Samples
So I ordered some samples from BRProPoker. They have been absolutely delightful to work with and I am so happy that I'll be using them to order the final design! I love the feel of these ceramics and I think I'll leave the cards mold to a more experimental 'for fun' set.
So here's how the samples look.
On first glance I was incredibly happy at how they turned out. However, I have given it a couple of weeks to stew (and for me to look at some other set designs) and there's been some things I've decided that maybe I don't like so much. Now that I've done an evaluation, I think I can evaluate this with fresh eyes and go back to the drawing board if necessary.
An obvious point is the distance from my 'edge spots' to the edge of the chip, which is a little close for my liking. I've since modified them to give additional clearance so that the inlay is slightly smaller, which I think is totally alright. I'm also just generally a fan of these edge spots, while I still love classic clay-looking spots, I think these are unique and fit the theme of the set.
There is a key design aspect that I'm realizing might prove a disconnect between the way it looks on a computer and the way it actually turns out. I think that the neon aesthetic I was going for with the core logo is just not something that's going to end up turning out good with dye sublimation printing. I'm sure there's some combination of settings I could go with, or some pop-art shading hack that could get it close, but I just know they aren't going to look the way I want them too when all is said and done.
I'm honestly thankful that I didn't jump the gun and order the first design that came to mind (looking back it's wild to see how much the set has progressed). I've also been a fan of chips with bold lines and blocky colors, 'simple' inlays that are also unique in their own right. So I decided to step back and try to make something work.
Trying Something New
I knew that I wanted to try and maintain the original logo since it was the inspiration behind the set. (Using the $5 chip because I enjoy the red color for prototyping). So I tried a blocky version without the faint ECHO in the background. I also tried a white inlay version since I've been liking that as of late. (And I also tried to do just the original lines of the ECHO logo and it felt way too sparse without the added color of the neon sign aesthetic.
While I don't hate this, there is that negative space in the bottom that I'm sure could be rectified by adjusting the text, though it just doesn't feel right. The white version is cool, though still just doesn't feel quite the way I want it to. I also decided to see if a line-only version worked, though at that point it just ended up feeling like it was an incomplete sketch. I think it doesn't quite fit the vibe on a light background. The black background version I don't hate actually, though without the feather effect making it look like a neon sign, the lines-only design just feels empty to some degree.
So I decided to throw a curveball at myself and try something completely different - redesigning the logo.
Logo
I know, it changes the face of ECHO from the original design I love so much. But I have an old piece of art I did as I was learning the different features of Illustrator that I remembered, and I decided to try and apply the same style I did with that one. For sake of staying on topic (and copyright concerns), I'm going to refrain from posting that piece, but here's the logo I came up with.
In this case I omitted any spacing between the letters mainly because it clashed weirdly at the intersection of the E and the H, but there's something rather interesting to me about seeing this thing as simply a symbol. Sure, ECHO was used in its design and construction, but hey, I like that it's a breath of fresh air.
I tried to implement this at it's current orientation and found that I do prefer the logo to go across the chip. No matter, the 45˚ rotation simply adds to the 'it's a symbol and not a word'. I thickened it up as well to give it some more body, and let me tell you I am quite excited with how this iteration came out. I did try a version of this with the white inlay, and while I don't hate it, I plan to stick with the dark inlay for the time being.
So as of the current moment, I haven't made any final decisions on the state of this set. I really like the look of the potential new ECHO (and am crossing my fingers that it doesn't mimick some sort of harmful symbolism that I am unaware of), but also the classic logo is the tribute to the original base.
Cent Chip
During my last visit to Las Vegas, me and some buddies made a visit to CasinoQuest which is a cool spot where you can learn casino games. Since we all wanted to learn craps but didn't know how to play, we took an hour lesson and found it to be insanely fun. However, in craps, 6 is a common bet multiple (at least from playing a lot of place bets), and since I want this to be my home set for someday when I have a proper man cave/play space, I want to be able to play quantum stakes craps.
So even though it's not the most useful chip ever, I made a one cent chip for the set to facilitate quantum stakes games with friends. I wanted to go for a quasi-hot stamped look, where there isn't a proper inlay and the chip stands out in the sense that it is simple. I tried to make it brown but didn't like the color, and ended up on a dark blue. I'm actually quite a fan of the aesthetic and I'm excited to get them into play.
Like I said, it isn't the most necessary chip, but this aims to be my versatile set and I feel the need for a 1¢ chip to satisfy that versatility.
Final Thoughts
This is where I thank you again for following the set's development and also ask for any feedback because I truly am at a crossroads here. I could continue the legacy of the original ECHO haven and hall, or take off in a new direction. To some degree I'm sad that my taste in chips keeps changing, though this has been a very informative design exercise and I'm happy with how far my skills are advancing as a result. I don't anticipate I'll be able to choose without making mockups of each variation, printing them out, and hanging them on my wall for an extended period of time.
Let me know your thoughts, and if you have any additional ideas or wisdom that you'd like to share. Thank you all again for reading!
