In late March of 2011, Tap-Repeatedly’s Lewis B sat down for an exclusive interview with Daniel Dociu, the formidable creative force behind Guild Wars 2 and its stunning art direction. Daniel is the creative director for the highly anticipated MMO, and one of the most talented and respected concept artists in the business. As insightful as it was fascinating, the interview makes us love his work all more…
This is Part 1 of our three-part feature. Be sure to check out Part 2 and Part 3!
Tap: To begin with, can you just tell us about your role at ArenaNet and how you first came to find yourself at the company.
Daniel: I am the studio Art Director and project Art Director for Guild Wars 2. I started working here around seven and a half years ago. I was hired shortly after the studio was acquired by NCsoft, the parent company, and was given the mandate to step up the art production and in general put a greater emphasis on the visuals. As you may know, the company was founded by three software engineers and for the first few years of its existence, the studio focused primarily on technology with art as an afterthought. The acquisition prompted a new effort towards bringing up the quality of the art.
Tap: From your work on Guild Wars, how has your role evolved while working on Guild Wars 2?
Daniel: The development team has grown a great deal, with the size of the art department having more than doubled. We’re currently in the mid 80s as far as number of artists on the team and that has lead to my role evolving into more of an oversight role. I still insist on art directing in a very hands-on fashion and still spend a fair amount of time getting my hands dirty creating concept art, but I also have to delegate a lot more. The lead artists and all artists in general are encouraged to contribute more of their own vision to the game. Growth is a mixed blessing as it creates a new set of difficulties: more structure is needed; more processes have to be implemented, policed, and massaged to fit our development culture. But it’s also more rewarding. The game we feel is going to be so much better. Bigger, better, and more beautiful.
Tap: You’ve been quoted that in your work, you’ve been trying to convey an emotion or a high-level, sometimes abstract idea, rather than a technique-driven process. Is this as a direct result of you first working in industrial design and the rigidity that this must enforce?
Daniel: That’s a very correct assumption. Indeed, I’ve been trained in Eastern Europe back in the 60s and 70s — primarily the 70s — and as you know, the education system was extremely structured and rigid, but effective. I guess games were the first opportunity I had in my career to loosen up and to shake off all those constraints and limitations and do something that is a lot more freeform and open. It’s a very gratifying experience, but as you said, it is probably a reaction to my over-structured youth.
Sky Bridge
Tap: As a young art student you’ve admitted to finding it difficult to discovering a ‘style’ and only discovered it after stopping ‘looking’. Has working in the games industry allowed you that greater freedom to really find who you are as a concept artist and solidify your style?
Daniel: I’m impressed, you’ve done a lot of homework; I appreciate it. You seem to know more about me than I can remember! I wasn’t realizing how insignificant style for style’s sake is – I was putting it at the center of my struggle for developing as an artist and wasting unreasonable amounts of thought and effort towards this stylistic search. I guess it comes with age or maturity, but eventually I just stopped worrying about it and got into a mindset of digging a little deeper and focusing on things I had to share and say, things that were preoccupying and consuming me that I felt I needed to get out of my system. Doing it in a spontaneous, honest, natural way became more important and that some how materialized in what I guess one could call my own style. But I don’t obsess much about it and don’t worry about keeping it pure and staying strictly within the boundaries of what has defined me so far as an artist. I just let go and focus on the message or the emotion I want to share and everything else in my opinion should come naturally.
Tap: How do you usually work? Do you prefer working traditionally or digitally and why?
Daniel: Lately I’ve been working almost exclusively digitally, simply because the closest washroom is in the other wing of the building and getting my hands dirty would be a luxury. I’m interrupted frequently and I can’t really sit down for stretches of more than 15-20 minutes at a time. I couldn’t join a meeting all covered in charcoal dust. Because of that, I only do it on weekends or when I can count on a block of time without interruptions, but it is really satisfying doing things the old-school way. There are pros and cons to any medium, but the digital tools haven’t yet fully substituted the spontaneity and the tactile involvement of traditional materials.
Tap: Did the immediacy of digital work translate well into Guild Wars 2?
Daniel: Well, good art is good art. I personally didn’t make a deliberate decision to move towards digital in my personal work or for Guild Wars 2. It really just happened. There are so many factors that contribute to the style of a game. Often there is the assumption that the Art Director defines the game very strictly and puts in place a style guide and writes up a set of rules that are never to be broken and are there for the production team to follow unconditionally. It might be that case in other development cultures, but it is absolutely not the way I like to run an art department. I would loosely point in a stylistic direction and try to communicate that in high level terms as eloquently as I can. I not only allow, but encourage and expect everyone to contribute and bring their own baggage of experience towards moving the product in that general direction.
Tap: Would you like to see more games in the vein of Okami, Braid and Love where the visuals are more expressionistic than literal? Perhaps more representative of the visual quality of the concept art?
