Art Director Interview: Designing Planeteers from Concept Up!

Hi Planeteers!

Today we interview Dhennis, the Art Director on Planeteers. WOOT!

Since we’re short on time due to their busy schedules, let’s get this interview started! 🙂

CM: Hi Dhennis! Welcome to our Artist Interview segment. We’re so glad you could join us today.

Dhennis: Happy to be here to share my thoughts.

CM: Thank you! Now let’s start with the first question, how did you come up with the overall design for Planeteers?

Dhennis: At the start we had a lot of great ideas. The problem was how to put them altogether, so what we did was to gather everyone and then hear out each of their ideas. We basically picked great ideas from our developers, senior artists and 3D artists then started working on drafts. We often held meetings with our Chief Maker for the first few months just to get the right look.

CM:I see, that’s indeed a lot of great stuff. How about the character? What was look you were aiming for?

Dhennis: We wanted our character to look gender neutral so that it’s highly customizable in-game. To be honest, our first few designs were a bit creepy *laughs*. We went through a lot of research to get that neutral kid style. All those research was worth it in the end, because we were able to achieve that neutrality. You can fully customize the way your character looks.

CM: Getting a good look for Socket must have been tough! How did you come up with Socket’s final design?

Dhennis: I must say, the toughest part of designing Socket is capturing emotion. Socket is a robot, and making machines portray happiness or friendliness takes a while. We came up with those digital light eyes of his so that it can show if he’s happy and tired.

CM:I see. So what would you think was the most challenging part of doing the concept art for Planeteers?

Dhennis: The most challenging part in designing the game is when you start putting it together. The game is made up of different design and concepts, and it’s very important that all these little parts fit together to make one complete gaming experience. The entire experience is very fun though.

CM: Any words for our fellow Planeteers aspiring to be an awesome artist?

Dhennis: First, don’t forget to eat your vegetables (it helps a ton for good eyesight) and of course, constant practice is key to success. Don’t forget to have fun, most importantly.

CM: Thank you so much for your inspiring words and for your time, Dhennis.

Hope you guys enjoyed this interview with Dhennis, our super awesome Art Director! Next time, I’ll bug other members of the team for an interview… bring on the developers!

Do you have a request or a weird question? Don’t be shy, you can send us a message at our social media channels or via e-mail:)

Till next time! Happy exploration!