Medieval Game – Conceptual Artwork

The Medieval Period is a popular setting for games, and this project was no exception. It focused on Early Medieval England and was to become a multiplayer role-playing adventure.

Games of this nature often use a banner illustration to help sell the game to potential players, so the banner illustration of this game was purposed to show the different types of characters the player could be. Farmers, Vikings, Pictish Warriors, Kings, Clergy, and even Families were all planned possibilities, and their presence on the banner illustration was designed to fuel the imaginations of prospective players.

This banner illustration also set the style for the art direction. I made square icons for the various items, tools, foods, and clothing the player could interact with in the game. Here are a few examples.

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When it came time to design the map and user interface, new ideas emerged out of the myriad of research that had gone into the process of designing the artwork for this game. I came to the conclusion that no Medieval map would be truly complete without….Sea Monsters. This art direction also gave the game fun in-game explanations for certain areas being inaccessible, perhaps pending the release of an expansion. Examples: “Oh no, we can’t go over there–there are Sea Monsters in the way!” or “Good news, players, the Sea Monsters that have been sinking ships in the Irish Sea have been cleared! Welcome to the Age of Ireland Expansion!”