Majora's Mask Poster

This was admittedly a bit of fun. I love Zelda games, I really do, so I had to create something for them. I went for Majora's Mask because it has a much more ominous tone than the rest of the series, so I felt I had a lot more creative freedom. I know I've repeatedly said I'm not a designer, but here I really wanted to try it.

Majora's Mask is a game about the end of the world. The player has 3 in-game days to stop this, all the while the imposing figure of the moon looms overhead. The whole feeling of Majora's Mask is ominous. This was the main tone I wanted to convey in the poster., hence the black background.

Masks are a key theme of the game - they give the player new abilities and change the game in various ways. The figure on the poster is Skull Kid; he antagonises Link, the player character, from the get-go, leading to pursuit. He wears a mask—the titular Majora's mask—which the player is tasked with retrieving. Because of their prevalence, I wanted to include masks in the copy. I started thinking about how the player and NPCs put on masks during the game and how, if you've never seen each other, they must wonder what lies beneath. Indeed, throughout the game, the player wonders what lies under Majora's Mask; who is Skull Kid and who is Majora? Moreover, the game involves a lot of deception—metaphorical masks. Adding to the metaphorical angle, the NPCs are wearing a mask of denial since they refuse to admit the world is ending. All this usage of masks made it clear to me that they should be represented in this poster.

I wanted to make this poster very simple; I wanted it to be ominous and mysterious to make the audience curious. I also wanted it to be easy for people who have played the game to understand. I wanted it to be a cool but readable design for a Zelda fan's wall; if they've beaten the game, they know all the answers; they've taken off the mask, but do visitors to their room have the same knowledge?

I chose to put Skull Kid front and centre because he is the catalyst for the plot. He initially ambushes Link and is responsible for stealing Majora's Mask in the first place. Additionally, he is a new character to the series, so I wanted to use him to show the game's unique atmosphere; aside from Majora's Mask itself, he is the most iconic thing from this game. I also chose the slogan because I wanted to evoke ideas of deception and curiosity while creating the impression that there are things to be discovered. It also hints at the game's mask mechanic. I chose to add a reflection effect because it shows there are more things at play than appearance would suggest.

I am happy with the final product; I think I would happily have it on my wall. As a first attempt at a design-orientated work, I think it ticks a lot of boxes. For future improvement, I'd maybe go for a more complicated design. However, I set out to make an ominous prodcut, so the simplicity works in this context.