Art Direction - Project 1: Project Proposal

27 Sept 2024 - 08 Nov 2024 (Week 1 - Week 7)

Vincent Lee // 0359386

Art Direction // Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media // Taylor's University

Project 1: Project Proposal

Instructions

Project 1: Game Proposal

Students are to work as groups in presenting an intended project based on the chosen creative area. Students were to state how art direction strategy is to be initiated by analysing a client brief and target audience.

Proposal should consist of:

Data analysis
Big Idea
Problem statement
Solution

Week 1 - Game Ideation

Figure 1.1 - Game Ideation (individual), Week 1 (26 Sept 2024)

Figure 1.2 - Compilation of Game Ideation (Group), Week 1 (26 Sept 2024)

Week 2 - Gaming Experiences

We were tasked with playing Subway Surfers and other similar endless running games as references as inspirations or improvements.

Week 3 to 6 - Visual Research & Idea Development

Figure 1.3 - Game Analysis 1: Fun Run 4, Week 3 (11 Oct 2024)

Figure 1.4 - Game Analysis 2: Minion Rush, Week 3 (11 Oct 2024)

Figure 1.5 - Positioning Map, Week 4 (18 Oct 2024)

Figure 1.6 - Environment Stylisation Map, Week 4 (18 Oct 2024)

While for the UI, I based on the discussion of pointing that the current UI were kind of retro and outdated, and combined with some research, I decided to went for a futuristic UI, but going to be less futuristic than the below one, as too illustrative and technical on AI or PS one, both are not my strengths.

Figure 1.7 - UI Research, Week 4 (18 Oct 2024)

Instead of using humans, we decided to replace them with animals, giving the design a "Zootopia"-inspired vibe. This approach adds more fun and playfulness to the concept.

Figure 1.8 - Character Sketches - Ampang Boy, Week 4 (18 Oct 2024)
by Rachel

Figure 1.9 - Desk Research: Malaysia Train Station,Week 6 (01 Nov 2024)

Figure 1.10 - Observational Studies for Characters Design, Week 6 (01 Nov 2024)

Project 1 Submission

Figure 1.11 - Project 1: Project Proposal Submission, Week 7 (08 Nov 2024)

Figure 1.12 - Thorough Visual Analysis, Week 7 (08 Nov 2024)

Feedback

Week 2 - Compilation of Proposed Game (Group)

20 Mins Till Dawn requires advanced skills for its bullet-hell gameplay, emphasising minimalist design with ample empty space. Class Online offers limited exploration, focusing mostly on character and UI/UX design. Omori is well-established and doesn't need further exploration. Mobile Legends and Valorant excel in all aspects, leaving little room for changes. Finally, Bike Race focuses mainly on character, obstacles, and scene design, limiting opportunities for exploration.

In contrast, Death Plate and Subway Surfer allow for significant creative exploration in character design, settings, and UI/UX development.

Upon narrow the options, Ms. Anis suggested to download and feel the gameplay and genre of the game. Determine which one we want to do. Think of the aspect of the game we can maintain and the aspects of the game we want to improve with new direction. For death plate, it has suggested to make it more horror like including of jump scare. Limited to 3 characters design and 1 final boss. Free to take visual references from movies and games to fit to our redesign art direction. Miss also mentioned that the hardest part is to bring everyone design into one cohesive and consistency manners.

Week 3

Utilise the graffiti style from the existing Subway Surfers game.
Make changes if necessary to improve or adapt the design.
Before making changes, analyze whether the Subway UI should be altered, kept the same, or manipulated slightly.
The character background doesn’t fit the overall theme of the game.
Introduce the concept of Kuala Lumpur (KL) as the setting for a new Subway Surfers design (version 2.0).
The concept includes "tagging" where the character draws graffiti in KL, and the antagonist could be a guard chasing the character.
Once we establish the art style and concept, we can start integrating it into the template (from the lecture slides).

