Client: FatFly Digital/Jimmy White
Project: iWhirlwind - The Official Jimmy White Snooker Coach
Project specifics:- iPhone & iPad App Design
- App Icon Design
Client location: UK
Link: http://bit.ly/Mqsyyx
iWhirlwind – The Official Jimmy White Snooker Coach
The brief:
As most of my projects are games related, it was a pleasant surprise to be invited to design the new official Jimmy White training app! I think just about everyone on earth knows who Jimmy White is, so it was rather exciting to say the least! The brief was pretty simple too, to create a super clean and super simple user interface design for the new coaching app. The app itself is streamlined to be as simple and easy to learn from as possible, so the app design had to be the same.
The solution:
We decided that a great visual direction to take was one that evoked the feeling of a dark, atmospheric snooker hall. We figured that after working through the training that this is exactly where the user would be putting it to practice! We soon settled on the overall look and feel and set to work on fleshing out the various app screens. Additionally to this was the app icon which was a blast to work on! I wanted to ensure that the icon had a good level of depth and could immediately grab the attention of any snooker fan. This was such a pleasure to work on! It’s also been great to see the app fly up the sports app charts and hover around the top 10 for quite some time!
Client: Klei Entertainment
Project: Mark of the Ninja Website
Project specifics:- Website Design
Client location: Canada
Mark of the Ninja
The brief:
Ninja’s, seriously, ninjas…how cool is that? Couple ninja’s with the Klei’s general degree of awesomeness and you’ve got the perfect project recipe right there! For this dev blog I was tasked with creating a dark, mysterious and stealthy looking design that would tie in with the gorgeous visuals of the upcoming game!
The solution:
I decided to plunge the site into the dark depths of the ninja’s world. So by taking elements from the game and creating a moonlit, atmospheric canvas, the site became a true extension of the game! As ever, Jeff Agala’s amazing artwork just made this a pleasure to work on. I’m SO excited about Mark of the Ninja as it genuinely looks to be an original and very beautiful game. If you love ninja’s, take a peek, you’ll love it!
Client: Klei Entertainment
Project: Eets Munchies
Project specifics:- Blog Design
Client location: USA
Link: http://eetsgame.com
Eets Munchies
The brief:
Another amazing project with Klei Entertainment! This time it was to create their new blog for their upcoming puzzle game, Eets Munchies! The brief was to create a blog for the new game that would feel like an extension of the game itself and act as the perfect platform for Klei to tell the world all about new developments.
The solution:
As with every project I do with Klei, I take a huge amount of inspiration from the artwork I receive, as its all courtesy of Jeff Agala! An illustrative legend! This time around the site was going to be set in a fantastical forest with characters bursting out from every angle. I was supplied with a great collection of illustrations which I brought together in the scene you see and then built up the bright, open and easy to read blog design within it. Grrrrreat fun! Keep an eye out for this game, its a little while off release yet, but its shaping up wonderfully!
Client: Firedance Games
Project: Salvation Prophecy
Project specifics:- Branding
- Homepage Design
- 2x Subpage Designs
Client location: Canada
Salvation Prophecy
The brief:
Salvation Prophecy was the 3rd sci-fi related game microsite in a row...total heaven! The brief here was to create an online experience that mirrored the game in as many ways as possible, so it had to be futuristic, gritty and exploding with action...perfect!
The solution:
After working closely with Firedance Games to ensure I got exactly what assets I needed, I set to work on creating the epic action scene that sets the tone at the top of the site. As ever, the vast majority of time went into this scene, as its intended to create a killer atmosphere and hold the viewer on the page. It had to grab them, show them the goodies and tempt them to dig deeper. At the same time as creating this scene I also set to work on the brand, as with the game deeply embedded in my mind, this was the perfect time to create the logo that would live alongside it. Yet another fabulous sci-fi game site that I just LOVED creating! Any fans of the genre should check Salvation Prophecy out as its shaping up rather well!
Client: Keen Software House
Project: Miner Wars
Project specifics:- Homepage Design
- Subpage Design
Client location: Czech Republic
Link: http://minerwars.com
Miner Wars
The brief:
Being a fan of almost everything sci-fi related, when I got offered the chance of designing the new Miner Wars website I got somewhat excited...as I always do! The brief was great, take a glimpse of the game and reflect it in the site to the best of your ability. And with the fantastic assets that I'd been provided with, this was going to be a visual feast!
The solution:
As the game is set in both space and within vast mine shaft networks, I wanted to ensure that this site felt different from your usual space themed shooter site. So I opted to focus mainly on the tunnelling element and enclose the ships within one of the many awesome looking tunnel environments. I was provided with lots of fantastic scene renders, ship renders and other various elements, so I started working up the main scene. I wanted to portray a feeling of pure action all tied up within the tight confines of these huge mine shafts, so by bringing together a selection of the amazing ships and having them all zooming toward the camera, it made for an epic background setting to the site. From here, I then worked up all the page elements and tied it all together with a futuristic, yet gritty overall feel. Great stuff!