Daniel: To me, the art of a game is extremely important. It’s what moves me, more so than the mechanics of gameplay or storyline. I’m a visual person and it’s what I see on the screen that prompts an emotional reaction on my part. Strong artistic vision that’s well executed on will have a bigger emotional impact on me, so would I like to see more of that? Hell yeah!
It’s what works for me, but that being said, I’m not sure to what degree my sensibility is relevant, because we are all so different. It seems at times that a strong visual identity tends to polarize the main stream audience. People will tend to love it or hate it, the further developers deviate from the vanilla. It prompts an attitude — which is what art should be about; but of course that response can be positive or negative. A realistic approach is easier to digest. With budgets only going up and teams getting bigger, with pressure increasing to generate more revenue faster, there is understandably a tendency on most developers part to play it safe and stay within a comfort zone.
Tap: Stormy Horizon is one of my favorite pieces. Despite the scale of the dragon, the image has a serenity and sense of calm. Almost all your pieces allow the imagination to run wild with intrigue. Is this difficult to capture or do you find it comes entirely naturally?
Stormy Horizon
Daniel: That’s funny as it’s a piece I did only two weeks ago. Its one of the most recent. It just happened, without much planning and is getting a lot of good reviews. It happened rather spontaneously!
Mood is something that comes naturally to me, more so than structure or shapes, in spite of my formation as an industrial designer. I’ve managed to shake off a lot of that and I’m allowing myself to be lead by intuition and not over think these pieces. I start a piece with a mood in mind and shapes follow. Doing something that is devoid of mood or emotion is something that just doesn’t appeal. Pieces that are strictly informative, isometric views or orthographic production drawings aren’t interesting to me anymore. I’ve done my fair share of that. I stay mostly at an inspirational level and allow the other members of the concept art team to fill in the blanks and define the details, specific shapes and structures.
This is just the beginning of our conversation with Daniel. In the coming days, be sure to look our for parts two and three, where we discuss Guild Wars 2’s user interface, the sylvari redesign, Daniel’s career goals, and the games he likes to play.
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Email the author of this post at lewisb@tap-repeatedly.com.
Excellent! Can’t wait for the rest. Bloggers definitely make some of the best interviewers. 😉
Wow, fantastic work, Lewis! I’m going to keep a closer eye on your blog from now on. I’ve never seen someone go so in-depth with Daniel. Looking forward to parts 2 and 3 🙂
This is a terrific interview. The man’s artwork is incredible. Big props to Lewis for getting the interview set up, and endless thanks to Mr. Dociu and ArenaNet for taking the time!
Fantastic, Lewis.
[…] read full […]
Please, could you give us Stormy Horizon in high resolution? It’s literally mindblowing.
I found a higher res one here: http://cghub.com/images/view/113673/ (click “stormy horizon”) not sure if there is a higher high res one somewhere else
What a great interview Lewis! Looking forward to the rest.
Fantastic. I love Daniel not only for his work in guild wars, but I studied him as an architect as well. amazing person 😮
Cartoonhero, if you have an interest in architecture and games, be sure to check out our own Scout’s brilliant Room with a Grue.
Nice work, Lewis!
God, the way Dociu uses light is amazing. I’m salivating over GW2.
[…] first part in a very intimate look into Daniel Dociu’s work on Guild Wars 2 is available on Tap Repeatedly. Daniel talks about the beginnings of his art direction career at ArenaNet, digital versus hands on […]
Danial Dociu you are a legend. Every amazing masterpiece you create is unbelievably imaginative. I would give anything to have such art skills you do. Good luck to you amazing sir 🙂
BETA i know its not done hell i want to play what you have BETA BETA!!!!
[…] Spaß beim Lesen. Das Interview findet ihr hier… Kategorien: News Schlagwörter: Daniel […]
The sylvari redesign? Will it finally be revealed?? :O 😀
Great interview! And I love that picture with the large Dragon. I love the contrast and I would say it’s nice despite the size of that dragon!
Preciosos dibujos!
(Beautiful Drawings! – translated by Lewis B)
There’s a lot more on the way, folks. I won’t reveal any secrets, but I will say Lewis and Daniel talked for a pretty long time. I think everyone will be even hungrier for this game once you see what’s coming next in the interview.
Fantastic interview so far Lewis, looking forward to the rest! And great to see a few well researched questions 😉 Daniel Dociu obviously appreciated it too.
Wo-wow. I want to live on Sky Bridge, and that is one MASSIVE dragon.
Great interview =)
Thanks for spending the time to deliver a well-researched, probing interview that has a fresh tone and new information. I’m a bit of a Guild Wars addict and I must say that of the deluge of media drivel I’ve gorged myself with about GW2 this is the first morsel that has included more than the typical fan service questions. Bravo for the quality journalism.
