From Collaboration to Success: How Feedback Brings out the Best in Game Art

Let’s delve into our recent journey with Nordcurrent and the creation of art assets for Pocket Styler, a project that has become a testament to our commitment and perseverance in the world of game art.

It All Starts Somewhere!

We’ve been working with Nordcurrent for some time, cooperating in other areas of content creation, such as localization, voice acting, and testing. When they asked us to do an art test on Pocket Styler, we were elated.

The task was modest – only 10 items – but we passed the test, and then the real work began!

Navigating Joy and Challenges

After we got over the high of our initial victory, we noticed that we had a few challenges on our hands: namely, the sheer volume of work, tight deadlines, and Nordcurrent’s high standards.

It was perhaps the quality demands that were most difficult of all, as some of the art specifications were quite complicated. For example, Nordcurrent wanted us to draw clothes that players would want to wear and that “catch” the eye. They wanted clothes that were outstanding and outlandish, while simultaneously within the realm of reality for the player. Quite a difficult requirement for an artist!

To make sure we got it right for the Pocket Styler world, without too many iterations, and to ensure that we pushed the envelope enough, we decided we needed input from the Nordcurrent team from early in the process.

Feedback: Our Guiding Light

Feedback became our beacon. Drawing from our experience in localization, we implemented a comprehensive quality system that embraced every nugget of feedback from the client – even things that might appear insignificant at first glance.

Our approach to feedback processing was very systematic and proved to be a game-changer, ensuring that quality remained stable and that artists knew what was expected of them. Here are the main steps of our process:

• Categorizing Feedback: We meticulously categorized feedback into distinct areas, such as styling, gloss, shadows, and more.
• Analyzing Categories Separately: Each category was analyzed separately, allowing for a deep dive into specific aspects of the project.
• Joint Meetings: Regular joint meetings with the client provided invaluable opportunities for feedback discussion and refinement. This collaborative effort covered examples, nuances, and other specific preferences.
• Artist’s Guide: The result of these meetings was the development of a comprehensive artist’s guide, providing clear direction and standards for the project. It contains all the necessary information for art development on the project: descriptions of the game, all the processes and stages, requirements, examples, references, ultimately detailing all the minutia our artists might need. With so many answers contained in the guide, we wouldn’t need to keep returning to the client for clarification!
• Team Education and Training: Armed with insights gleaned from feedback, we invested in extensive education and training for our team. This not only enhanced efficiency and productivity, but also fostered a culture of continuous improvement.

Empowering Through Feedback

The benefits derived from our feedback-driven approach were enormous!

• Fewer Iteration Cycles: This was the big one! With clearer standards set up from the first step, our artists had clearer direction, fewer questions, and more confidence. And fewer revisions led to…
• Keeping on Schedule: We found that we were able to progress on assets more quickly and efficiently, making sure we met our deadlines.
• Keeping Within Budget: Fewer revisions, quickly turnover, and more confident artists meant that we stayed within budget constraints.
• Reducing Quality Control Burden on the Client: With the upfront work done, quality control passes by Nordcurrent were much smaller. We knew we would not run into huge disasters like, “argh, this is completely wrong!” Everything was guaranteed to be on the right track, so Nordcurrent’s additional feedback could be much more focused and nuanced.
• Enhanced Trust and an Improved Work Environment: Our client knew we would listen to them and had their back, and our artists knew they had adequate information and support. Stress levels were down, happiness was up – win, win!

Results: A Testament to a Strong Partnership

Today, our workload extends well into the future, a testament to the trust and satisfaction earned from Nordcurrent. In fact, they have orders for this project scheduled for another year. With a dedicated team in place, workload management has become seamless, allowing us to focus on continual improvement. By assuming responsibility for quality control, we’ve lightened the burden on the client, fostering a collaborative dynamic that breeds success. It’s going to be a good year!

Looking Ahead

While we savor our achievements, our journey is far from over. We’re not resting on our laurels – we’ve set our sights on meeting even tighter deadlines without compromising quality, and all while seamlessly integrating with the client’s processes and systems. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Nordcurrent for their unwavering trust and partnership, and we’re looking forward to the next chapter of our colorful and captivating adventure.

Experience the Magic

Curious to see the fruits of our labor? Dive into the vibrant world of Pocket Styler and experience the magic for yourself!