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A couple years ago, I got involved with some people.
Not Java coders.
No.
This isn't a talk about Java.
These people were into fashion.
Now, that's a bit out of the stereotype for a coder.
But what's a coder going to do?
Well, I studied.
And it was interesting, these principles of fashion.
Fast forward, and we're working on our next game.
We need an art style, but we're short on artists.
So what's a coder going to do?
Well, I studied.
And surprisingly, it was all very familiar.
It turns out that the principles of fashion
are just the principles of aesthetics.
And the principles of aesthetics are universal.
So if you learn something about dressing well,
then you learn something about decorating your living
room, choosing a font for your business card,
and yes, improving the visuals of your next game.
So let me tell you about what I learned.
I learned that this is wrong.
So wrong for so many reasons.
But one of those reasons is that there is no contrast.
Now, these outfits have contrast.
Notice how the colors define recognizable
shapes, so the eye knows what it's looking at.
Notice too how the details draws your eye in,
so that the eye knows what it's supposed to be looking at.
Now, this same principle applies to games.
In Prune, at the start of the level, all of the colors
are solid and all of the shapes are geometrical.
Then, when a tree starts to grow,
it starts to add a little detail to the scene.
And at the end of the level, there's
an explosion of detail and colors.
This addition of contrast is immensely rewarding
aesthetically.
It's like you are aesthetically completing the scene.
So contrast and shapes, details and color.
The eye needs contrast.
OK.
So contrast is good, right?
Then why is this so wrong?
There's no cohesion here.
There's no focus.
Everything is vying for your attention.
These outfits have repetition.
Notice the repetition in the colors, the shapes,
even the formalness of the pieces is repeated.
Now, this need for repetition applies to all visuals.
In Alto, the triangles of the trees
are repeated in the mountains.
The circle of the sun is repeated in one
of the trees on the right.
The overall color is consistent, and it
frames the one strongly contrasting
shape-- your character.
So repetition and shapes, colors, and styles.
It unifies your look and allows you to focus attention.
Now, for colors, you can go wild.
That's what Keita Takahashi does in his games.
And some people dress like this, too, which is amazing.
But there's a definite method behind colors like this.
Colors like this are hard, which explains
why most of the people in this room are wearing blue.
But colors can be easy, too.
Sometimes you just see a color combination
that you really love, so all you have to do is remember that.
And then you can wear it yourself,
or you can use it in your next game, like in Journey.
They didn't use blue for the sky and brown for the sand.
They chose colors that were far more vibrant and impactful.
And they knew those colors would work,
because they were probably wearing them themselves
just the other day.
Or in Monument Valley.
You can see how the bold color palettes
add to the emotion of the game.
When you look at the most beautiful games,
it's clear that they're not driven by a technical mindset.
They're not simply showing off the latest lighting techniques,
for instance.
They're driven, instead, by a deep appreciation
for the principles of aesthetics,
like contrast, repetition, color, contrast, repetition,
and color.
You can learn these principles yourself, too,
if you practice them every day.
Here are three coders at Google who do just that.
And they don't practice aesthetics by studying.
No.
They simply consider each morning which
shoes go well with these pants.
Thanks.
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