Roles: Art Direction Character Art Environment Art Textures Shaders UI Key Art Trailer for Plane Toast.
I led art on Caravan Sandwitch, an exploration game about a girl and her van, in a provence-like scifi world with colorful characters and a relaxing original soundtrack.
I worked 3 years on this game, setting up the art direction and pipeline. I designed the world, characters, shaders, textures and UI. I was also responsible for making the engaging trailers and key art.
Caravan Sandwich released sept. 2024 on PC, PS5 & Switch. Here's the Steam page.
There's a sense of adventure here that runs so deep it must emerge from the land itself.Christian Donlan, Eurogamer
Small team, big dream
A team of 12 wanted to make a cosy open-world on Switch. Quite a challenge! I first settled upon a graphical style that saves time: simplified volumes, low detailed textures, and reduced but adaptable materials.
I drew a fake screen to set a clear direction and quality bar for the art. With a defined palette and lots of moodboards, the team arrived at something rich, deep and different.
The star of the show
The van had to be iconic & unforgettable. It's rigged to travel, carry friends to places or resolve puzzles. Gadgets and trinkets are added on its roof throughout the game.
The peculiar color and general style were easy to pin. Its proportions were then refined to make it bulky but agile. Its details convey the scifi style while markings on the wheels improve the sense of motion.
squat and rugged and as joyously utilitarian as a Kanken backpackChristian Donlan, Eurogamer
A Colorful Cast
The game displays diverse identities living together in communities. In contrast to the background, characters are very bright and round, with exaggerated head and eyes sizes, in order to spot them well and emphasize more. I really enjoyed designing this cast.
The protagonist is young and resolved, eager to climb on everything. Her style is inspired by tech-wear, in order to show that she lives in an urban and futuristic environment, but also that she's got spirit and can parkour.
The Sand Witch
The main antagonist is a vanishing figure, glimpsed now & then while exploring the derelict places of the world. This silhouette is close to a witch or a supervillain. Her outfit hints at a link with the storm. She's the key to the main mystery of the game.
A Compact Open World
The world of Caravan SandWitch is a dense open place inspired by Provence and studded with derelict factories. Each ruin is like a dungeon, a vertical labyrinth. Taking inspiration from the best open world designs, we crafted a small but packed place where you can casually wander.
Each time I said « Let's just stay on track », I go run off looking at something else.Steam Review
sci-fi that benefits from the power of a real placeChristian Donlan, Eurogamer
Materials & Shaders
I aimed for fast and easy iterations on level art. Lots of them were made on level design and environmental storytelling, thanks to a reduced number of reusable props and materials.
Geometry has been kept simple, to get hard edges and to be able to quickly color faces with vertex colors.
Interfaces
For the HUDs & menus, I continually used turquoise and rectangular shapes to support the scifi atmosphere of the game. The cold and impersonal interface contrasts with the otherwise pleasant graphics. It's also compensated by the quest journal dressed as a friendly group chat and the lush inventory icons.
Thanks for reading! You now have a broad view of my work on this project. I hope you'll enjoy your time in the open-world we made with love <3