What is game art design?

When you design a game whether for consoles with video games or mobile apps, there’s many moving components.

The development of video games begins with lots of planning so that you are aware of your goals as well as your budget and requirements. Then, you’ll move to storyboarding and concept creation prototyping, followed by production.

There’s a good chance that you have a group of skilled programmers proficient in developing games on the platforms you’re focused on, however smaller design companies might not have the talent and creativity needed to produce a full production. Although you may be able to be able to complete the necessary programming within your own facility, there are certain areas that are better off outsourcing such as the design of audio, voice artistry as well as 3D rendering and sometimes, even the design of your game.

When you outsource the design of games, you’ll be able to get creative talent at a reasonable cost who can work remotely on the specifications you’ve given. It is possible to create an effective collaboration process that lets your team as well as the game art designers to focus on the core competencies of your team to create a fantastic product.

Let’s examine what’s involved in designing games and the best way to create an efficient method of outsourcing the work.

What is game design?

Game art design is the process of making the visual artwork used for video game. There are a variety of different kinds of graphic artists that are part of the process, all under the direction from an art manager.

Concept artists typically are involved during the pre-production portion of the process. During this phase, they create rough sketches for the character, the settings objects, and other items that will be an integral part of the game’s setting. Then, storyboard artists will collaborate with conceptual artists as well as game developers to develop outline sketches that illustrate how the camera moves throughout the different scenes in the game.

3D modelers make 3D characters and environments with Digital Graphics software. They collaborate with lighting designers as well as texture designers to design every element for every object or character regardless of what direction it is projected from. Once all the elements are designed and rendered an animator graphically will help bring to life the story by placing all these characters as well as scenes into motion.
Why do we outsource game art?

Designing games with art is an exclusive and highly specialized component that is involved in game development. Every video game requires thousands of graphic assets therefore it’s going to require the help of graphic artists to put it all together. Instead of hiring a lot of specialized employees to meet your requirements, it usually is more beneficial to work with a group that is focused only on animation and graphic design and your team can concentrate on game’s development.

Typically, it would make sense to hire an in-house art director, who will oversee the graphic design that is outsourced as well as work with an external game art agency. The game art artists you choose to work with could be located in countries that have a low costs of living like Eastern Europe, which results in cost savings when compared with hiring in-house staff.

Additionally, since your needs of game artists are not cyclical depending on the stage you’re on a game design production schedule Your graphic design requirements fluctuate and change in time. This makes it challenging to establish a regular schedule for your in-house animators and graphic designers. When you partner with an external company it is possible to ramp up and down according to your needs in graphics at any time.

Utilizing a game art studio could be a better choice than employing freelancers directly. A reputable game art studio has its own set of methods for working with other partners and be able to swiftly substitute designers should that one becomes absent or sick. They’ll also have a greater technology and capabilities, which means you don’t have to work with a variety of people. Someone at the studio’s side is responsible for the project, and will be in charge of managing communications throughout the process.

Utilizing an art studio for games can be beneficial in instances when you’re updating a game through the addition of new worlds or characters. In this instance the design team will operate within the existing framework and also add new features which will add significant benefits to your brand as well as your client base.

Working with a game design firm

If you are beginning to work on your game’s new concept and plan to collaborate with a game studio it is important to provide the studio with a plan for your game, some visual examples, and a comprehensive list of graphic assets that are required to allow them to determine the scope of your project with precision.

After it is decided on the budget and scope have been decided upon and the studio has agreed on the scope and budget, it will create an style guide that can be used as a guideline for the project, even if it does not yet exist. The style guide will help clarify the appearance and feeling of graphic components including any specific notes about resolution and workflow as well as the technology utilized. After you’ve completed the style guideline, the team can begin making elaborate sketches of objects, characters and settings and present them to the art director for feedback and criticism.

Once you’ve approved and reviewed all items, your team is able to shift to the 3D animation and rendering in order for the objects to be integrated into the game. At times, you may ask the team to develop additional assets in the event of changes for the game.

Conclusion

When creating a game, it is crucial to find the most qualified resources for each element of the project. Even if you have the best developers on your team, think about the advantages of working with a graphic artist Studio to make your idea to reality. If you find a competent partner will allow you to be confident in a collaboration, and speed up the time it takes to get your game ready for launch or upgrade.