Creating a Game Art Document

A Game Art document is necessary to provide the game artist every details about your requirement. It also holds necessary information about your so called cool game. It also save both parties from the hassle of asking certain things again and again. You should be careful while writing this. Because it will be the base on which a game artist works. So lets see an example of a simple and effective 2d game art document.

Then you can divide your games in levels and explain further. Every level has sub categories like Characters, Backgrounds, Pick up items, GUI, Splash screens, Logo etc. Don’t be shy to write. If you hate writing about your awesome game then how can you expect the players to like it.

Level 1 : Characters

Level 1 : Backgrounds

S.no	Name or any short detail	Details
1.	Jungle Background	A jungle background with few birds sitting on the trees. A close example of the type of character I need is below: The image size should be 1280 X 720 px and the format should be jpg.
2.	Grasslands	It should be grasslands with mountains behind the grass. It should give the feel of evening. The image size should be 1280 X 720 px and the format should be jpg.

Same way, you can create tables for other elements needed for your game. An example of simple game art document can be seen here. You can also download my sample file to create your own document.

There are few points to remember while writing a game art document.

Points to remember:

1. Elaborate: Try to elaborate as much as possible. You can also explain the characteristics your character should have. For example: He should look funny or cute from the face. While you are brain storming your ideas for the characters, write down every point about it. You can remove the unwanted points later on.
2. Formatting: The document should be in a reading format. Don’t write just details in large paragraphs. Explain special characteristics by using bullet points.
3. Size and format: You should clearly mention the size and format of the artwork needed. Whether it should be .png or .jpg.
4. Artwork Licence: It is the most important things to discuss with the artists. Generally the client holds all the rights of the artwork. But there are times when the artist doesn’t want to share the source files or full copyrights. You can also mention whether the artist can use this artwork in his portfolio or not.
5. Never pay more than 25% upfront: Never pay more than one-forth of the total fees. You can pay the whole fees after getting all the artwork and their source files. It will save you from the scam artists.
6. Deadline: Mentioning deadlines is a must if you have any. It will help the artist to finish your work before it.
7. Respect: The last thing to remember is to treat the artist with respect. They are also humans. There are times when they can get late or delay with the project for any valid reasons. Don’t act like a jerk. The better you treat your artist the better he will work for you.

If you will carefully follow these guidelines then it will save you a lot of time. Try to create a happy environment with your game development team and trust me your game will rock. I hope you enjoyed the article. If you have any suggestions or issues then mail me at [email protected] .