We’re taking a break from my programming series to bring you a post coming courtesy of my first guest contributor, Ashlie Lopez! She is an experienced writer who will be covering a side of building cool technology that, based on the visuals of my hangman game, I probably have no business trying to tackle. She will be discussing how to make appealing game graphics.
Enjoy!
Developing realistic and appealing game graphics is not an easy task. When a user first sees your game, his first impression is based on the art of the game. Gamers tend to form an opinion about a game based on the overall appeal and aesthetics before actually playing the game. Therefore, game developers and producers invest a major chunk of their budget into game art and design.
As a designer, there are many different areas that you need to work on to create visually stunning graphics. Your designs should give a good user experience to players and should be consistent in terms of characters, colors, backdrop etc.
Whether you are an experienced or a new graphic designer, the following are some useful tips and techniques that will help you create better visuals for your game:
Follow the principles of design
The job of a skilled graphic designer is to understand and create designs by following the principles of design. The principles of design help a designer convert various design elements into powerful visuals. In order to create correct and meaningful visuals that leave a strong impact on the user’s mind, you need follow the rules of designing:
- AlignmentÂ
- Proportion
- Repetition
- Contrast
- Balance
- Emphasis
- Hierarchy
- Harmony
- Unity
- Proximity
As a designer, it is your job to understand each and every element and use them as powerful tools to create stunning game designs.
Have strong layouts
A layout is the foundation of every design. As a game designer, your layouts should be well balanced and well-proportioned in order to connect with the audience’s eye. In simple words, a layout is simply the assortment of various graphical elements. A layout also ensures consistency in designs. A strong layout can help viewers to focus on gaming elements that are the most important.
Every element in a game has its own identity and significance. The value of each element depends on its position on the game’s layout along with the proportion, repetition and contrast of the element.
Add depth to gaming images
Depth is yet another useful element of a visual image that helps to make certain images more elaborate and prominent in a game.
A designer can use depth as a powerful tool to help players get a better understanding of scale. Depth can be achieved through experimenting with lighting, outlining, and adjusting the hues and saturation of an image.
Provide unique styling
For every game, you need to come up with a new style that would give a distinctive identity to your design. You play with colors and lighting to create a new style for your design. Your graphics should be unique enough to attract the attention of gamers. Whether it is the backdrop or the characters of the game, you need to design them in such a way that they instantly create a connection with the players.
As a designer, your main goal should be to create crisp and sharp graphics. It is not necessary to create too realistic or intricate graphics to make your character stand out. Sometimes, going for a minimalist approach by creating simple characters is more effective than creating overly complex designs.
Enhance graphics with colors
Colors are the one the simplest tools for bringing images to life. In games, it is recommended to go for saturated and vibrant colors. However, every game has its own unique requirements based on its story line, characters and genre. More vibrant and bright saturated colors work for casual or strategic games that are designed to cater to a wider audience of different age groups. Pastel colors are mostly used for fantasy video games. You can use customized video game glasses to enhance your gaming experience.
Get constructive feedback
Getting constructive feedback and criticism is a great way to know which design element works for the game and which could be replaced with a better alternative. Learning and improving your skills from feedback is a great way to keep upgrading your portfolio and stay relevant in the industry. Through feedback and suggestions, a designer gets to know about his strength and weaknesses in designing. The best and most honest review that a game designer could get is from the gamers themselves.