This was the first article I read on Tap and though I thought the writing was an anomaly I am pleasantly surprised to find that it is not (having read other articles here and signed up for membership).
As an artist, I found Mr. Dociu’s approach to his current work deliciously mature and practical. Every artist must get that place where style ceases to be a target and transforms into a process akin to walking. Your style becomes who and how you are rather than the accessories you fill your work with to excite an unknowable audience. The result is the confidence that comes through in the work.
Daniel’s concept art stands apart because, unlike so much of what is professionally acceptable in the field, his work looks finished. Many concept artists think it’s their job to sketch out the idea and leave the completion to the viewer. Daniel takes an additional step that uses layering and contrast and texture to convey a mood. His attempts to work with mood force viewers to make an emotive decision about his work that is unnecessary in concept art yet essential to fine art.
I await the next installment of your interview with great anticipation.
Welcome Brown Fang! Thank you for the compliment and taking the time out to register with Tap, I hope we’ve made it onto your bookmarks! If regular, well written editorials is what you are seeking, mixed with unbiased reviews and news then you have come to the right place.
Thankfully you won’t have to wait long for the second instalment of the interview as we are releasing it later today.
I look forward to many more of your comments; I couldn’t agree more with your opinion on Daniel and his concept art.
Oh and before I forget, I’m a huge Guild Wars fan too, although my Hall of Monuments is proving difficult! 🙁
Great interview. I love Daniel’s work. I hope to see some of his concept art back in the game.
Did you decide to postpone the 2nd and 3rd article, because everyone is busy discussing the Commando reveal now? I was looking forward to the info on the sylvari redesign.
Welcome, Zico.
You can expect the second interview this coming Monday, and the third piece will follow shortly after that.
Excellent work Lewis.
[…] 1 of an interview with Daniel Dociu, ArenaNet’s Art Director for Guild Wars 2. “The development team has grown a great […]
To those who are waiting eagerly for Parts 2 and 3 of Lewis’s interview with Daniel Dociu, we’re not stalling to be difficult. Our original plan was to release on Friday 4/1, but Lewis and I realized that was April Fool’s Day, and with all the goofiness that goes on with that holiday, we didn’t want any implication that anything in the review is less than 100% straight up. Thus, watch for more on Monday, and thanks for your patience!
[…] Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu | Tap-Repeatedly (comments) Guild Wars 2: Interview with Jon Peters of ArenaNet about Endgame, World PvP, crafting and much more (comments) Flameseeker Chronicles: The best souvenir from PAX East | Massively (comments) […]
[…] minds? They’re always pleasant. Yes, that’ll do. That’ll do.Tap Repeatedly have a splendid interview with master concept artist Daniel Dociu, who you will be familiar with from Guild Wars 1 & 2. He says stuff like this: “It seems […]
Can’t wait for part 2 & 3!
[…] Tap-Repeatedly предлагает вниманию читателей интервью с арт-директором ArenaNet и Guild Wars 2 Дэниелом Доци (Daniel Dociu). Статья была разбита на 3 части. Первая из них является вводной и из полезной информации содержит лишь факт, что над проектом работает в 2 с лишним раза больше художников, чем над первой частью. […]
[…] Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu […]
[…] ukazał się w dwóch częściach i jego całość można przeczytać tu i tu. Wkrótce ma ukazać się część trzecia, o której na pewno Was […]
[…] B over at the gaming blog Tap Repeatedly has a three-part interview with ArenaNet’s Art Director Daniel Dociu. Lewis B took time and care in […]
[…] három részes interjút készített Daniel Dociu-val, a Guild Wars 2 művészeti vezetőjével. Az első részben beszélnek arról, hogy hogyan és mikor került az Arenanet-hez. Valamint részletesen […]
[…] entrevista ha sido extraída de tap-repeatedly.com y traducida para http://www.guildwars2-online.com. Puedes distribuirla siempre que pongas la fuente […]
[…] ukazał się w dwóch częściach i jego całość można przeczytać tu i tu. Wkrótce ma ukazać się część trzecia, o której na pewno Was […]
[…] Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu | Tap-Repeatedly […]
[…] [1] CGHub officially shuts its doors, Apr 14, 2014, author unknown [2] Designers will design, developers will develop – you must stop them, May 21, 2016, Leonard Teo [3] Games | Game Design | Game Studies, Page 95, Gundolf S. Freyermuth, Nov, 2015 [4] 1930 / 1940 Disney Concept Art by par Gustaf Tenggren, 10, Oct. 2008, author unknown [5] Walter Benjamin: Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit, deutsche Fassung, 1939 [6] Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, et al. Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics, Penguin Books 1993 [7] Daniel Dociu’s Vita [8] Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu, March, 30, 2011, Lewis B […]