Working Phisolophy Manifesto
I strongly believe that the best games and products are those made with a strong and rightfully executed artistic and/or commercial vision. Also, the best games and products are those made with a strong and rightfully formed team. A director can only be as strong as its team is, and a team can only achieve its best with a strong direction.
As an Art Director, I work the imagery to flesh out complex visions in complex constraints scenarios. I believe that the main goal of an AD is to consolidate the vision's imagery and be able to translate it to the community that will give birth to the product. That is the development team as well as the executives, the clients and investors.
To flesh out the vision and transform it into an art direction, I am an explorer of styles, and I like to think that one of my strengths is my versatility and experience in many aspects of the art production. I am mostly recognized as an illustrator of characters and environments, but I'm also an experienced UI designer, animator and VFX artist. That's why, when I approach a new project, I can see the constraints of most departments and that helps me to be able to create and art direction that is coherent with the production's context.
I can become a fundamentalist of the guidelines and production schemes that I create so the product can safely sustain a visual cohesion over its development. But I also like to consider myself as a positive leader. One that can always hear the team and know when those guidelines and schemes need to be revisited and updated, since the art direction find its grounds on the pre-production, but gets greatly exalted over the production.
I like to work in a collaborative environment of partners that can also be friendly and welcoming all the time. A workspace where members can really talk to each other without insecurities or dark-willed-competence. My work gets easier and more enjoyable when my team knows well how to produce the art, but also knows well how to work it with each others.
Over publishing, when I get to be a part of it, I like to find a common ground between the artistic vision and immersion as much as the marketing necessities for communication and engagement. It's not easy, but I believe that consumers can perfectly see (or feel) and very much appreciate when a products visual identity has absolute cohesion with its content. I believe that's the final layer of validation which proves that a product is very well crafted.
Santiago Roberto Villa
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2024.
