Art Direction / Task 1

23/04/25 - 18/05/25 / Week 1 - Week 4
Iman binti Kamarudin / 0364014
Art Direction / Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Task 1

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LECTURE

Week 1

This week, we were briefed on the expectations for this module and also looked at examples from seniors.

Week 2

This week we had a lecture on art direction. Afterwards, we all played Among Us. Our individual task for this week is to create a Pros vs Cons analysis of a game to propose to our group.

Art Direction

Genre: A category of production

Style: A distinctive appearance of the artwork

Theme: An idea that recurs in the work

Example

Genre - Banksy, urban street art

Style - Limited coloirs, stencils and spray paint

Theme - Statements about social, working class and political situations

Style vs Theme

Art Style (Aesthetics)

- Proportions

- Colors

- Details

- Materials

- Outlines

- Rendering

Theme

- Settings and location

- Time periods

- Costume

- Technology level

- Universe

- Artistic genres (sci-fi, fantasy etc.)

- Subculture (urban, kawaii etc.)

Your target audience should be very specific. Don't just say 'teenagers' or 'kids'. Who do you want to reach out to? What do you want these people to benefit?

Stylisation

- To create instantly recognisable archetypes in characters so the players can recognise each type quickly

Visual Analysis Skills

Using observation skills to find the strengths and weaknesses of the game

Break down your analysis according to;

Must have - the game won't work if these are not present

Good to have - aspects that make the game interesting

Nice to have - not so important but nice touch to the game

Week 3

This week we had an exercise where we placed games on 2 charts. 1 of them being the positioning map, and the other one being the artistic target.

Week 4

Continued working on the submission for task 1

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INSTRUCTIONS

EXERCISE 1: OBSERVATION STUDY

- Select a game and play it

- Analyse and observe the gameplay

The game I decided to observe is Fun Run 4. It's a mobile game where 4 players race eachother and compete to pass the finish line first. They also have special abilities unique to each animal and powerups which ensures each game remains fresh and exciting.

FINAL

Fig 1.1 - Final Exercise 1 Slides

EXERCISE 2: POSITIONING MAP

- Add and place games onto the maps based on their setting and stylisation

Fig 2.1 - Positioning Map

Fig 2.2 - Artistic Targets

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REFLECTION

My experience with this task was quite fun. I've never really sat down and analysed a game before so I feel like I'm more aware on what details to look for. I've learned a lot more about the difference between genre, theme and style. I've also observed that there's a lot of details you can easily miss if you aren't thinking too critically about it. For example, when I went back and played a couple rounds of Fun Run 4 I never realised what features I felt were really important for me in the gameplay.

The artistic targets and positioning maps also helped me see what is currently lacking in the gaming industry in terms of setting and styles.