Client: Positech Games
Project: Gratuitous Tank Battles
Project specifics:- Branding
- Homepage Design
- UI Concept Art
- Matte Painting
Client location: UK
Gratuitous Tank Battles
The brief:
I was tasked with quite a few elements for this game, which initially started out with the branding. The game is set in the future, but in a world where WW1 is still raging. As the name suggests, tanks play a major role in this game, so the branding had to incorporate elements to reflect all of the above. Adding to this I was also tasked with creating a kick ass matte painting for the title screen using a collection of tank and mech renders, followed by some UI concept work and the website homepage...ooooh yes!
The solution:
It was actually quite tough to begin with as I was challenged with creating a look that felt both futuristic and also anchored in WW1...tough, but damn fun! We didn't want the game to feel steam punk themed as this is was obvious visual solution, so a war-torn, bulky and very mechanical feel was settled on. Too much fun. Following this I had to create a mammoth title screen image using a collection of mech and tank renders. I do a lot of this kind of work for websites (the big backgrounds you see in most of my games sites) so it was a nice change to create this for a game's title screen. It was a huge undertaking but the final result came out really well. Finally the main game UI and website design were the last parts of the project and equally as enjoyable too. As I'd already created a stylistically strong identity/atmosphere, the site came together naturally. How I loved this project!!!!!
Client: 3000AD
Project: Line of Defence Website
Project specifics:- Website Design
Client location: USA
Link: http://lodmmo.com
Line of Defence
The brief:
When the guys at 3000AD got in touch showing off their new game, Line of Defence, it instantly caught my eye as a project I’d love to be part of! I love just about anything futuristic/sci-fi, especially when there’s mechs, guns and robots involved :) The brief was simple, make a new kick ass website to showcase this epic new game!
The solution:
I spent some time upfront with 3000AD to prepare the ideal assets to make the most of the site, and what they sent me didn’t disappoint! I was lavished with loads of hi quality renders giving me endless possibilities for the new design. As I do with all my sites, I spend A LOT of time creating the main scene, which is essentially matte painted to a large degree. I bring together all the assets I want to use, choose an environment render and start to work on creating a killer scene. I generally spend about a day creating the main scene, adding in depth, lighting, extra texture and fine tuning the composition. With that done, it sets the tone for the whole site. And as my company name states, everything is fully illustrated, the main nav, and site elements all get a lot of hand painted details. With the main scene complete the page content flowed together naturally and it was signed off almost immediately :) The rest of site was a joy to work on too as each page just seemed to slot together perfectly. Truly marvellous project!!!! I’m looking forward to working with 3000AD again!
Client: Triniti Interactive
Project: Modern War Live UI
Project specifics:- Game Branding
- Game UI Design
Client location: China
Link: http://bit.ly/thMz46
Modern War Live
The brief:
The brief for this project was fairly straight forward in truth, it was to create a gritty, war-torn look that echoed the wars of the past decade. So it had to feel hi-tec as well as battle worn...awesome!
The solution:
As this is a genre I’ve wanted to work with for ages, it was great to get my teeth sunk into this MMO. I wanted people to pick up the app and immediately feel as though they’d just picked up a new piece of mobile kit on the battlefield itself. It had to feel 100% military. Once the basic feel was created I then started to make it look battle worn by adding in cracks, grit and texture to really make this fit the theme. I really, really enjoyed designing this MMO and the icing on the cake was creating the loading screen. I’d been given a small collection of random 3D model renders from the Triniti team, but none of them were tied together. I decided to create a huge montage of the tanks, helicopter and solders and make a ‘movie poster’ like loading screen. I particularly LOVED this bit :) If you like MMO’s, go grab a copy, its free!
Client: Haypi
Project: Haypi Dragons
Project specifics:- UI Design
- Branding
- Character Design
- 2D & 3D Environment Design
- Animation
Client location: China
Link: http://bit.ly/yvRZgi
Haypi Dragons
The brief:
As I'd already created the brand, character, environments, maps and animation concepts I was super excited to start work on the UI. The brief was to simply continue where I'd left off with the in game elements and expand upon that world to create the menu look and feel.
The solution:
As the game is set in times past and is all about cartoony dragons, it seemed only fitting to use an old chunky stone effect for the overall look of the UI components. My work here, as with the in game art, was more conceptual, so the guys at Haypi took my work and expanded upon it to create the remaining UI elements...of which there were looooooooooooooooots!
Client: Thunder Game Works & EA
Project: Trenches 2
Project specifics:- UI Design
- Branding
- Full Game Art
- Animation
- Promo art
Client location: USA
Link: http://bit.ly/vrR7GJ
Trenches 2
The brief:
The brief for T2's UI was in plain, simple. To take the menu system that had been created for the game and skin it in such a way as to fit the gritty, industrial feel WW1.
