Context

Forgotten Vaults is set in the interwar period, a time often overlooked despite its significant advancements such as in vitro fertilization and the invention of the first programmable computer. This decade was marked by the Great Depression, which intensified political tensions in Europe and brought figures like Hitler and Mussolini to power. Our game immerses you in a covert adventure where you hunt magical artifacts while facing formidable enemies. Join us for a quest filled with mystery and twists, where every word matters in an era overshadowed by hatred and the promise of forbidden discoveries.

Designed by first-year Game Design students and developed by second-year Game Art students at ISART Digital, the project was optimized to offer a high-quality kit at a competitive price.

Once our booklet was completed, we presented our work during an oral presentation day. Although I was shy, I took on the introduction and conclusion of our presentation. To capture attention in the late afternoon, we decided to act as our 1930s characters, adding humor to stand out from the other serious presentations.

Preliminary moodboards

that I submitted to the team,
serving as support for brainstorming.

Final moodboards

conçus en collaboration avec toute l'équipe après délibération sur nos choix de direction artistique.

Character Design

In parallel, I began my research sketches. Inspired by the fashion of the 1930s, I appreciate its return to freedom despite modest fabrics, reflecting an era where luxury was rare. The silhouettes are simple, streamlined, and even flat, except for evening dresses, which sometimes feature pleats. Tilted hats, gloves, high heels, and short hair with waves or defined curls were very popular. Despite the dark colors, which were rarely desaturated, being a woman during this time was significant. Beyond differences in rights, personal image was crucial for gaining respect, leading women to invest time and money to present themselves elegantly at all times.

I illustrated the character sheet for Mây Ha, adapting her initial role as a field doctor to fit historical constraints. Inspired by the nurse uniforms and Vietnamese fashion codes of the 1930s, she is depicted as an intelligent and reserved woman, far from the seductive spy stereotype. Adopted by Victor Jampard after her parents died during an epidemic on a colonial plantation, she was able to pursue medical studies and ultimately joined the Sea Lions Club in 1931, thanks to her adoptive father.

Environment Design

In addition to designing the character Mây Ha, I created two illustrations of objects (a chest and a purse), sketches for the rule pages, and a floor plan of the house where the scenario begins. This work required in-depth research on types of chests, locks, materials and textiles, as well as the Art Deco style characteristic of the 1930s. Art Deco is distinguished by its curves and contrasts, polished woods, and vibrant colors with floral patterns—a style still present today in French country homes and antique shops.

Plan

During this project, I learned a great deal, particularly about the importance of teamwork. We faced challenges such as an internet outage and a backup error that led to the loss of nearly 80 hours of work. Fortunately, our group's flexibility allowed us to overcome these difficulties and deliver the project on time. This experience taught me the crucial importance of regularly backing up my files. Photobashing, a new technique for me, proved to be the ideal solution for utilizing the existing 3D base and meeting our time constraints for collective layout work.

Page Layout

We divided the booklet into sections based on the number of pages, with each person responsible for a part and proposing a layout, without altering the text provided by the Game Designers. I was responsible for pages 16 to 20, which cover the introduction to the game rules. I created a simple placeholder file to indicate the layout for the text and illustrations.

In parallel, while continuing to explore the artistic direction, I created a mockup using photo montages and quick sketches to gather feedback from the group. Some ideas were retained, such as the organization of the "Example" sections, while others, like the excessive number of sketches, were discarded because they made the layout chaotic. This test helped us clarify our choices and better guide our work.

Finalization

As the project advanced, the students responsible for aesthetic consistency took over the InDesign files to finalize the layout. Although the difficulties encountered with the floor plan initially delayed my tasks, I was able to make up for lost time by participating in the proofreading process. This group project allowed me to discover new software features, such as masks and blending modes, and to explore creative solutions with Photoshop when InDesign was not sufficient.

For example, I worked with Elise Moncourier on organizing the mentor portraits by placing the images into tables for a neat layout. We adjusted the text layout and added a horizontal illustration at the bottom of the page—a sketch of medicine bottles—to vary the image formats. We also optimized the layout by reducing empty spaces, reusing elements, and spacing out paragraphs to make the dense text more readable. Finally, I contributed to the visual creation of the game's tokens, leveraging the prior research on medical illustrations for Mây-Ha.

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