Creating your own box art, cart label and manual as vector graphics?

[BenMcLean]

I'm working on my first Atari 2600 game and I really want it to feel like a complete professionally done product straight out of 1975 when I'm done if possible. I'd like it if I could do it well enough that I could actually fool someone into believing this was a real Atari classic being re-released for it's 40th anniversary in 2015 (not really trying to fool people: just trying to be authentic) and that means making box art, a cart label and a game manual that is stylistically faithful to the period. (Although I will also be throwing in some 18th century style stuff because of my game's setting.) I'd like people to be able to download and print the box, cut it out and fold it into shape. I expect that these graphics will also be useful when making the trailer.

 

So I've been searching around to find templates and stuff. Unfortunately, most of what I have found is raster graphics instead of vector and I really need vector if possible. I'm alot better with Inkscape than GIMP. If anyone knows of any vector based resources for making Atari box art then some pointers would be very much appreciated.

 

Here is a list of some useful stuff I've found so far:

Atari Cart and Box Fonts - fonts are vector so that's good!

VGBoxart.com has some Atari 2600 templates, although they're all PNG and like I said, vector would be preferable.

This guy on the VGBoxart forum, although he has just the cover and again, no vector.

Templatemaker.nl, which would let me construct a box of the correct size, if only I knew what the correct size was.

Hexels which may be good way to make a cool looking picture out of my game's graphics in lieu of an epic painting for the box cover, because I can't paint.

This painting which I might crop and blatantly rip off for the box art

Essays 1743, a font that I may use in the game logo and manual because it seems reminiscent of the 1775 setting of my game.

 

One big question I'd like to ask those of you who remember 1975 (I wasn't born yet!) is which titles art I should be looking at as inspiration or basing my art on. What titles would you say everyone from that time remembers and which had box art that was typical? What should I be drawing upon? Also did they have any TV commercials for Atari games that I should perhaps be spoofing?

 

Any suggestions as to additional resources would be much appreciated. It's weird that I'm working on developing for a system I've never owned or even gotten to play except for emulators. Only heard of it because of Homestar Runner.

Edited August 8, 2014 by BenMcLean

[GraziGamer]

Hi Ben, are you still working on this project?

I make the boxes/labels/etc for OpcodeGames (ColecoVision) and I work specially with vectors =)

If you need anything I would be glad to help!

BTW, have a very Merry Christmas! ^^