continuity by being directly involved in all aspects of the creative process.
We could not be more pleased with the recognition that our work has received. There is no greater blessing than to be afforded the opportunity to do the work you love, and to feel the appreciation expressed by your clients. Many aspects go into creating great games. Identifying goals and working with our clients to achieve them has been a rewarding and enjoyable process.
Who is your design guru; the person or people in creative design whom you most admire any why?
In a sea of talented and remarkable artists, there is one name that has influenced me beyond words. The extraordinary and timeless works of Frank Frazetta have always served as a reminder to me that art is not limited by genres or markets. Frazetta’s work has always been an example that beyond the myriad of classifications we may use to describe something, there is no real limitation. Beneath the surface of his work, there is something more that transcended it’s purpose. This is what captivates and thrills the audience.
Has design and art always been your first love?
Yes, without hesitation it has been the one constant in my life. Throughout my childhood I could not understand how someone did not know what they wanted to be when they grew up. For me it was the equivalent of asking someone what they liked to eat. How do you not know the answer? It wasn’t until I attended college at The School of Visual Arts in New York, that I was faced with a question that perplexed me. What kind of artist do I want to be? I needed to choose a major, and until this moment I did not comprehend or entertain that there was a distinction. We were required to announce a major in our sophomore year and I chose graphic design to the shock and amazement of my family. I made this decision because I figured I already knew how to draw and paint, so I might as well take classes that would introduce me to something new. Well, after a year of this, it was clear that my hand was not happy unless it was holding a pencil or a brush. I enrolled in a full set of summer classes to make up credits in order to change my major to illustration. Here I was humbled to learn that in fact I did not know how to draw and paint after all. The next three years was an extraordinary period of learning for me.
After school, illustration work was difficult to come by, and the ultimate irony unfolded as I began working as a graphic designer.
I
developed my skills in animation, and it was at this point that I began working in the Casino Gaming Industry as an Adobe After Effects artist. During a time when these games were dominated by cartoon style work, I found an opportunity to show what else I could offer. Russian Treasure would become the first game I both illustrated and animated. It launched a new world of opportunities for me.
Could you explain the process your organization goes through from initial brief on a game, to the various design processes that proceed that to the point where you find the designs fit the original brief and game best.
In the early stages we prefer to mock up roughs for the main symbols, and from that point focus on and nearly complete one of the main character symbols. By doing this, it affords us opportunity to “wow” the client at an early stage and lets them see the mood and render style we have planned for the entirety of the game. After this point we develop the remaining symbols together in order to unify the look of the game.
The next step is personally my favorite as the game is brought together as a whole. We begin working on the screen background and reel area. This creates an environment for the symbols to live in and influences how a player will feel about the imagery they see.
From then on, the game tends to have a mind of it’s own, and dictates what is needed to bring itself to completion. Animations are held off on for as long as possible as there is always a chance that new ideas may inspire adjustments to the illustrations.
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