Which Zune Originals Design Should I Get?

[Uberman5000]

I'm picking up a Zune HD 32GB now that its had an appealing price drop for its Canadian release, and I want to have one of their custom designs engraved on the back. I'm probably going to get it in blue, and I'm deciding between four different designs:

I like this one because my favourite music genre is rock, and this cover reminds me of a Pink Floyd album. I also think the wallpaper that comes with it is really cool, and it's well-composed on the back. It does seem kind of cheesy, though...

This is another good one. It has pretty stunning complexity, but what's most annoying about it is it's badly cropped on the back. The wallpaper it comes with is also quite dull.

This one is pretty well composed on the back of the device, and it looks pretty interesting to boot. It's kind of old-fashioned, though, and I'm not a big fan of the earthy tones on the wallpaper.

This is one of the stock designs, a holdout from the Zune 120 days. It looks pretty cool and comes with a good wallpaper, but it doesn't have quite the same grandeur as the other designs.

Those are my top four runners, but there's over thirty designs on the website, and I'm open to suggestions.

[CrowdAds]

[Satellite_6]

I like the solar system one.

[jinboy]

I like the Headphones. It fits quite well with the Zune.

[Uberman5000]

Incidentally, this is the design I have on my Zune 120:

I'm not considering it, though, partly because I want to change it up, but also because I don't think it works well with the blue (especially because its wallpaper is dark pink. It actually goes best with the Magenta colour, which is only on the 64GB and out of my price range. )

[DaveMac-MS]

Don't forget that you can upload your own picture or design to put on the back too. I used to have a device with the fish design - but am now sporting a device with my own design which is cool.

Perhaps I should make a ColorSpill one?

Cheers, Dave.

[Fallstar]

I like the solar system one too. That's the one I would have chose if I ordered from zune originals, but I couldn't wait so I bought the plain platinum one from BB.

[blackthorne]

you can do your xbox avatar as well....

[Uberman5000]

I'm not really considering the custom picture or the Xbox avatar because that would be even more pictures to choose from, and I don't have an Xbox avatar. Plus either of those options is an extra $25, while the Artist designs are free.

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by Uberman5000

I'm not really considering the custom picture...

You sure? 'Cause you can make some pretty nice designs of your own...

For example:

[Uberman5000]

I've had difficulty getting the photos to look right because many of them have white backgrounds, which the Zune Originals site doesn't like.

Besides, I'm having enough trouble picking between thirty designs, imagine how hard it would be if I have to pick between ANY DESIGN I CAN IMAGINE!! :O

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by Uberman5000

I've had difficulty getting the photos to look right because many of them have white backgrounds, which the Zune Originals site doesn't like.

Besides, I'm having enough trouble picking between thirty designs, imagine how hard it would be if I have to pick between ANY DESIGN I CAN IMAGINE!! :O

I see your position. I was just having some fun on the Zune Originals site with my pic, but -- in all seriousness -- of the four designs you posted, I'd choose the solar system one. I agree that it looks nicely composed and nicely detailed as an engraving, and you can always adjust the hues of the wallpaper image (or have someone else do it for you) to make it more appealing. As long as you only retain it for your personal use and aren't distributing the modified image, I doubt you'll have the Microsoft Copyright Task Force pounding on your door.

As a simple proof of concept:



The headphones design is actually my least favorite; it looks too "corporate-trying-to-be cool," in my opinion, with its cheesy 1980s accents (Lightning bolts? Random, floating geometric shapes?) and faux-street-art cartoonishness...It's the sort of generic "kids will dig this" imagery I'd expect to see on a T-shirt in the juniors section of a discount department store...but to each their own...

[dfkt]

[Uberman5000]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Teehee, good one, but... kind of in bad taste, given Zune's circumstances.

[dfkt]

I thought a sad iPod would boost the Zune's confidence.

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by dfkt

I thought a sad iPod would boost the Zune's confidence.

Ha!

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by dfkt

snip of sad iPod logo on a Zune

Win!

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by Uberman5000

I've had difficulty getting the photos to look right because many of them have white backgrounds, which the Zune Originals site doesn't like.

I think for best results, you want to make your image black and white, line art (if at all possible and if not a photo of course) and make the image white on black (as well as an inverse version) and try both.

The preview is pretty good - you might find tweaking your settings has a big impact.

Cheers, Dave.