Samuli Snellman discusses the importance of art style in games. Art style supports gameplay, increases player experience and value, and helps create immersive worlds. To have good art style, it is important to maintain quality, consistency through tools like styleguides and art bibles, and flexibility to changes over time. The overall goals are to engage players through emotional connections to characters and setting.

1. “Do it in style”
Samuli Snellman
Lead Artist

2. Games I worked on

3. Companies I worked with

7. I’m going to talk about…
• What is art style in a game?
• So, Why is it important?
• How to be in-style?
• Wrap up: The “Take aways”

9. Why is it important?
• Supports gameplay
• Increases the overall value and experience for
the player
• IP and Branding
• Creates a world a person actually wants to
visit (and revisit)

15. How to be in Style
• Quality
• Consistent
• Flexibility

16. Quality
• Style should work technically.
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17. Quality
• Style should be understandable, immersive,
and appropriate for your user.

18. Quality
• Style should tagline your art.

20. How to be in Style
• Quality
• Consistent
• Flexibility

21. Consistency
• Style should ensure that visual expectations
are met and detail is where it really matters.

22. Consistency
Styleguide Art Bible

23. Styleguide
• For finding direction

24. Styleguide
• For finding direction
• Eliminates what you
don’t want
✗

25. Styleguide
• For finding direction
• Eliminates what you
don’t want
• Keep it simple

26. Art Bible
• Big investment

27. Art Bible
• Big investment
• Creates a vision that
defines the game

28. Art Bible
• Big investment
• Creates a vision that
defines the game
• Explains all key
key categories

29. How to be in Style
• Quality
• Consistent
• Flexibility

30. Flexibility
• Style should be flexible, not fossilized.

31. Flexibility
• Style should be responsive to feedback and
open for change.

32. Flexibility
• Style should be sensitive to the changing
objectives, players, and mediums for which
one is building a game.

34. Take Aways
• Art style should: Help guide / support the game play / people
understand how the game works
• Builds theme, story, setting – an immersive feeling, empathy and
connection to the characters  Engages the users to stay, relate,
connect, spend more through amotional binding.
• Increases the overall value and experience for the player
• Creates a world that a person actually wants to visit.
• Branding and IP
• Importantly, meet the standards of the platform your on. i.e. Tight
competition in mobile/tablets. More console like production values
are a common thing, and players expected more immersive art

35. • Be in-style by:
– Maintaining quality
– Being consistent
– Being flexible

36. Thank you.

37. Samuli Snellman
Lead Artist
samuli.snellman@wooga.net