Bloom
Roles: Art Direction ∙ 3D Art ∙ Tech Art
Bloom is a game about bringing life to desolate planets by planting musical flowers and solving tactile puzzles. As an Art Director at DADIU (The National Academy of Digital, Interactive Entertainment), I established Bloom's visual design and guided a department of 3D artists within a 14-member team.
A Blooming World
Bloom's visual language is shaped around themes of growth and renewal. I guided the look and feel of the character, flowers, and planets, working closely with the team to align art with sound and design.
Each visual decision, from environment art to the character's interface with musical puzzles, was made to reinforce the player's emotional journey of discovery and reward their curiosity with beauty.
Blue Zone
Yellow Zone
Red Zone
I chose glowing pastel hues and soft gradients to invite calm exploration. Using Shader Graph, an animated noise texture gently shifts color across petals and stems - giving them a soft, breathing quality that helps them feel alive and ever changing.
Flowers Guide the Way
As players traverse the planets, they encounter vibrant flowers with distinct forms and colors which mark unique locations and aid with intuitive navigation.
I designed them to be alluring and extravagant, in contrast with the shy character - inviting them to venture the unknown. Each planted flower signifies a moment of transformation, with the planet blooming and harmonizing with the player's song.
A visit to Copenhagen's Botanical Gardens inspired a visual library of references that helped ground the flower's designs.
Fragile Form, Powerful Voice
I designed the naked character to suggest vulnerability, with exaggerated facial features and an absent mouth, showing their heightened awareness and silent nature 👀 until they learn to sing!
An inner glow, achieved through faux subsurface scattering, signals their voice which shines from within. I paid particular attention to the eyes for expressiveness, animating them with blend shapes and building a custom iris shader.
2D Concept Art
Final 3D Character
Blink Animation Using Blend Shapes
A Depth Map Emulating Subsurface Scattering
Communicating Vision
Visual guides helped align the team, maintain aesthetic cohesion, and support game design decisions; I created concept art and sketches covering environmental assets, animations, and interactions.
Concept art of the character’s interaction with flower
Sketches and visual references for flower designs & animations
Concept art of 360° horizon wrapping around planet
Design concept sketches
Credits
Game Direction: Anneli Søgård-Høyer
Production: Zedrick Villegas-Evans
Art Direction, 3D Art, Tech Art: Mati Kalter
Lead Programming: Julian Szachowicz
3D Art: Stefany í Túni
3D Art: Bowie Romer Jørgensen
Audio Design: Karl Birk Andersen
Composition: Johan Feierskov
Game Design: Caroline Sofie Hansen
Game Design: Milas Ray Manley Norman
Programming: Bruce Esplago
Programming: Emil Vilandt Rasmussen
Programming: Jingyan Wang
Programming: Nikolaj Meineche
Production: Zedrick Villegas-Evans
Art Direction, 3D Art, Tech Art: Mati Kalter
Lead Programming: Julian Szachowicz
3D Art: Stefany í Túni
3D Art: Bowie Romer Jørgensen
Audio Design: Karl Birk Andersen
Composition: Johan Feierskov
Game Design: Caroline Sofie Hansen
Game Design: Milas Ray Manley Norman
Programming: Bruce Esplago
Programming: Emil Vilandt Rasmussen
Programming: Jingyan Wang
Programming: Nikolaj Meineche
