Art Direction
Dead by Daylight: Anguish
An edgy tome for Dead by Daylight
Year :
2024
Industry :
Video Games
Client :
Behaviour Interactive
Project Duration :
6 months
Problem :
The Anguish Tome needed to explore themes of pain, control, and desire — concepts rooted in sadomasochism — within the established tone of Dead by Daylight. The creative challenge was to evoke these ideas symbolically without crossing into overt or explicit territory, maintaining both emotional depth and respect for the game’s horror audience. The goal was to balance intensity with restraint, ensuring the narrative and visuals conveyed psychological tension rather than shock value.
Solution :
Working closely with the narrative and art teams, I helped shape the visual and tonal direction that communicated suffering as transformation. This was achieved through symbolic costuming, color language, and material design — using leather, metal, and ritualistic motifs to suggest restraint and ritual rather than fetish. We leaned on lighting, posture, and negative space to imply submission and power dynamics subtly, allowing the player’s imagination to complete the narrative.
Challenge :
The greatest challenge was ensuring the imagery remained emotionally charged yet culturally sensitive, pushing the horror aesthetic forward without alienating audiences or violating content guidelines. This required tight collaboration across art, narrative, and marketing, balancing lore fidelity, brand tone, and emotional impact under close scrutiny.
Summary :
The Anguish Tome became one of Dead by Daylight’s most visually and thematically daring entries — a mature exploration of horror’s psychological dimension. By replacing overt symbolism with suggestion and emotional resonance, we delivered an experience that was haunting, elegant, and deeply human, expanding the boundaries of what horror design can express.
More Projects
Art Direction
Dead by Daylight: Anguish
An edgy tome for Dead by Daylight
Year :
2024
Industry :
Video Games
Client :
Behaviour Interactive
Project Duration :
6 months
Problem :
The Anguish Tome needed to explore themes of pain, control, and desire — concepts rooted in sadomasochism — within the established tone of Dead by Daylight. The creative challenge was to evoke these ideas symbolically without crossing into overt or explicit territory, maintaining both emotional depth and respect for the game’s horror audience. The goal was to balance intensity with restraint, ensuring the narrative and visuals conveyed psychological tension rather than shock value.
Solution :
Working closely with the narrative and art teams, I helped shape the visual and tonal direction that communicated suffering as transformation. This was achieved through symbolic costuming, color language, and material design — using leather, metal, and ritualistic motifs to suggest restraint and ritual rather than fetish. We leaned on lighting, posture, and negative space to imply submission and power dynamics subtly, allowing the player’s imagination to complete the narrative.
Challenge :
The greatest challenge was ensuring the imagery remained emotionally charged yet culturally sensitive, pushing the horror aesthetic forward without alienating audiences or violating content guidelines. This required tight collaboration across art, narrative, and marketing, balancing lore fidelity, brand tone, and emotional impact under close scrutiny.
Summary :
The Anguish Tome became one of Dead by Daylight’s most visually and thematically daring entries — a mature exploration of horror’s psychological dimension. By replacing overt symbolism with suggestion and emotional resonance, we delivered an experience that was haunting, elegant, and deeply human, expanding the boundaries of what horror design can express.
More Projects
Art Direction
Dead by Daylight: Anguish
An edgy tome for Dead by Daylight
Year :
2024
Industry :
Video Games
Client :
Behaviour Interactive
Project Duration :
6 months
Problem :
The Anguish Tome needed to explore themes of pain, control, and desire — concepts rooted in sadomasochism — within the established tone of Dead by Daylight. The creative challenge was to evoke these ideas symbolically without crossing into overt or explicit territory, maintaining both emotional depth and respect for the game’s horror audience. The goal was to balance intensity with restraint, ensuring the narrative and visuals conveyed psychological tension rather than shock value.
Solution :
Working closely with the narrative and art teams, I helped shape the visual and tonal direction that communicated suffering as transformation. This was achieved through symbolic costuming, color language, and material design — using leather, metal, and ritualistic motifs to suggest restraint and ritual rather than fetish. We leaned on lighting, posture, and negative space to imply submission and power dynamics subtly, allowing the player’s imagination to complete the narrative.
Challenge :
The greatest challenge was ensuring the imagery remained emotionally charged yet culturally sensitive, pushing the horror aesthetic forward without alienating audiences or violating content guidelines. This required tight collaboration across art, narrative, and marketing, balancing lore fidelity, brand tone, and emotional impact under close scrutiny.
Summary :
The Anguish Tome became one of Dead by Daylight’s most visually and thematically daring entries — a mature exploration of horror’s psychological dimension. By replacing overt symbolism with suggestion and emotional resonance, we delivered an experience that was haunting, elegant, and deeply human, expanding the boundaries of what horror design can express.