This project is focused on a project which began a number of years ago, now redone for the modern days. This is a custom CD case for the video game "Shenmue I & II".
Purpose / Target Audience
The purpose of the project as a whole stemmed from wanting to expand my skills with package design and Photoshop. I also wanted to make something related to an interest I had, that being the Shenmue video games. I also wanted to remake my original version of this from a few years ago, and improve on my skills.
The target audience of this project are fans of retro video games like myself. Shenmue and Shenmue II released in the early 2000s, and people who were kids in that era might find some nostalgia looking at this project. I wasn't born when these games were released, but I still have a fondness of older video games, and often revisit them.
I did research on how CD inserts were to be sized properly. I also measured CD inserts I had in-person in order to have the most accurate measurements. Because I have the Photoshop documents themselves, I'm also able to resize them to account for bleed, then cut them to size once they are printed.
Assets Used
As a disclaimer, none of the assets used are of my own creation. They belong to SEGA, Yu Suzuki, ESRB, and any other respective parties not mentioned here. All rights reserved.
The box art is sourced from a Photoshop document sourced from a press kit for the game, shown above. It allowed me to rearrange certain materials and the logo in order to make room. I was also able to reuse the flowers for the rear cover.
On the topic of the rear cover, the artwork shown on the rear case are concept drawings of two characters from the game, originating from an art book and shared on Sega's Japanese websites. They were drawn by Yu Suzuki, creator of Shenmue.
The logos used were available as downloads from their respective websites. The screenshots of the game also originate from Sega's website advertising the collection.
Challenges
The main challenge for this project was making the rear cover, or rather remaking it. I wanted to still capture the same feeling as the original box's design, but have it still be original to me. It was also a bit of a struggle trying to find the right layout and having everything fit. Unfortunately, I had to cut a third screenshot and description in order to have room for the other elements of the rear cover.
Other Notes / Techniques Used
As I worked on this new version of my project, I made sure to utilize more features of Photoshop that I didn't use back then, like guide lines, shapes, the opacity tool, different eraser brushes, as well as outer glow and drop shadow effects to make things stand out.
As I worked on this new version of my project, I made sure to utilize more features of Photoshop that I didn't use back then, like guide lines, shapes, the opacity tool, different eraser brushes, as well as outer glow and drop shadow effects to make things stand out.
