Wizards of the Coast
Baldur’s Gate III
Style Guide
Services Provided: Research & Creative Strategy, Character Art & Illustration, Design Elements Development, Product Design, Style Guide Design, Licensed Product Package Design
A style guide for a narrative-driven game franchise
Wizards of the Coast engaged us to develop the licensing program style guide for Baldur’s Gate III, a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios, which is based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system.
The design elements we created for the licensing program are rooted in the lore of the Mind Flayer, taking an intimate look at their physical attributes, their lifecycle and their habitat on board the Nautiloid. Graphics explore their anatomy and proportions, how they spawn as tadpoles in the briny fluid of a breeding pool, then transform through ceramorphosis into an adult Illithid.
An aged aesthetic and diagrammatic visual system
The licensing program’s overarching aesthetic is inspired by diagramatical, hand-drawn imagery executed as pencil sketches, then incorporated into compositions that appear to be ancient documents with hand-written text. Textures reminiscent of parchment paper with overlays of ink spatter are leveraged to evoke an authentically aged appearance. And the color palette speaks to the darkness of the property through bold and desaturated earthtones contrasted against cool greys and blacks.
Packaging and inspiration for licensed products
In addition to the highly-detailed pencil illustrations and design elements, our team developed the packaging program and product applications to serve as inspiration for licensee partners as they develop their licensed products.
