TimSnowman
Member
Hey there, RPF. I'm a pretty big Halo fan. I also love little in-fiction props like ID cards and patches and what not. So I decided to make a UNSC ID card. I went through a few different designs before I decided on one. The first one I made was on 1/4 inch acrylic which wound up being a little too thick. The design wasn't really based on anything in particular, it was really just a test to see what type of material I wanted to use.
The next design was based off of a real military privileges card.
After a few different design decisions, I decided to base the card off of the security ID that comes in the Collectors edition of Halo Reach with Dr. Halsey's journal (below).
This design would prove difficult because I didn't have access to a card printer, so I knew I'd have to change things up a bit.
This was the first design I made. It has the redesigned UNSC insignia. I made this one mainly to please anyone who would want a copy, but since I like to pretend that Halo 4 doesn't exist, I decided to make one with the classic emblem (which I think is way cooler anyway).
This was the one I finally went with. The next step was finding the right materials.
This was a test run with the first design. It was etched on 1/4 inch acrylic, which was waaaay too thick. I used my school's Epilog Legend EXT laser cutter to etch and cut the design.
This is the final design on another piece of acrylic. 1/8 inch thick this time. For some reason, 1/8 inch doesn't etch as clearly as 1/4 inch. It worked pretty well, but the contrast isn't as drastic as the 1/4 inch test.
Here is another shot of the 1/8 inch test.
This was the most recent and final iteration of the ID. It's on a material called laserable plastic. It's a black plastic with a silver veneer on top. When the laser cutter etches, it removes the top layer revealing the black underneath. Even though this design is meant to be clear, I really like the way this design looks. It's got a really sleek look to it.
Here you can see the reflective qualities of the silver finish.
I also made a little name badge with some extra material. This would ultimately go on a uniform.
Well, that's it for now. I want to continue with this project, perhaps try some different materials. Perhaps use the clear design and paint or print on it. Tell me what you guys think. Also any ideas on where to go from here are welcome.
The next design was based off of a real military privileges card.
After a few different design decisions, I decided to base the card off of the security ID that comes in the Collectors edition of Halo Reach with Dr. Halsey's journal (below).
This design would prove difficult because I didn't have access to a card printer, so I knew I'd have to change things up a bit.
This was the first design I made. It has the redesigned UNSC insignia. I made this one mainly to please anyone who would want a copy, but since I like to pretend that Halo 4 doesn't exist, I decided to make one with the classic emblem (which I think is way cooler anyway).
This was the one I finally went with. The next step was finding the right materials.
This was a test run with the first design. It was etched on 1/4 inch acrylic, which was waaaay too thick. I used my school's Epilog Legend EXT laser cutter to etch and cut the design.
This is the final design on another piece of acrylic. 1/8 inch thick this time. For some reason, 1/8 inch doesn't etch as clearly as 1/4 inch. It worked pretty well, but the contrast isn't as drastic as the 1/4 inch test.
Here is another shot of the 1/8 inch test.
This was the most recent and final iteration of the ID. It's on a material called laserable plastic. It's a black plastic with a silver veneer on top. When the laser cutter etches, it removes the top layer revealing the black underneath. Even though this design is meant to be clear, I really like the way this design looks. It's got a really sleek look to it.
Here you can see the reflective qualities of the silver finish.
I also made a little name badge with some extra material. This would ultimately go on a uniform.
Well, that's it for now. I want to continue with this project, perhaps try some different materials. Perhaps use the clear design and paint or print on it. Tell me what you guys think. Also any ideas on where to go from here are welcome.
. A pity there hasn't been any other UNSC Branch logos illustrated in canon, NAVY, ARMY and MARINE IDs would have been cool.
