Art Direction - Progress

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Art Direction - Progress

19/06/2024- 17/07/2024 (Week 9 -Week 13)
Brigita Maria/0352958
Game Development/Bachelor of Design in Creative Media


From: https://www.wired.com/story/among-us-innersloth-interview-online-communities/

INSTRUCTION

Characters Design and CTA Development

The character development process for our game was a meticulous and iterative journey. We began with the initial character sketches (Figure 1), where we explored various shapes and forms to establish the basic look and feel of our chicken characters. These early sketches laid the groundwork for further refinements.

We then experimented with adding accessories (Figure 2), which helped us envision how characters could be personalized and made more distinctive. Following this, we created multiple style variations of the chicken characters (Figure 3 and Figure 4), allowing us to explore different artistic directions and settle on the most fitting aesthetic for our game.

Figure 1. 1st try character sketches

Figure 2. Character with accessory

Figure 3. Varieties style of chicken character (1)


Figure 4. Varieties style of chicken character (2) 

To add depth to the game's narrative, we also sketched impostor characters (Figure 5 and Figure 6), giving them a distinct appearance to differentiate them from the regular chicken characters by making them a person inside a chicken costume. Alongside this, we designed CTA buttons (Figure 7), ensuring they were visually aligned with the overall game design.
Figure 5. Impostor character sketch

Figure 6. Impostor character sketch (2)


Figure 7. CTA button sketch


Figure 8.  Initial color palette

Figure 9. Colored varieties style of chicken character 


Figure 10. Chicken character design colored and silhouette

The initial color palette (Figure 8) was developed to guide the coloring process, providing a cohesive and appealing look for the game. We then colored the various chicken character styles (Figure 9), bringing them to life and highlighting their unique traits. The colored versions of the chicken character designs, both in silhouette and full color (Figure 10), helped us visualize how they would appear in-game.

Figure 11. Colored CTA button and Impostor character

Figure 12. Re-designed CTA button

Further refinements were made to the CTA buttons and impostor characters, as seen in the colored versions (Figure 11). This stage was crucial for ensuring all elements were consistent and visually appealing. We continued to redesign the CTA button (Figure 12), chicken characters (Figure 13), and impostor characters (Figure 14), improving their designs based on feedback and testing.


Figure 13. Re-design of the chicken character
Figure 14. Re-design of the impostor character

The project took a turn to brand new sketches of character designs and CTA buttons (Figure 15), which were then colored to finalize their look (Figure 16). 
Figure 15. Brand new sketches of character designs and CTA buttons


Figure 16. Colored character designs and CTA buttons

Figure 17. Extended of the color palette

An extended color palette (Figure 17) was developed to provide more options for character customization and environmental elements.

Map Design Sketches

Figure 18. Sketch of living room
Figure 19. Digitized sketch of living room

Figure 20. Sketch of bedroom
Figure 21. Digitized sketch of bedroom, dining room, labor room

Figure 22. Colored sketch of bedroom, dining room, labor room

Figure 23. Sketch of close-up bedroom


Figure 24. Sketch of close-up labor room

Figure 25. Sketch of close-up dining room

FEEDBACK

- Ms. Anis feedback on character

1. Add an outline to make the character pop up in the map. Make it more easier to identify because the art style of the map would be watercolor and visually vibrant and maybe overwhelming. 

2. Beak on the chicken character is easy to be drawn wrong. The first version looks more like a duck shape.

REFLECTION

Working on this project has been a mix of fun and frustration for me. Due to other modules' projects, I couldn't give 100% to the project. I tried to manage my time carefully, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't always dedicate as much energy as I wanted to our design work.

Adding to the challenge, the team dynamics were sometimes difficult to navigate. At times, it felt like my progress in art direction was met with little response, which made me hesitant to put in extra effort. Seeking opinions and feedback often felt like taking two steps forward and one step back. Despite these obstacles, I remained committed to staying positive and focused, hoping to foster a more collaborative environment.

This experience taught me the importance of effective communication and collaboration in any project. Despite these setbacks, I tried to stay focused and contribute meaningfully whenever possible. It was a tough balance, but it also highlighted the need for mutual support and active participation from all team members to achieve a truly cohesive and successful design.