May Art Challenge: Starfleet Marine Corps

[BorgMan]

For real? BM in the mix? Well... Kind of. I was just minding my own business when this idea popped into my head. I've been using a derivative of the arrowhead for my Marine vehicles for some time now and this challenge is the perfect moment to utilize it a bit more. A little google search led me to the Lanka-gar: a flying Vulcan nocturnal predator that is known for it's swooping attack. Fits the bill perfectly with my Eagle-arrow-head! There is no known image of one, though, so I just sketched this out. I'm thinking about replacing the surrounding circle with a sideways laurel, but that will be done if I have the time for it. So here's the sketch and I'll be making updates in this thread as I go

I'm still in doubt if I'll use the extended sentence (non vereor noctem, nox nostis est nostri - we don't fear the night, for the night is ours) or just the last part as it wraps around the bird right now.

 

[Klaus]

cool start!

 

[trynda1701]

Looking forward to see more on this.

BTW, do you have up to date links to pics of your Hayden and Aurora classes. The old threads don't have the images in them anymore.

 

[BorgMan]

The Hayden is a released model so you can head over to the 3D Warehouse to actually download it; other than that, my Deviant art page has some renders
Here's a digital render of the flag. Really liking the direction, but whatever happens, that background will stay black as a reference to the "night" part of the motto.

 

[Finn]

Good start.

But the front end of the ship doesn't mesh/overlap with the white circle well. Also, those lines...are a bit off

 

[BorgMan]

I see what you mean! This better?

 

[Finn]

Sorry, but it doesn't really make a difference to me.

 

[BorgMan]

Sorry, but it doesn't really make a difference to me.

Hmm... Could you give me pointers what you exactly mean? I thought that the overlap would be better once the bird was a bit bigger, but if that isn't the case I'm not entirely sure what you meant

 

[Finn]

I would make it simpler. Something Albertese told me. There's a lot going on on that flag of yours. I would do without the lines on the wings. And I wouldn't have the "beak" of the ship overlap with the outline of the circle.

 

[Albertese]

There are some strengths and some weaknesses to the version.

Three flat colors is great. Two to four colors is about ideal, so three works nicely.

Text on a flag is a universally bad idea. Doesn't mean it's done all the time, but it's never good. If you really love the text, try making it bigger, and more legible. Work it into the design more like it fits with the graphic design of the rest of the image.

The juxtaposition of the spacebird with the Great Seal of the UFP doesn't work for me. The bird's shapes reflect the shapes of the "olive branches" too closely so, at a glance, the image just looks like a bunch of sharp curvy shapes. It's also not helping that the bird and the Seal are both white. If one of these were a different color, it might work better. Perhaps one of them yellow?

It's a good concept generally. I like that the individual elements are not overly rendered. And I like the single four-point star. I just really don't know how to work in the motto. If you do keep it, I really suggest exploring some other font options.

--Alex

 

[BorgMan]

Ah, there's some pointers I can do something with!
I tried yellow for the leaves, but it looked like rubbish. Instead, I made the whole black so that it would be more to the background. This is more logical, as the bird and the star are the focus, not the seal. Different font? Gotcha! Yeah, I like this one better.
I cobbled together a set of variations: one with a slight hue on the leaves, one without and one without the text and the blue border inside the seal. I have to confess that the border less version strikes me as boring...

 

[Finn]

I like the bottom one

 

[USS Jack Riley]

^^ I have to agree. The version without the words looks best. It's a shame because I like the motto, but it just doesn't look right with it on the flag. Good job!

 

[BorgMan]

Well that settles it then. Don't you guys think of it as a bit boring? Or is that just enough for a flag? And with, or without that blue inner border?
The motto could always be printed on a banner possibly accompanying the flag at certain locations, ofcourse...

[EDIT] I've enlarged the section under the circle to give room for the motto, and reintroduced the blue border. Yay or nay?

 

[Albertese]

I like the blue border. And I think that if you are going to include the text at all, you should do it in a contrasting color (white or gold) and large enough to be legible. As it is it looks like it's hiding.

--Alex

 

[BorgMan]

It kind of is hiding right now yeah. But I think I'm going to remove it all together and put it on that aforementioned banner, becoming completely optional, and return that piece underneath to the original shape. This breaks the flow and looks too much like a mouth...

 

[USS Jack Riley]

I like the bue, but not the words. They are too hard to see. Otherwise, fine job.

 

[BorgMan]

With or without that bulge in which they are situated right now?

 

[USS Jack Riley]

If you keep the bulge, it looks like something should be in it. Probably go back to without the bulge.

 

[Sgt_G]

I looked the motto up on Google, and all the web sites I found say that "nox nostis est nostri" should be "nox noctis est nostri", changing the "s" to a "c" in the second word.