Project Review: SALT: PART III-3D Logo Exploration 2008

 A 3D design based on vectors provided to me by Chris A. Hawkins for this Sub Surface Lit example with the Soviet themed Red wax material.

 This design uses three plates high for the triple edge highlight in brushed metal, and the face is a bit curved as well to get the nice highlight in the proper place.

 I did a deep extrusion here, but I like the thin decal look I did above as well, as an alternate.

 The hammer and sickle for the "A" was a great solve in my opinion from Chris for this design, with gold and red materials.

 A bright graphic version of the logo with the "star" used for the "A", this was a thin extrusion version. I added the neon around the star to be an animation element for AV-MGFX.

 A deep extrusion on the above vector using the procedural cement-metal material I designed in Dark Tree. Big bevels!

 A Single-Point-Beveled[SPB] font here with a warm to cool lighting on just the extremities. This was to be an animated face in from black idea for a living one sheet.

 A SPB built into a tube with some mild ribbed design elements put on the red glass material.

A round tube built font with tech shapes cut into the object all the way through with some internal metal accents as well.

SALT

3D Logo exploration

PART III

Client: Columbia Pictures via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director(s): Chris A. Hawkins.
Project Date: Winter 2008.

In my third posting here on my design blog, for the 3D design work that I did for the film, SALT in the winter of 2008 while still running the 3D Department at Cimarron. Today I focus on logos for one of the three main Art Directors I did work for in the Poster Design department there, Chris A. Hawkins.

With this added set of logo you can see that I had a very wide range to play in for the film. I also had a full day to do these so I could really finesse the details and the lighting. I have glass and metal, procedural-textures, lots of single point beveled text, that is fully hand modeled, and some Sub-Surface-Scattering in there too since I had the time[ long renders to get right!].

 

Total Logo count that I provided to them was, One-hundred fifty-five[ 155] designs, though they presented maybe five to the client at the end, I always love the process so I understand the drastic cuts needed. Young designers take note, that 5 out of 155 is the norm for a firm to cut down your delivery.

You can view PART I here.

You can view PART II here.

You can also view the KGB badge I made here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Black Hawk Down DVD Packaging 3D Illustrations 2002.

 Initial direction had the look of the X-Men Posters I did for them, but it was not a fit for the film, though we were directed to do a pass that felt clean glossy and superhero-ish.

 Here is the 3/4 polygon view showing that I exaggerated the depth for the 3D Illustration as a stylization technique.

 A explode view of the above model shot the various Allen bolts "O-rings" and plates that made up the first pass design.

 Here is the first pass at the military metal with rivets and rust, that was picked.

 Here you can see the three variations I did because I used procedural textures I merely changes a slider or two and hit render again, this is the power you will find in a procedural map on a short deadline like we get in Home Entertainment design projects.

Project Review:

Black Hawk Down

DVD Packaging 3D Illustrations 2002.

Client: Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment via BLT and Associates.
Art Director: John Cua.
Project Date:  August 2002.

While I was still in-house at BLT and Associates, one the the larger Theatrical Advertising houses in Los Angeles, I was put on the Home Entertainment divisions packaging for Black Hawk Down due to be released on DVD.I had worked with Matt Rice and his team on a few Key Art projects, but this was an inner sleeve concept we pitched to the client and it did finish.

They wanted to create artwork that would fit behind a clear plastic back-plate that holds the DVD disc, so I did a quick concept that had an X-men feel as directed; Super glossy chrome and brushed metals , but they thankfully changed to a more beat up rusted military look as seen in the film.

To achieve this I used Dark Tree's Simbiont max plug in and did the rust procedural. The main reason was this was to be a three disc set and I wanted each back plate to have a unique look to the rust without having to hand paint the textures[ no time!], and with a procedurals, you can change the 'seed' values and density to achieve 3 fully unique rust looks with a touch of a button and a hit render.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Blood and Chocolate : Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

 Verdigre aged Brass Type over concrete for this style frame for Blood and Chocolate.

 A Procedural layered Concrete with cross hatched lower layers with a dirt shader on this look.

 A brighter Golden look over Purple material[ satin-ish]

 This was fun in motion, as the background is a cracked glass in red so it is reflecting the type and skewing the reflections to create the shattered red effects behind the test, and when I moved the light it really read as a thickness.

 We had one tag line I modeled in 3D and animated as well, here was what we sent over.

An alternate early look with a blocked font over a cave wall [ prior to going back to Trajen]

Inside a Gothic cathedral I developed this look where the type did a slow drift forward.

Project Review

Blood and Chocolate

Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

Client: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[ M.G.M.] via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director: n/a.
Project Date:Fall 2006

After 6 years running a 3D department of one, at The Cimarron Group, I got the chance to work on over one hundred film Theatrical Trailers, with 80+ finishes, so it was a regular occurrence to create what are called "Style Frames".

These illustrate the intended look for the moving type, to be used to sell the looks for buy off before the labor to move it around is approved by the internal client first. I was asked to develop a few looks and so I did.

Though none of these were used in the finals, they all were shown. And as always I built the type as a Single Pointed Bevel with the Trajan font[ used every week in Advert's] and did a series of looks using the procedural textures I build in Dark Tree.

Cheers, THOM