition!

[Paul]

Announcing a competition for artwork to use on the OUYA build of Mupen64Plus AE!  Two winners will be chosen by popular vote  (one for the high resolution application icon, and one for the high resolution splash screen).  They will receive a cash prize and braggin' rights, and will be added to the list of contributors in the app, for everyone to see!  The winner of the splash screen category will receive $150, and the winner of the icon category will receive $100.  Additionally, the winner of the icon category will receive a modified USB N64 controller, with your icon painted right on the case! (if the winner is already receiving a controller as a Kickstarter reward, I'll ship an extra one)

Entries will be accepted until 12:00 AM CST on Wednesday 16 January 2013.

Voting will begin at that time, and will last until 12:00 AM CST on Friday 18 January 2013.  I'll officially announce the winner(s) some time on Monday, and I'll get in touch with them via PM to ask for their paypal email address (and mailing address for the logo winner).

The splash screen winner will receive $150, and the logo winner will receive $100 plus a modified N64 USB controller with their logo painted on the front.

Competitors are allowed (and encouraged) to submit entries for both the icon and the splash screen, and a single person could potentially win in both categories.  Additionally, competitors can submit multiple entries for a single category if they have more than one idea they'd like to try.

You are free to be as creative as you like, and there is no requirement to incorporate the icons or graphics from the Android version (although themes that are similar will likely attract more votes).

Description of the two categories:

1) High Resolution Application Icon:  square 512x512 or higher resolution (preferably a multiple of 512, as these will scale better).  32-bit PNG format with alpha.  You can include padding if you like, to maintain a consistent visual weight with other icons. For example, a 512 x 512 image could contain a 464 x 464 pixel shape with 48 pixels on each side for padding. This padding can also be used to make room for a subtle drop shadow, which can help ensure that launcher icons are legible on any background color.

2) High Resolution Splash Screen: 2:1 aspect ratio, 1024w x 512h or higher resolution, 32-bit PNG or JPEG (no alpha) with no transparency.  Use a safe frame (for 1024 x 512, use at most 924 x 412, leaving 50 pixel of safe padding on each side).  All the important content of the graphic should be within this safe frame.  Pixels outside of this safe frame may be cropped to adjust the aspect ratio.  If incorporating text, use large font sizes, and keep the graphic simple, as this graphic may be scaled down from its original size.

For inspiration, here are some of the images used in the Android build:

 

[shuy3n]

 

the winner of the icon category will receive a modified USB N64 controller, with your icon painted right on the case!

i want this sooo bad

[Alex Gleason]

I had started typing up a response, but let me first ask: what is the purpose of the splash screen?

Is it only aesthetic, or is it a necessary buffer as the application loads?

[Paul]

I had started typing up a response, but let me first ask: what is the purpose of the splash screen?

Is it only aesthetic, or is it a necessary buffer as the application loads?

The splash screen is a buffer while the app data is unpacked on first run, when downloading resources (a future planned feature), and just a short vanity for when the app starts up (it only displays for about 1-2 seconds, so not a nagging pointless 20-second wait or whatever.. the time would be taken up in a black screen by the menus getting constructed anyway).  It will also be used in the OUYA store if there is some type of feature graphic like in Google's Play Store.

the winner of the icon category will receive a modified USB N64 controller, with your icon painted right on the case!

i want this sooo bad

You have a pretty good shot of winning, with your artistic skills   (for those of you who are new to the forum, shuy3n was a big winner in the artwork competition we did for the Android version)

[Alex Gleason]

I think the most elegant way of going about this, not just for Ouya but in general, is to simulate the rotating N64 logo intro in many popular games. (See the first few seconds here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGEoSK0zEOg)

If an animation is not an option, an alternative intro is often used (See the first few seconds here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nntV-LqtviA)

While there may be many clever ways of incorporating the Ouya style (using the Ouya font and images, etc) I think it's more important that there is consistency in the product across platforms or you will end up with a fragmented mess. Furthermore, the whole purpose of emulation is preservation (on new platforms), so any graphics contributed to the project should reflect this (while still complimenting the design aesthetics of the target OS).

