Art Direction - Final Compilation & Reflection

on
28/3/2022 - 27/6/2022 / Week 1 - Week 14
Lui Hsiao Hui (Tressa) / 0342003
Art Direction / Design Extension
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Compilation & Reflection

INSTRUCTIONS



Week 2

Fig. 1.1 - 1.4 Among Us and Goose Goose Duck gameplay, Week 2 (4/4/2022)

In week 2 we got a first-hand experience on good and bad art direction design by playing the games Among Us and Goose Goose Duck with the entire class. It was really fun to explore the map, especially when playing Goose Goose Duck for the first time.


Fig. 1.5 Miro board progression, Week 2 (4/4/2022)

After a few rounds of Among Us and Goose Goose Duck, our task was to list down the good and bad for both games on our group Miro board. We also included visuals of the things listed.

    Group members of Group 1:
    0337622 Kuan Tze Earn (Leader)
    0342003 Lui Hsiao Hui
    0346010 Michelle Winnie Tanumihardja
    0349223 Ng Veyhan
    0335487 Tam Min Feng


    Week 3

    Fig. 1.6 Miro board progression, Week 3 (11/4/2022)


    Fig. 1.7 Final new game narrative, Week 3 (11/4/2022)

    In week 3, we brainstormed a new concept and game narrative for Among Us, using our Miro board as a place for us to compile our ideas and visuals.

    The final new game narrative we came up with was a cooking edition of Among Us. It was take place on a ship (sea) and the main map's cuisine is Japanese. 


    Week 4

    In week 4, we began our initial proposal. Our first step was to reorganise the good and bad lists we did in week 2. We reorganised them into categories such as visual, narrative and UI/UX. Next, we also prepared the visual goals part of our proposal.


    Week 5

    In week 5 we presented our initial proposal in class and received feedback. After the group presentations, we are to begin with character and environment sketches and compile them for feedback next week. We were instructed to pick 3 rooms from the Skeld map (Among Us) with different visual dynamics (lighting etc) and work on redesigning them based on our new Among Us game narrative.


    Fig. 1.8 Miro board progression, Week 5 (25/4/2022)

    In our group discussion, we decided on the room redesign:
    Cafeteria > Kitchen
    Storage > Storage
    Medbay > VIP Lounge

    Then we allocated tasks for sketches:
    Kitchen - Tze Earn
    Storage - Veyhan
    VIP Lounge - Hsiao Hui (me)
    5 characters and 1 impostor - Tze Earn, Michelle & Min Feng 


    Fig. 1.9 VIP Lounge references, Week 5 (26/4/2022)


    Fig. 1.10 VIP Lounge sketch, Week 5 (26/4/2022)

    While designing the environment, I also had to think about sabotages.
     

    Week 6 - 7

    Fig. 1.11 Miro board progression, Week 6-7 (30/4-6/5/2022)

    After completing our sketches, we worked on gathering references for colour palette, character design, environment design, UI/UX design and logo and typeface.

    Based on Ms Anis's feedback I also helped to reorganise the good and bad analysis and added more visuals to specific points.


    Fig. 1.12 Final Art Direction Proposal, Week 7 (9/5/2022)



    Week 8 - 9

    Fig. 2.1 Refined sketch, Week 8 (16/5/2022)

    To break up the symmetry, I shifted the sofas and changed up the decorations on both sides. I also decided to round off the corners because I thought the VIP Lounge could be at the end of the ship. However, it looked too weird compared to other rooms and my teammates also said the original room border is better.


    Fig. 2.2 Miro board - discussing scaling, lineart and colour, Week 9 (28/5/2022)

    Before we did the lineart we had a meeting to discuss the scale and how we would do the lineart as well as what software and distribute tasks. I suggested using Adobe Illustrator because we can standardise point sizes.


    Week 10 - 11

    Fig. 2.3 Lineart - first attempt, Week 10 (29/5/2022)


    Fig. 2.4 Lineart - resized door width, Week 10 (2/6/2022)

    I resized the door width because the original lineart room looked small compared to the other rooms.


