Bethesda Games teamed up with Pilot to create multiple video game covers for the Fallout New Vegas series. The first of which was “Honest Hearts,” the cover featured Joshua Graham as his folk legend Burned Man.
THE CHALLENGE
The main character, Joshua Graham, had yet to be seen as “Burned Man.” Tasked with creating cover art that featured a character that had yet to be created. Additionally, corresponding type treatment would need to be done on the game title.
GETTING TO WORK
Using direction given by Bethesda, the Pilot illustration team got to work sketching out potential looks for Burned Man. The known was that his face wrapped with bandages, the unknown was the amount of his face that should be shown, the degree of his burns and the level of gruesomeness. Needless to say, the research and mood boards were not that fun to do.
The main character, Joshua Graham, had yet to be seen as “Burned Man.” Tasked with creating cover art that featured a character that had yet to be created. Additionally, corresponding type treatment would need to be done on the game title.
GETTING TO WORK
Using direction given by Bethesda, the Pilot illustration team got to work sketching out potential looks for Burned Man. The known was that his face wrapped with bandages, the unknown was the amount of his face that should be shown, the degree of his burns and the level of gruesomeness. Needless to say, the research and mood boards were not that fun to do.
Upon approval of what the new burned Joshua Graham would look like, the digital painting team got to work on rendering the photo real illustration.
Simultaneously, the design team was working out potential type treatments for the title. The Honest Hearts word mark was crafted to reflect a touch of ornate detail yet maintain a boldness required for cover art. The old style typeface Requiem was selected as a base. The serifs were extended to cut a swash through the mark. A nice detail to give the property ownership of the title.
THE OUTCOME
Pilot was honored to be a part of the transformation of such an immortal character within the iconic Fallout franchise. We were equally honored to work on the additional add-on titles World Blues and Lonesome Road.
Pilot was honored to be a part of the transformation of such an immortal character within the iconic Fallout franchise. We were equally honored to work on the additional add-on titles World Blues and Lonesome Road.
