Case Study#4 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Hollywood

I have written 2 blog posts featuring a total of 20 mazes that I abandoned for one reason or another. You can read them here:

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

10 More Abandoned Mazes - Mistakes in Maze Making

I took the time to evaluate the mazes and see why they did not work and try to determine - could they be salvaged ? Today I present my 4th case study for improving one of those mazes, The Hollywood Sign. If you want to read the previous 3 case studies:

Case Study#1 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Tiki Totem Maze

Case Study#2 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Danzante Conchero Chichimeca Maze

Case Study#3 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Red Rocks Amphitheatre Maze

Back to this maze. Here is what I wrote about the maze in the previous post on why it was abandoned:

“Abandoned Maze #1 - The Hollywood Sign Maze

Technically could be considered a finished maze. But it is very boring. Not particularly good. It does not bring a Kondo level of joy. The maze is easy. Could it be salvaged ? Yes, probably with some color and lots of background detail - but once you see a photo of the actual sign and it’s surroundings you notice a lot of rocks/dirt and just a few bushes. The top of the hill has fences, and cellphone towers, etc. So, this COULD be salvaged, but most likely won’t be. Mistake made: Poor subject matter / poor execution

And let’s look at that maze, also known as the ‘before’. SOOOO boring.

This was a tough one. I rated the above maze a 2 out of 10. Here are the changes I made to (hopefully) improve the maze:

1. Color added - The Hollywood letters in white should pop against the background of the hill. So I colored the hill to enable the bright white letters to pop. I did 2 versions of the hill, bright green and a more normal brownish green we need rain color.

2. Tower added - I added a tower to the top of the hill. One of many possible but enough to show what is there. I did not add the fence since most people never notice it.

3. Bushes added - The slope of the hill has many different types of bushes in various shades of green/brown and grey. I added them around the hillside. I also added some outlines of ridges and some dirt trails.

4. Blur - Although when I saved the file as a png it does not save (so I use screenshots instead), I made everything on the hill that is not a letter blurry. The hillside in pictures does not have a lot of definition or detail that is important - it is just there so highlight the sign, so the blurring helps this (I hope).

5. Letter and branding added - Added the name of the maze and added my branding.

6. Sizing Change - Slight change based on how everything looked, I kept the wide shot but gave it a bit more height based on the tower/branding locations. Initial maze was 990 x 360 and is now 990 x 494, so 37% taller.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Better. Maybe this went from a 2 to a 5. A 2 never sees the light of day. A 5 only does if I see a special case for it (like this case study).

And now the “After”. The new maze in 2 colors:

I think this is an improvement. What do you think ? Do you prefer one green over the other ?

Case Study #1 - How to Improve a Bad Maze

I have written 2 blog posts featuring a total of 20 mazes that I abandoned for one reason or another. You can read them here:

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

10 More Abandoned Mazes - Mistakes in Maze Making

I took the time to evaluate the mazes and see why they did not work and try to determine - could they be salvaged ? Today I present a case study for improving one of those mazes, the Tiki Totem Maze which ended up becoming Maze of the Week #86. Here is my analysis from the previous blog:

“Abandoned Maze #4 - Tiki Totem Maze

I thought this would be a good idea. Tiki totems are so cool. I can’t quite put my finger on this. It just isn’t good enough to be on the site as a weekly featured maze. I think it MIGHT be able to be fixed. Add color to the totem, and to make it more interesting - SHADOWS. I would also try a more complex maze structure vs the current kids level format. But I can’t be sure that will be enough…so it will not get done ….or it will. We’ll see. Mistake made: Not enough details / interest”

And I must say, for a maze to be recoverable, the mistake made of not enough details/interest is a giveaway that the maze is salvageable with some additional work. Now let’s look at that original maze, also known as the ‘before’:

And here are the changes I made to (hopefully) improve the maze:

1. Color - The actual tiki is not black and white (nor does it have brown accents as the initial maze pathways imply. I went with the weathered grey color of the tiki. I switched the color of the walls to a complementary charcoal color.

2. Shadows added - It is a tiki on a beach so it is in the sun. I went with lots of shadows ! This really shows the shape of the tiki better, especially the eye area. I took the extra time to shadow the nose, neck, and under the pecs.

3. Maze placement - The tiki is full length and sits in the sand on a beach, but I only made the top portion. It is also surrounded by a sea of white nothingness. After considering adding the full totem, I instead decided to place the totem against the bottom of the page which allowed for….

