2021
Client
Independent
Role
Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Overview
A Minecraft resource pack made for personal use, named after my screen name.
Problem Statement
Although there is a huge community of people working on incredibly artistic resource packs, I wanted a way to fully take advantage of the capabilities of Minecraft textures, developing a visual style within the established engine that reflects my own experience with the game.
Objectives
Create a complete resource pack.
Maintain a consistent visual style.
Develop a system of variable graphic sizings.
User Research
One of the most popular and influential resource packs is Sphax BDCraft, showing off a sharp edge comical style and vibrant colours. I also found another resource pack called ZigZag that uses a more painterly cartoonish style. I wanted to utilise techniques from both style, using mixed media brushes in photoshop to create texture, and working with sharp edges to give the impression of form.
Since this is a personal project, the user research was not massively impactful beyond inspiration.
Designs
Learnings
Creating Huge Libraries: The amount of textures required to complete a resource pack is upwards of 2000, each require special care and attention. I neglected to look this up prior to starting the project and quickly learned my lesson, though it became an incredibly gratifying thing to gradually work my way down the list.
Consistent Style: I have historically had quite a variable style, so dedicated myself to one palette and set of rules and techniques proved to be an interesting challenge. Leveraging the tools I limited myself to to achieve complex ideas was an excellent learning experience.
3D Wrapping: Although very basic shapes, working with 3D objects was an interesting experience, ensuring that everything made sense when applied to the model was something I kept a close eye on.
Immersive Worlds: Creating assets that will dictate the visual style of an entire world was a fantastic way to appreciate colour vibrancy and asset quality. You want the world to be beautiful, and so your assets have to reflect that.