graphics help

[Gundam-Dude]

Limit your typeface choices to no more than 2 combinations but at the same time, don't just randomly choose 2 different ones to slap together—each and every typeface resonates better with certain ones. The general rule of thumb is try to choose two typefaces that are designed around the same time period and even by the same typeface designers. Learning different typeface combinations is already delving into complex typography as you need knowledge of graphic design history and typeface anatomy, so don't think too long or hard about this unless you're me, rofl. If the typefaces look okay to you, they should be fine for everyone else pretty much.

Avoid Dafont and look into some sites that offer some 100% royalty free typefaces—many of them are great to use for STePMaNia. Don't use any typefaces designed by this guy because they are ugly rip-offs of classic typefaces and make absolutely no sense whatsoever from a type design perspective: http://www.dafont.com/gyom-seguin.d1198

Look into typography rules and conventions to learn how to treat type better in general. Learn to kern. If you're bad at perceiving negative space, you can practice and train your eye with this: http://type.method.ac/

For type placement, don't place letterforms too close to any edge because it creates a sense of claustrophobia—give type room to breathe. Avoid placing type dead center because that is arguably the most boring spot you can put it—the human eye is attracted more to objects that are placed slightly off-center and leaning towards one side.

You should always be aware of StepMania's gameplay screen elements that obscure parts of your background, such as the health bar, score meter, and more. It's hard to settle on a set standard due to the several versions and themes the game has, but the general rule of thumb is don't place type too high or too low (again referring to the aforementioned where you try avoiding placing too close to any edge). Somewhere off-center leaning towards one side is essentially the sweet spot for SM backgrounds.

For backgrounds, you just need a wide variety/assortment of images you can find. Experiment with Photoshop's blending modes and capabilities (refer to tutorials online if you have trouble with this). Generally, you don't want an image that's overexposed/bright or high contrasting because people without a low background value set will have trouble reading the notechart. But this is a rather minor issue for this community since the majority of people play with a background value set to 0%—this is something to consider for casuals that aren't from FFR that play the game.

Refer to any of Mollo's publically posted .PSD documents if you want to take a look at how he blends various images together seemlessly. It'd be a good reference, although it shouldn't be an exact guideline to follow when you're making your own stuff—everyone should have their own workflow and design process anyways because no two people design the same way or style.

As an example, Mollo's graphics are typically heavy with blending stock images together and going crazy with the font effects. Meanwhile, I have a much more minimalistic approach to design with a strong focus on proper typography and typesetting, font effects varying from very minimal to absolutely none used at all.

Mollo's threads:
http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...d.php?t=133688
http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...d.php?t=137669

This link I'll provide below has a massive list of resources for designers in general, with sites that offer royalty-free typefaces, photography, and much more:
https://medium.com/@de/resources-799d16952a56

Hope any of this post helps you out.