The solution:
As I'd already created all the in game artwork and branding before starting the UI, the transition was seamless. Creating a UI to match the game was a smooth and natural process. I love nothing more creating the UI for a game that I've been the artist on, so this was a very fulfilling. You can see more of the game over in the Illustration section too. Oh and while you're at it, why not treat your iPhone to the best strategy game out there...go on, you know you want to :)
Client: Interwave Studios
Project: Nuclear Dawn UI
Project specifics:- UI Concept Design
- HUD Concept Design
Client location: Netherlands
Nuclear Dawn – UI
The brief:
The brief was to create an original UI that looked futuristic but wasn't too cliched or similar to anything else done before. There was going to be a lot involved in this UI too, as Nuclear Dawn isn't just an FPS, its also an RTS too! This was going to be fun!
The solution:
My role was as a concept artist to create the overall look and feel for the UI. I was drafted in to do this work quite early in the games development phase, so all my designs had to be flexible enough to change quite dramatically later down the line. In the true essence of concept design, my creations were to become the ground work and basis for all the games UI elements. Quite a lot of my original concepts made it into the final game, while some that you'll see above didn't. It was all way too much fun though! This project was quite simply a dream come true, which I know I say a lot in my project descriptions but in this case it was just amazing! I'd love to do some more work along these lines in the future!
Client: Thunder Game Works & Crescent Moon Games
Project: Evertales
Project specifics:- Branding
- UI
- HUD
Client location: USA
Link: http://bit.ly/sBv6O3
Evertales
The brief:
This was yet another fab iPhone project from Thunder Game Works! This time I was tasked with conceptualising the brand, UI and icon design for the all new 3D hack’n’slash epic, Evertales! The brief was to create a UI that tied in seamlessly with the game, and as this was set in my favourite genre, I was going to enjoy this thoroughly!
The solution:
The solution was fairly obvious, it had to be texture rich, a mixture of old wood/forged metal, and treated in warm brown’s and oranges, to really set that mythical/medieval feel. The logo was the first part of the project and that was a joy to work on. I wanted this to really grasp at the pre-Christian, Pagan feel, with a large powerful tree, deep routes and a generally ethereal look. I love stuff like this so I really got my teeth into the brand! With the scene set I got to work on the UI elements, continuing the same feel and introducing yet more texture. Awesome project! What also helps is that the game is bloomin marvellous too, so go grab a copy!
Client: Cascadia Games
Project: Cascadia Games Website
Project specifics:- Branding
- Illustration
- Homepage Design
Client location: USA
Link: http://cascadiagames.com
Cascadia Games
The brief:
Cascadia Games are the guys behind the INSANELY awesome iPhone game, Cavorite (I highly advise downloading it, its a personal fave of mine) so I was really happy when Chris, the owner got in touch regarding this project. They needed the new brand and site to truly encapsulate all that they stood for. The story and thinking behind the company brand is quite deep, so it was going to be a really fun challenge to visualise it!
The solution:
There is a faux secession movement where Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia secede and
form a new nation called Cascadia. This is where the name of the company derives and thus the new brand and site had to capture the ideas of rebellion and power. This was such a great background to work against and quite surprisingly, we finalised the brand/character quite quickly and soon moved onto expanding this creation into the homepage design. I absolutely loved creating this brand and site, why not pop over and take a look!
Client: Klei Entertainment
Project: Shank 2 Microsite
Project specifics:- Website Design
Client location: Canada
Link: http://shankgame.com
Shank 2
The brief:
After creating the original Shank blog, I was tasked with creating a new design for the epically awesome looking Shank 2! The art direction has taken a twist and the overall feel is much darker, so the new design had to reflect just that!
The solution:
As I mentioned with the Klei redesign, this was bound to be a joy as I was getting to work with Jeff Agala’s amazing illustration once again! You just cant got wrong when you’re given artwork of this calibre. Needless to say the site came together pretty smoothly and was up online just in time for the press announcement. Make sure you grab this when it releases as its going to be suuuuuuuuperb!
Client: Luma Arcade
Project: Bladeslinger
Project specifics:- Microsite Design
Client location: South Africa
Bladeslinger
The brief:
I was introduced to Luma Arcade by the guys at Unity, and when I saw Bladeslinger, my jaw well and truly dropped! I was chomping at the bit to work on the mircrosite! The brief was pretty simple in truth, to create a 1 page microsite to show off the most visually impressive iOS game in existence!
The solution:
My old rule for any site design is that content is king, so the better the assets, the better the final outcome will be. In this case, it was like Christmas come early! The assets were breathtaking, just like the game! With the envrionment and character renders in hand, it was time to do my usual trick and start building up a huge action scene for the main feature of the site. After about a days worth of work, the scene was complete and the atmosphere well and truly set. I then moved onto the content layout and brought all the elements together into the final design you see here. Amazingly fulfilling project!! Keep your eyes on Luma, they're making BIG waves!
FI-Faves...
Trenches
One of the most fun projects I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Trenches was a gargantuan and totally awesome project!
Digital Exploration – Pt2
To celebrate the launch of Fully Illustrated V3.0 I wanted to create 3 individual pieces of digital art, focusing on the different stages of artistic creation. Yeah that's all a bit faffy isn't, I just wanted to make something pretty, here's image 2.
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