4. Beach scene added - By moving the totem forward there is a large background to fill. That was a perfect place to add a background that included a beach, a palm tree and the sky. I spent 70% of the time improving this maze working on the leaves of the tree, then used a gradient color to accurately color the trunk. I did my best to add foam to the break of the water at the shore.

5. Start and Goal changed - The placement also meant a change from arrows to an internal Start and Goal using lettering.

6. Sky addition - The white sky felt like empty space. Might as well finish the color. I went cloudless like a great day at the beach (with sunscreen).

7. Lettering and branding - Add the name of the maze and my branding both of which were previously missing.

Also considered but not updated:

I decided to not change the actual maze beyond minor moves. It remains easy for kids but looks a lot better for everyone; Something on the water like a boat or a shark fin, or the sky like the sun or some birds; The full totem poll (as mentioned above).

And now the “After”. The new maze:

I think this is an improvement. What do you think ? Should I have added more details ?

This is how the Tiki Totem became Maze of the Week #86 after sitting on the shelf for over 2 years ! Maze download is available !

10 More Abandoned Mazes - Mistakes in Maze Making

In a previous blog post I shared with you 10 mazes that I had abandoned for various reasons. I showed the mazes and mentioned why they had never been finished, or published. My goal was to evaluate the mistakes I had made on the mazes and hopefully prevent them in the future.

I post a new maze every Monday and I work ahead - sometimes only a few weeks, but usually a few months. This gives me time to research and write a blog post for the maze, set-up a dedicated page on the website, and make 2 videos for the maze for my YouTube channel. So, scrapping mazes that don’t meet my standards does not set the schedule back any. But, too many abandoned mazes means my timing gets tight. I never want to rush a maze.

Today I will show you 10 more abandoned mazes, discuss why they were abandoned and hopefully help you not make the same mistakes I did.

Abandoned Maze #1 - Clanton Peach Tower Maze

An interesting water tower that is painted to look like a peach in Clanton, Alabama. Seems like an interesting roadside attraction. Mistake made: Poor subject matter / poor execution (wrong maze construction, not enough details)

Abandoned Mazes #2 / 3 - Arkansas flag/sign mazes

I was going to make a variety of mazes for each state in the US, most likely creating a section for each state on the site. I scrapped that idea. These mazes were both made for Arkansas. Both are simple mazes that fit into the old “daily maze” format I was making pre-2022. Now, they have no place on the site. Mistake made: Poor subject matter / low quality mazes

Abandoned Maze #4 - Golden Gate Bridge Maze

I thought this would be a good idea. By showing the side view the maze is easier to make. I colored the stanchions by using colored walls. The maze has an interesting shape but not much more. Mistake made: Not enough details / interest. Poor execution

Abandoned Maze #5 - Pheonix Welcome Maze

Was going to add this to Arizona mazes. Nothing special. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze

Abandoned Maze #6 - US Lightship Maze

I spent a lot of time on the details of this boat. I wanted to make it for Veteran’s Day. The only place to make the maze is in the hull of the boat and I used an on-line construction. It just doesn’t look good. It might be salvageable. Mistake made: Poor maze construction.

Abandoned Maze #7 - Kangaroo Sign Maze

This sign is from Australia. I like it despite the fact that it is simple, but it does not aave a home on the site anymore Mistake made: No home - quality level no longer fits the site

Abandoned Maze #8 - Texas Flag Maze

Another example of my state project that I abandoned. Mistake made: No home - quality level no longer fits the site

Abandoned Maze #9 - Gillette Castle Maze

I completed the outline of this interesting building and stopped. The surface if the castle is completely covered in field stone which gives it a unique look. I felt making a maze of it was possible but would take a lot of time for a building not famous of for the time invested. The building is also a bit ugly despite being unique. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze

Abandoned Maze #10 - Hot Dog Sign Maze

Chicago, Illinois is known for it’s hot dogs. I had the opportunity to try a few and they are worth it. I was going to make a few of the most famous shops signs into maze. I abandoned the project and I never finished the maze for this one of Gene and Jude’s in River Grove. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze

I wish I didn’t have even more abandoned mazes, but thems the breaks. Which of these mazes can and should be salvaged and which should I just consider practice ?

Maybe some will be fixed…we’ll see

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

I make a lot of mazes for the website. Thousands since I started it, but you may not know that many of those mazes have been scrubbed from the site as new, better mazes have replaced them. In 2022 I switched the site from a daily maze on the homepage (very labor intensive), to a new maze each week (debuting every Monday). I kept that format for 2023 because I like the results and what I am able to create with the lengthened time. I wrote about this in my outlook for the year - My 2023 Website Outlook if you are interested.