In light of this, I am submitting a tweaked version of the logo I submitted previously:


Along with this banner:


It may not be particularly fancy, but that's exactly the point. Both images are easily scaleable, incorporate well into holo design scheme, and represent the project's purpose well.

EDIT: Credit goes to Scott 'Tillin9' Knauert for the original Mupen64+ logo. More information about the logo can be found here.

[shuy3n]

OUYA will have a custom front end more in the way of the xbox tile system by the looks of the kick-start video



All ifs and buts at the moment though, seriously thought they'd have shown off alot more being so close to release

[Alex Gleason]

OUYA will have a custom front end more in the way of the xbox tile system by the looks of the kick-start video

Thanks for the heads up. In that case, where the images are big and bold, I'd suggest something like what I attached below. But please view my images here so they're scaled correctly on your screen: http://imgur.com/a/l348F



EDIT: Credit goes to Scott 'Tillin9' Knauert for the original Mupen64+ logo. More information about the logo can be found here.

[Paul]

Thanks, shuy3n.  I may be off on the aspect ratio for the splash image based on just looking st that front screen, not sure.  Let me do a little research.  I'll update the OP and let everyone know if the dimensions I wrote there are way off.

--EDIT-- On second thought, I think I'll leave it as-is.  There will be different aspect ratios depending on the tv the OUYA is hooked up to, so just everyone be mindful that the splash image needs to be able to be clipped on the top and bottom to fit on wider screens, or sides for narrower screens.  And it is best to air on the side of higher resolution images that can be scaled down, vs scaling up.

[Alex Gleason]

Thanks, shuy3n.  I may be off on the aspect ratio for the splash image based on just looking st that front screen, not sure.  Let me do a little research.  I'll update the OP and let everyone know if the dimensions I wrote there are way off.

--EDIT-- On second thought, I think I'll leave it as-is.  There will be different aspect ratios depending on the tv the OUYA is hooked up to, so just everyone be mindful that the splash image needs to be able to be clipped on the top and bottom to fit on wider screens, or sides for narrower screens.  And it is best to air on the side of higher resolution images that can be scaled down, vs scaling up.

The large tile in the image appears to be ~440x220px so 2:1. With 1024px as your width, height should be 512px. That puts you only 12px off. Good guess!

[Paul]

Yes, I just did a little "Gimp'ing"  As you can see, for the store front, there would only need a slight bit of clipping on the sides to fit.  That said, just keep in mind that there are other aspect ratios this will display on, so keeping a little "padding" in the image where it can be clipped a little on the sides or top is still a good idea.



Anyway, I updated the OP to say 2:1 aspect ratio, at least 1024x512.

[Vincentmrl]

I'm a bit confused about what padding is, is it extra space that continues the image if the screen's ratio is bigger? for example I have an image with a pattern, is padding making the pattern continue more so that bigger screens show more of it?

[Paul]

I'm a bit confused about what padding is, is it extra space that continues the image if the screen's ratio is bigger? for example I have an image with a pattern, is padding making the pattern continue more so that bigger screens show more of it?

Yes, exactly.  Basically the important part of the image should not go all the way to the edges, so that if a little needs to be chopped off of the top and bottom or the sides to make it fit into a particular shaped rectangle it won't cut off something important.  The one shuy3n did above is a great example, where there is a lot of room for chopping without ruining the image.

[Lioncash]

Along with this banner:

These are pretty great from my perspective. Minimalism is always a nice way to approach things. The only thing throwing me off however is the jagged edges on some parts. If those were smoothed out more, that would easily have my vote on competition (for the time being, since you're the only one to really submit anything at this point).

[Alex Gleason]

Thanks. I'd like to note that I didn't entirely create this logo, I downloaded an SVG of the Mupen64+ logo from Wikipedia and modified it to my liking. Just wanted to point that out: credit goes to original artist here.

If by "jagged edges" you mean the thin black lines between shapes, I am aware of this and plan on fixing it. This was the result of removing the stroke in the original image and not bumping the pieces back together. I'll certainly tweak it in the future.

EDIT: Credit goes to Scott 'Tillin9' Knauert for the original Mupen64+ logo. More information about the logo can be found here.

[dragbone]

Competition! Ouyaaa!
Credits go also to the creator of the original android image.

(PS: I can render the image in any size and with any padding if needed)