3 Examples of Cool Pixel Art

As much as I hate to admit that I'm a closeted geek, my taste in art, music, film and even games can paint a fairly good checkered shirted, bow tied, Converse wearing picture (not to be too steroetypical mind). Therefore, my love for pixel art is expected as a fan of early Space Invaders games and Tron. That's why I've decided to share some pieces and artists of pixel art that leave you interpretting as well inspired to create your own simple pieces, pixel by pixel.

Michael Myers

Michael Myers is a very talented artist whose pixel art versions of iconic film characters, such as the cast of Star Wars, has been very well received by fans of the film. My favourite is of Jabba the Hutt but more of Myers' characters amongst his other work can be found on his website: Michael Myers Star Wars Pixel Art.

Pac Man Ghosts

Some clever artist has created Pac Man Ghost versions of iconic film and game characters. A simple pixel artwork that has repurposed the already awesome ghost shapes to form something geekier and more fun.

A Taco?

Here's a perfect example of the a common type of pixel art that would be printed on a canvas and hung up in someone's home. It's suggestive that the image formed is a taco but there is always an element of interpretation needed. Other examples of this style include pixelated bodies which are wearing swim suits that can be interpreted in different ways due to the large pixels and colour choices.

Let's Finish With a Pixel Video

I thought I'd finish with a little YouTube video I found which shows what our world could be like in pixels if the pixel games merged with reality. It is evidently titled Pixels by director Patrick Jean.

If you have any favourite pieces of pixel art please share them in the comments section and I'll share them via Twitter if I'm a fan. Enjoy...

A Couple of Typography Tips

Recently I've been thinking of different ways that companys or organisations can get their messages across creatively in print media. This lead me to think of typography as an artistic way to do just that. It's been used by many companies previously and is commonly used to illustrate famous people based on their historic quotes, such as this one of Ray Charles:

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydoering/4464071577/

Simple Words

If you're deciding to create a cool typography piece to promote an event or just get creative then its worth thinking about what words you're going to use. Say you've got a live music event you're trying to promote, the most obvious choice of words will be the names of the artists and bands performing e.g. Glastonbury could create a tree silhouette from the names of bands.

Some companies might have a big catalogue of products therefore the simplest words to use would be categories or even customer perceptions and values of the brand. A cool example is one of the typography pieces that create a map of the world.

Image source: http://bpblogging.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/11158-world-map-names-country-countries-typography_-colorful.png

Space

Unless if you're trying to create a sketchbook style piece like the Ray Charles example, space should be used to keep the readability of the words. It's the amazing thing about typography art. Two different artistic forms of writing and design come together to create beautiful work. Therefore, let the words you've chosen come through to exploit that secondary artistic style.

For promotional purposes, it won't be good having a cool design that loses the message so space is just as important.

Recommendations

That's all I can advise without going into the technicalilites of the design creation but it's simple yet easy to forget when creating a great jaw-dropping typographic.

If you've got any cool Typography pieces you'd like to share simply post your links to them in the comments section below. I'll pin up the ones I like the most on my Pinterest page when I eventually get that going.

Also, follow me on Twitter if you feel like getting my micro-blogging updates @inspiringprint

Image source: http://dougklembara.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-bird-typography.jpg

 

Movie Day - Pulp Fiction

This week's inspirational movie poster is from one of Quentin Tarantino's hit films Pulp Fiction. This creative piece of work depicts an image of Uma Thurman that sums up the theme of the movie with objects relevant to the plot placed on the bed in front of her.

The title Pulp "Fiction" is played with in the design to make it look like the cover of a well read and travelled paper back novel. Even the corner is "dog eared".

Image Source: Google Images

The reason for this film poster's inclusion is the Cult packaging it applies to a non-cult film. I love the font used and the imagery is one that always rings to memory when thinking of Quentin Tarantino, a similar memory commitment that many of his fans also potentially share.

One of the artistic companies behind this historic film poster is Tarhan Creative who also created poster artwork for Kill Bill, Chicago, and the Scream movie franchines. The other is Indika Entertainment Advertising who are responsible for the film posters of Oceans Eleven and Snatch.