How to Work with a Narrative_Concept Designer in Creative Production

How to Work with a Narrative/Concept Designer in Creative Production


1. Introduction


Brief Overview:

A narrative/concept designer helps outline and write the stories inside of experiences and design the written and artistic concepts that will detail how the experience plays, feels, looks, etc.


Key Responsibilities:

  • Designing and writing for experiences
  • Editing and critiquing changes to the style and story as the project progresses
  • Collaborating with other developers to help get the look and feel of the project accurate to initial design expectations

2. Setting Expectations


Availability:

  • Working hours: Typically 9 am - 6 pm, but can vary during crunch periods. This varies Sunday-Saturday as some students work weekends. Please, however, try to meet during weekdays to give students ample time to relax as well!
  • Best methods of communication: Slack for quick queries, emails for detailed requests.
  • Expected response time: Within 1-2 business days depending on the project.

Project Milestones and Deliverables:

  • Concept designs/sketches
  • Reference images/mood boards
  • Rendered out final images/splash art
  • Storyboards
  • Scripts (dialogue, short stories, research, etc.)
  • 3D assets (this varies depending on designer, but many are also required to know the basics of 3D modeling/design)
  • Revisions

Tools & Software:

  • Basics of Unity and Unreal Engine
  • Art program (photoshop, clip studio, procreate, etc.)
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Script writing software (either within microsoft/google or an outside screenwriting software)
  • Any custom tools or scripts specific to the project

3. Requesting Work


Information Requirements:

  • Clear description of concept for level or character needed
  • Approval of references and mood boards
  • Revisions on sketches over time
  • Immediate feedback when something on the project must change from a creative standpoint from client feedback
  • Desired formatting for writing
  • General outlines for scripts (beginning, middle and end; videos for transcriptions; characters needed for dialogue; sections for narration, etc.)
  • Comments and feedback on scripts/documents for revisions

Timeline:

  • 2-3 business days for art/design work
  • 2-3 business days for writing drafts
  • 1 business day for final draft revisions

4. Collaboration Best Practices


Communication:

  • Regular check-ins, especially during initial concepting
  • Avoid vague terms; be specific about artistic needs
  • Immediate feedback when working on a single deliverable is appreciated so that work can continue without a standstill

5. Conclusion & Additional Resources


Key Takeaways:

Collaborating with a narrative/concept designer requires a lot of communication and revisions! Art/writing will never be perfect on the first go and requires a lot of reworking over the course of the project. Be patient and allow the designers to curate the best experience they can narratively and artistically for the experience.