Who is Lucy Kyriakidou?
A Character Artist and Assistant Director in the video games industry as well as a self-employed artist and freelance Art Director. She felt as though she worked better on her own, managing her own time and working by herself and altogether chose this route as it made her happiest!
What did I find most interesting?
I was most interested in Kyriakidou's experience as an Art Director and what a day in her life looks like. I have considered different roles in industry which correspond with my skillset, and I am most interested in the role of an Art Director or Junior Games Designer, so I was keen to learn more about her position and what her job entails.
"Learn to fail and take it well"
A day to day in the life of 'Art Director Lucy'
Making decisions for visuals - themes and deciding what things are going to look like
Gathering feedback
Ensuring consistency
Holding and attending meetings
Recruitment
Emails
What have I learned?
Art Direction involves "setting the style" and "holding the vision". The style of the game involves the gameplay, the feel, and the target audience just as much as it does visual representation. These are elements of games that are just as important as the visual aspect and require a lot of detail and attention. It also involves considering the platform, taking into account the accessibility of your target audience.
I am fascinated by the role of Art Director as I am interested in the way these things can affect the overall experience in terms of how it might look visually, as well as it's gameplay. I often correlate the term Art Direction to being in control of art style and visual appearance however, Lucy Kyriakidou has informed me that you have a much greater responsibility of gathering feedback, ensuring things are kept consistent and holding meetings to communicate ideas.
Conclusion
My current project is heavily based on producing visuals and sound to benefit users’ mental health. This is a topic which requires a lot of research and understanding of human behaviour to make the appropriate choices when it comes down to interactions, player experience and visuals. From this talk I have understood that several elements impact the way in which Art Direction is lead, and I enjoy picking apart user needs by using user-centred design techniques and methodologies, therefore, I feel I could excel in this position.
To prove that my practice could fit into this type of role, I will apply the perspective of an Art Director to my current project proposal and focus on ‘setting the style’, in consideration to who our game is targeted towards and what we are trying to achieve from it. Visually we aim to create a sense of calm and tranquillity therefore, I will investigate what people find visually engaging such as light projections or gentle movement. Last semester I was also appointed Art Lead for game 'Anima Mundi' so I already have experience which I can document in my portfolio and show I can apply this in the workplace.
Komentáře