One thing I do not mention in the blog is that I work ahead - sometimes only a few weeks, but usually a few months. If you ask me what maze will be featured 13 Mondays from today - I know. This gives me time to research and write a blog post for the maze, set-up a dedicated page on the website, and make 2 videos for the maze for my YouTube channel - one of the maze being made and one of it being solved.

Another advantage this format has for me is the ability to stop making a maze if something if off with it for some reason. I also scrapped a few ideas after having made many mazes for a theme (because I don’t really do many themes anymore). This gives me a catalog of mazes that have never seen the light of day. Until today. Today I will show you 10 abandoned mazes, discuss why they were abandoned and hopefully help you not make the same mistakes I did.

Abandoned Maze #1 - The Hollywood Sign Maze

Technically could be considered a finished maze. But it is very boring. Not particularly good. It does not bring a Kondo level of joy. The maze is easy. Could it be salvaged ? Yes, probably with some color and lots of background detail - but once you see a photo of the actual sign and it’s surroundings you notice a lot of rocks/dirt and just a few bushes. The top of the hill has fences, and cellphone towers, etc. So, this COULD be salvaged, but most likely won’t be. Mistake made: Poor subject matter / poor execution

Abandoned Mazes #2 - Oil Well mazes

You will see this theme a lot in this list - I was going to make a variety of mazes for each state in the US, most likely creating a section for each state on the site. I scrapped that idea. These mazes were both made for Texas. Both are simple mazes that fit into the old “daily maze” format I was making pre-2022. Now, they have no place on the site. Is anyone looking for these in a Google search ? I would say a hard no. But if you search “Sewing Machine maze” I own it. Mistake made: Poor subject matter / low quality mazes

Abandoned Maze #3 - Severance Hall Maze

This almost maze was done before I started using perspective for just about every maze, that’s why it looks so boxy. I was in-between wanting to start from scratch or moving forward with the maze. I never made a decision and it got lost until I found it for this post. It also appears to be floating and a nondescript building. Mistake made: Using a poor method to start with. Indecision on how to move forward.

Abandoned Maze #4 - Tiki Totem Maze

I thought this would be a good idea. Tiki totems are so cool. I can’t quite put my finger on this. It just isn’t good enough to be on the site as a weekly featured maze. I think it MIGHT be able to be fixed. Add color to the totem, and to make it more interesting - SHADOWS. I would also try a more complex maze structure vs the current kids level format. But I can’t be sure that will be enough…so it will not get done ….or it will. We’ll see. Mistake made: Not enough details / interest

Abandoned Maze #5 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre Maze

Never completed. I never made the maze…just the picture which I struggled with in terms of coloration - every photo of RR has different lighting so the colors are difficult. And most of all, the maze was going to be placed in the rocks but that is a bad structure to make a maze in. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze

Abandoned Maze #6 - Dancing Man Statue Maze

I had high hopes (sing it!) for this when I started it. As you can see I made the figure and I was starting to add muscle definition (in red) when I came to the conclusion - there is no place for a maze - or if there is it will make the maze very large in order to be able to see/solve it. I want this to work because the figure took so long to make and I included so many details. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze.

Abandoned Maze #7 - Gateway Arch Maze

This subject fits the definition of something people would like to see. But it doesn’t work. I used a standard maze structure in the arch and it is the wrong type of maze for it. I did a mix of background detail and non-detail. The trees in the foreground are terrible. This could be salvaged with a lot of work. Mistake made: Poor maze execution

Abandoned Maze #8 - Terminal Tower Maze

A building in Cleveland, Ohio that was once the 2nd tallest building in the US (after the Empire State Building). This almost maze was made when I was trying to make everything geometrical and without perspective. Later I switched everything to perspective drawing. I just didn’t feel that the finished product would be worth the additional work needed. It was going to become a very large maze (and difficult to solve), similar to my Empire State Building Maze. Mistake made: Using a poor method to start with.

Abandoned Mazes #9 / 10 - State Road Sign Mazes

As part of my state project above I was going to make mazes of every US state welcome sign. I made over a dozen, plus a dozen famous state road signs (like a maze of the PCH sign in California). None of these have seen the light of day. I scrapped the project as they were not interesting enough for the site - again more daily maze quality. Mistake made: Quality level no longer fits the site

So what do you think ? Which of these mazes can and should be salvaged ? I wish I could say these are the only mazes I have scrapped….but I could do a few more posts just like this and still not run out. Let’s just consider these practice.

Hopefully I can do a case study based off of one of these mazes- I already have a title for the post - Case Study - How to Improve a Bad Maze.