    Fig. 2.5 VIP Lounge colour variations - first attempt, Week 10 (2/6/2022)

    I struggled a lot with the colour scheme, it was hard to ensure adequate contrast with the saturated colours. I think because I was so stuck with saturated colours it affected me in doing the colour variations. Thankfully, Tze Earn mentioned that the choices in this lineup give off more of a Chinese-themed room instead of Japanese cuisine and suggested trying out earthy tones instead with variation #2. 


    Fig. 2.6 VIP Lounge colour variations - second attempt, Week 11 (7/6/2022)

    Using variation #2, I tried more earthy tones with light and dark flooring. I also replaced the burgundy with brown and toned down the use of saturated colours.


    Fig. 2.7 VIP Lounge final colour & lighting, Week 11 (11/6/2022)

    Tze Earn then asked if I could try out the lighting first so the rest of the team would get an idea of how the lighting style would look. First I added the shadows in Adobe Illustrator and then added the lighting using gaussian blur and blending modes in Adobe Photoshop.


    Week 14

    My task was to combine all the rooms, fine-tune where needed and do the lighting for all rooms. First I combined and refined all rooms in Adobe Illustrator, then only add the lighting in Adobe Photoshop.


    Fig. 3.1 Refined kitchen, Week 14 (26/6/2022)

    Before: Tze Earn & Michelle
    Refinement: Hsiao Hui (me)

    I added some pink accents to create consistency in the different rooms when in map view. The floor is also slightly lighter for better contrast and I thought it needed a bit more brightness.


    Fig. 3.2 Refined storage, Week 14 (26/6/2022)

    Before: Veyhan
    Refinement: Hsiao Hui (me)

    Before the storage was very dull and it felt like it was missing some details and clutter. I added more cardboard boxes, plants, notes and changed the colours to more vibrant and bright colours. I also switched up the fridge design to break up the symmetry and repetition.


    Fig. 3.3 Final environment (map) - final colour, Week 14 (26/6/2022)

    Michelle suggested adding a wooden flooring and some carpet details for the VIP Lounge, so that was what I added besides changing some colours.


    Fig. 3.4 Final environment (map) - flat colour, Week 14 (26/6/2022)


    Fig. 3.5 Final environment (map) - lighting, Week 14 (26/6/2022)


    Fig. 3.6 Final environment (map) with characters, Week 14 (26/6/2022)


    Fig. 3.7 Final Art Direction presentation, Week 14 (27/6/2022)


    Final task distribution:
    Sketches - Everyone
    Kitchen - Tze Earn, Michelle, Hsiao Hui
    Storage - Veyhan, Hsiao Hui
    VIP Lounge - Hsiao Hui
    Character Design - Tze Earn & Michelle
    UI/UX (tasks interfaces & logo) - Min Feng & Tze Earn

    FEEDBACKS

    Week 2: Impressive breakdowns, keep compiling.

    Week 3: Interesting setting. Think of Ratatouille, kitchen nightmare? Masterchef with an evil twist?

    Week 4: Solid track with the narrative, continue with your compilation on your own.

    Week 5: Good and bad analysis is very straightforward, however add more detailed visuals for specific points mentioned in the analysis.

    Week 8: Need more clutter for kitchen and storage, kitchen and storage line art has thinner lines compared to the VIP lounge, looks not as defined.
    Week 10: Need more clutter for the kitchen and storage. Ensure consistency in lineart point sizes (kitchen & storage). Play around with different eyes for the dead character. Add more characterisation (accessories).

    Week 12: Logo and environment designs have nice appeal.

    REFLECTION

    This module has taught me the extensive process of Art Direction. I never knew that there were so many aspects to consider such as positioning map and styling ranges. Those were slightly challenging because we had to look for many references. From our class gameplay of Among Us and Goose Goose Duck, I realised that I should start observing and scrutinising game design since I don't really do that often, it's surprising how many 'flaws' we can pick out and come up with improvements and solutions. It was also my first time doing environment design and I'd never thought I'd struggle this much with choosing colours. It was challenging to brainstorm about the functionality of the props because everything in design has meaning and a purpose. Overall, I'm very grateful for my members who've given lots of insightful feedback and their contribution to this project.


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    be nice