Drive of the Dead — Custom Art Brief

01 · The deal

What is actually being commissioned

This page is the artist-facing source of truth. It intentionally excludes generic settings, navigation, stat, elemental, and HUD glyphs from the quote.

41

Core compositions

Quote this first

9 canonical weapon illustrations
21 original achievement compositions
9 achievements derived from weapon art
2 Play-card illustrations with two states each

+5

Optional polish

Quote separately

1 ultrawide main-menu background
4 signature companion illustrations

159

Generic mappings

Not part of the commission

HUD, settings, navigation, stats, and POIs
Generic perks and elemental badges
Composites assembled by the game team

02 · Visual target

Cel-shaded grindhouse, built to read small

Bright comedy-horror presented like a worn drive-in poster: chunky silhouettes, rough ink, limited color, and confident action. Not realistic, glossy, or grim.

Drive of the Dead gameplay with the current grunge HUD — **In-game tone** Fast, readable, red/black grunge with cel-shaded characters.

Concept reference for the signature hearse — **Signature hearse** Mood and silhouette reference only; final art must be original.

Current Arsenal menu using the game's grunge interface — **UI environment** Icons sit on dark distressed panels beside rough display text.

Current achievement details page — **Achievement context** Steam art also appears in-game at substantially smaller sizes.

Do

Design silhouette-first for 48–64 px readability.
Use flat cel-shaded planes and rough black outlines.
Keep one dominant subject near 70% of the square.
Use scuffs and halftone without muddying the subject.
Keep cartoon violence funny and exaggerated.

Do not

Put text or numbers inside the illustration.
Draw generic trophies unless the concept calls for one.
Bake rarity frames into transparent game icons.
Use recognizable brands, vehicles, or other IP.
Use AI-generated final artwork.

Palette

Matte black#0B0909 Charcoal#2B2927 Warm bone#F3E5C0 Blood red#D71920 Dirty gold#D29B35

Gameplay accents—cyan, electric yellow, toxic green, and rescue blue-green—should remain a minority of each image.

03 · Core wave A

Nine canonical weapons

These transparent masters establish each weapon's permanent visual identity across level-up cards, the Arsenal, equipped HUD, and achievement compositions.

04 · Core wave B

Thirty Steam achievements

Each achievement depicts what the player accomplished. Every composition produces an earned image and a locked treatment. Nine reuse the commissioned weapon art as their dominant subject.

05 · Core wave C

Solo and Co-op Play cards

Two authored square illustrations, each delivered in selected and inactive states. The current images below are layout references, not the desired final quality.

Current Solo card placeholder — Current Solo placeholder — replace

Current Co-op card placeholder — Current Co-op placeholder — replace

06 · Optional polish

Five separately quoted pieces

Valuable identity work, but safe to defer if the core quote needs to stay lean.

07 · Handoff

Delivery and approval

Sketch approval comes before polish. Naming and export rules below are part of acceptance.

1

Layered masters

PSD, AI, SVG, or equivalent. Minimum 1024×1024, sRGB. Separate outline, flats, accent/effects, and texture layers.

2

Game icons

256×256 transparent PNG plus a mechanically resized 512×512 PNG. Straight alpha; no white fringe or baked card frame.

3

Steam achievements

Earned and locked 256×256 JPGs per achievement. Locked is the same composition desaturated and darkened—not a redraw.

4

Contact sheets

Numbered sheets showing 256 px, 64 px, and 48 px versions, plus locked treatments where applicable.

First approval gate

Four proofs before the full batch

Front MG transparent weapon master
First Blood earned + locked achievement
Guns Blazing weapon-derived earned + locked achievement
Solo selected + inactive Play card