The Talos Principle 2 deluxe edition
Client_ Croteam
Renowned Croatian game developer Croteam approached me to design unique artwork for the deluxe edition of the sequel to their critically acclaimed title 'The Talos Principle' - a hugely successful puzzle game spanning PC and console. The game is described as a mind bending puzzle game married to an immersive and psychologially challenging story about AI and what it means to be Human.
The cover art has been very well received online with one user labelling it as "gorgeous". The use of bespoke illustration on game covers contrasts against traditional CGI renderings and provides a refreshing, eye-catching take on the genre.
Responsible for
- Art & design direction
- Bespoke illustration
An initial design document, showcasing some research and sketches, was well received and the process snowballed from there. Inspiration was taken from the myriad of screenshots from the game trailer that depicted futuristic architecture, often circular in nature, which I found apt due to the story's challenging notions of the self, eternity, wholeness and God. This formed the foundation of the design where I could then composition the title character over the top and posed accordingly to embrace / steal fire - a reference to the game's promethean theme.
The artwork was designed to work on a light and dark background, with and without the logo, allowing it to composition well in a variety of formats. This was utilised across digital banners, tshirts and a deluxe PS5 box edition.
Working first in pencil, the design was rendered by hand in several pieces to allow for layering (and later animation) as part of the final digital result. Once the drawings were complete they were scanned in, edited, coloured and compositioned in Photoshop. Additional use of 3D software for the cube architecture and the 'digital fire' was utilised to give a mixed media and textural feel to the illustration.
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