Week 5

The animal concept could work well if paired with an alternate universe storyline or narrative.
Be cautious in selecting animals, as certain choices could unintentionally be perceived as offensive.
Create a moodboard to establish the style and characteristics of the people or personas we wish to portray. For example, the guard character could be represented by a tiger.
The "Xiao Mei Mei" dog isn’t typically found in this context; consider choosing a more regionally relevant animal.
The UI/UX aspect is missing. While the current moodboard isn't entirely off, it doesn’t fully align with the intended narrative. The theme and overall style of the slides may need adjustment, possibly incorporating elements of sarcasm or dark humor for added depth.

Week 7 - Project 1 Presentation

Good. Do ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of the design styles, and make sure the design reflects the theme of the narrative.

Reflection

Week 1

Games with heavy character illustrations or realistic environments are not my preference due to my lack of drawing skills and experience with realistic art styles. As a result, I leaned towards games with cartoonish and 2D art styles for this module. After brainstorming, each team member proposed 2-3 ideas, which we then narrowed down to 3-4 options. The focus was on selecting a game that we could modify in terms of art direction and gameplay.

Week 2

Although I initially thought we would work on Dumb Ways to Die, we ultimately chose Subway Surfers. The decision came down to flipping a coin since the votes were tied 2-2. Sarah, who proposed the game, shared her references for the project. I felt relieved when Sarah and Rachel volunteered to handle character redesigns, as I wasn’t confident in that area. However, I was willing to take on the task if needed to step out of my comfort zone. I appreciated the collaborative and supportive attitude of the team, which made me hopeful that we’d enjoy the process and work well together.

Week 3

This week, we conducted game analyses, observing various games including Subway Surfers. My chosen games for analysis were Fun Run 4 and Minion Rush. To document my findings efficiently, I used screenshots and annotated them directly in Canva.

The team agreed to focus on the visual design rather than gameplay mechanics, as advised. We planned to set the game in Kuala Lumpur City, but we were still uncertain about the art direction. The challenge was balancing a new art style with retaining the original game's essence. Personally, I felt sticking to the existing art style could simplify things. Communication was crucial this week to ensure alignment in the art direction. However, I felt progress was slow and the process disorganized, with only the background setting finalized.

Week 4

This week, we continued working on visual analysis. Since Sheryl and I weren’t skilled at creating stylized maps, we focused on observational studies. I also began brainstorming UI design ideas for our version of Subway Surfers. I felt my contributions were minimal due to the module’s reliance on drawing and design tasks, which are not my strengths. This left me feeling like I couldn’t ease my teammates' workload or effectively communicate my ideas.

Week 5

With changes to the character concepts and designs, I had to revisit my research and ideation for the UI design. It was frustrating to adjust to these constant changes, and I didn’t perform well in ideation. As deadlines loomed, I turned to desk research on Malaysian train stations for UI inspiration. Despite the challenges, I aimed to incorporate elements like ticket systems, directional boards, and platform screen doors into the design.

Week 6

This week, we worked on compiling a mood board and outlining our vision for the game’s design and art style. We intended to align everyone’s efforts, as Ms. Anis emphasized the importance of consistency in the stylized map design. While the character styles and vibrant color palette would remain, we planned to modernize the UI and incorporate elements observed in metro stations, such as ticketing systems and platform doors, into the environment design. Although the overall direction was still uncertain, we had a clearer idea of key design elements.

Week 7

Reflecting on the entire process, I feel my specialization didn’t play a significant role in this module. However, I do see how design is crucial for game development, much like branding where the narrative and design style need to align. Having limited exposure to games, with Dragon City being the last one I played, I struggled with understanding how my UI research connected to the narrative. Even now, I find it hard to see the relevance. Despite these challenges, we managed to wrap things up well, though there were some shortcomings, such as the font and color palette. On the bright side, most of the key aspects were covered, which I see as a positive outcome.

Quick Links

Exercises

Project 2: Project Management

Final Project: Complete Art Guide