Web Banners
This project consists of a series of web banners made during my university module "Design for Digital Media". We were given the task of designing banners for the alcohol company "Absolut Vodka", a brand that represents themselves with responsible drinking as a key message and ideology. In order to create these web banners, I did some research into the company and found that they typically associate their brand with happiness and socialisation through the use of colourful and fun advertising. This led me to choose to design the web banners based on old retro video games due to both the nostalgic and present passions many still hold for the games. I made sure that my designs included some of the most iconic games of various eras to make them as recognisable as possible, even towards those who don't typically play games.
Design Process
All the Graphics created for this project were created entirely in Adobe Illustrator to keep a 2D and geometric appearance as this was a common design choice in many of the chosen games as well. They were created in 300 x 600 pixels to create the usual appearance of a web banner.
The video games I chose for the banners were Space Invaders, Mario, PacMan, Tetris and the Legend of Zelda. This is because of how recognisable they are to others and how they have shaped the game industry. I decided to use bright colours for the banners as this made them stand out, link with the original material and abide by Absolut Vodkas' business model. The 2D designs link to old retro games before they became 3D and help them look nostalgic and fun. The phrase "Absolut Retro" links to the brand's usual slogan and helps fit the brief of creating a fun and eye-catching design. The bottle template used is similar to those used in Absolut Vodkas' official designs, again helping to link the banners to the brand.Tetris:
The bright colours of this design helped me to make it stand out and make it as similar to the original game as I could.
PacMan:
Pac-Man has always been my favourite Arcade game, and I always imagined the game taking place on a spaceship. I took insperation from this childhood idea when designing this web banner
Mario:
Turning the classic green pipe in Mario into a vodka bottle for this banner was a fun way for me to represent the brand as a positive and fun company, with the two being similar shapes and easy to incorporate with each other. This was my favourite of the web banners I created due to the accuracy of the colours and graphics.
Space Invaders:
By turning the bottle into an alien I was able to use Absolut Vodkas branding alongside the iconic visuals of the arcade game "Space Invaders." The colours and pixelated appearance of the banner make it easily identifiable as both the retro game and the company being advertised.
The Donkey Kong:
As one of Arcade's most classic games, Recreating Donkey Kong for this project was perfect for keeping to the theme of nostalgia with this project.
At the End
Overall this project helped me to understand the thought that must go into designing fun and creative adverts for companies. It helped me to learn what to research when attempting to design and allowed me to engage in professional applications such as Adobe Illustrator to create the final project.