DVD Disc Label - Final Draft

The disc label has been based on the Amaray Cover, I wanted to bring the same effect from the cover whilst still making proper use of Illustrator.

I started by placing the text background from the cover into the adobe file. Then I created a mask so the image only shows what should be printed.

Next using a brush I roughly followed the edges to create a darkened shadow creeping in. The colour used was actually white with 100% difference opacity applied to reverse the colours in the border. 

Next layers of waves were used to create a menacing ghostly face coming out of the electronic aether. Using a brush set to white and 5 pt. flat, that provides a small flat edge to drag, I created one large wave. As the tool is dragged in a sine like wave where it is travelling most horizontal, at the peaks and crests, the line is thickest. Where it is moving more vertical it is thinnest. This all helps to exaggerate the wave effect. The wave is then copied, scaled down and flipped twice, to produce the triple wave pattern. Then all three a copied, sent to the back, the stroke size is increased not scaled and given 90% difference opacity. The whole group then gets 70% lighten opacity which produces a good overall effect, however because when I wanted to add a hand drawn shadow using brushes at 100% difference I had to put them in the layer below with the border effects. As the group below was made from similar effects it was not a problem, it could have been.

Next it needs the normal legal text and corporate logos. I created a path a little smaller than the outside of the DVD so I could use the type on path tool to create a text wrap effect. Here I placed some authentic looking text similar to the text on the legal text on the Amaray cover, in the same font and styling. Next I placed my two logo's, HelpMe Cinema and Epic Home Release, as well as the two corporate standards, DVD and Dolby Digital. They all proved a little hard to see on the text, I considered a white dropped shadow effect amongst others, but decided on using the same tool I used for the waves but in a slightly different manner. I created a messy, half finished white paintwork effect and changed it to 50% screen opacity . This gave a nice clarity to the logos while remaining true to the rest of the style.

Last is the title, All of the text is consolas bold and so I decided to keep the title simple and just type it there rather than using any wraps or other effects, I just gave it 80% lighten opacity . I had a look a drop shadow effect, I wanted it crisp but I couldn't get it the exact way I wanted so I copied the current text, sent it behind itself, and moved it a small amount down and to the right. Changing the opacity to 100% difference creates a a nice shadow effect, but the texture beneath can still be seen.