Chapter 1 – Research practices and sources

Chapter 1: Research Practices & Sources

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Research Practices & Sources for Costume Concept Artists

Cultural Collaboration & Sensitivity in Process, Consultation, and Credit

Costume concept art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every time you draw a garment, ornament, or hairstyle that echoes real cultures, histories, or spiritual practices, you are entering into a relationship with real people. Cultural collaboration and sensitivity are how you make that relationship respectful, informed, and creatively rich instead of extractive or harmful.

This article focuses on practical research workflows for costume concept artists—both on the concepting side (early exploration, visual direction) and the production side (finalizing models, textures, skins, and variants). We will look at:

How to structure research processes that respect cultures.
How and when to use consultation with cultural experts and community members.
How to handle credit, compensation, and attribution in a professional pipeline.

The goal is not to scare you away from drawing from real cultures, but to help you build better, more accountable habits so your designs can be both powerful in-game and respectful in the real world.

1. Why Cultural Collaboration & Sensitivity Matter in Costumes

Costumes carry dense cultural meaning: status, faith, gender roles, ceremonies, grief, joy, resistance. When a game uses those shapes, colors, and symbols, it can:

Affirm and celebrate people who recognize themselves.
Educate and invite curious players into new histories and aesthetics.
Or flatten and caricature entire cultures into stereotypes.

For studios, insensitive design can become a PR crisis. For artists, it’s also an ethical and creative issue. Lazy collage of “exotic” elements tends to produce shallow, generic designs. Thoughtful research and collaboration, by contrast, often result in:

Richer visual storytelling (you know why each element is there).
More original combinations (you’re not just copying the first Google Image result).
Trust with communities whose cultures you are referencing.

Cultural sensitivity isn’t about never making mistakes; it’s about how you work: who you include, how you learn, and how you respond when you get something wrong.

2. Types of Research: Beyond “Cool Pinterest Boards”

Most costume artists already gather reference, but cultural work needs more variety and rigor than typical moodboarding. Think in layers of sources.

2.1 Primary Sources: Closest to Lived Reality

Primary sources are materials or experiences directly connected to the culture:

Historical garments in museum collections (in person or high‑res online archives).
Photographs or videos from the period and region you’re studying.
Interviews, documentaries, and oral histories with community members.
Fieldwork: attending cultural festivals, exhibitions, or performances (when appropriate and open to the public).

For costume design, prioritize references that show:

How garments fit and move on real bodies.
How clothing is worn in context: festivals vs daily life, work vs ritual.
The social rules around clothing: who wears what, when, and why.

2.2 Secondary Sources: Experts Interpreting Culture

Secondary sources are works where someone has already analyzed and interpreted primary material:

Academic books and articles on dress, textiles, and adornment.
Ethnographic studies and visual anthropology references.
Museum catalogues and curator essays.
Books written by scholars or practitioners from within the culture.

These help you avoid obvious misreads. They explain:

Symbolism behind colors, patterns, and accessories.
Historical changes over time (what is truly “traditional” vs modern reinvention).
Differences between neighboring regions or subcultures.

2.3 Tertiary Sources: Pop & Aggregated References

Tertiary sources are compilations and popular interpretations:

Pinterest boards, artstation collections, social media threads.
Fashion blogs, travel magazines, generalized “traditional clothing of X” articles.
Other game/film designs inspired by the same culture.

These are easy to access but high‑risk for distortion and stereotype. Use them:

As a starting map to locate better sources (e.g., you see a specific garment, then search for that garment type in academic/museum contexts).
To understand how the culture has already been flattened in mainstream imagery, so you can avoid repeating the same clichés.

Tertiary references are not inherently bad, but they must be checked against primary and secondary sources.

2.4 Lived Experience & Community Voices

The richest sources are often people themselves:

Cultural consultants and historians.
Fashion designers or craftspeople from the community.
Community members who wear or inherit those traditions.

Their input can correct subtle missteps that books miss—tone, context, taboos, how it feels to be represented. This is not a free “ask the internet” resource. It belongs in a structured, respectful consultation process (more on that later).

3. A Research Process for Culturally Sensitive Costuming

Here is a practical, repeatable workflow you can apply on projects that touch real cultures—whether you’re on concept or production.

3.1 Step 1: Define Scope & Intent

Before you collect references, write down:

Which culture(s) you are drawing from.
Time period (historical era, contemporary, speculative future?).
Context in the game: are these protagonists, enemies, NPCs, background citizens?
Tone: respectful homage, alternate history, sci‑fi re‑imagining, parody? (Note: parody using marginalized cultures requires extra caution and is often not appropriate.)

Clarifying intent helps you decide:

How much fidelity vs stylization is appropriate.
What kind of consultation is needed.
Where potential harm or misunderstanding might appear.

3.2 Step 2: Map Your Knowledge Gaps

List what you don’t know yet:

How are gender, age, or status signaled through clothing?
Are certain symbols sacred or restricted?
How do climate and environment shape materials and layering?

Turn these gaps into questions you bring into your research: “What does head covering signify? Who wears jewelry on which body parts? How are warriors vs priests visually distinguished?”

3.3 Step 3: Build a Structured Reference Library

Instead of one giant moodboard, create organized boards/folders such as:

Historical base – Archival photos, paintings, museum close‑ups.
Textile & material – Weaves, dyes, embroidery, leatherwork, armor.
Silhouettes & layering – How garments stack, wrap, and drape.
Body & identity – Clothing across gender, age, status, professions.
Contemporary evolution – Modern fashion that evolves the tradition.

For each image, note:

Source (museum, book, photographer, community account, etc.).
Region and era, if known.
Any context info (festival, wedding, work, mourning).

This makes it easier to cite, credit, and cross‑check later.

3.4 Step 4: Early Concept Sketches with Guardrails

In the early sketch phase:

Start with silhouette and layering logic from real garments, not just decorative motifs.
Avoid mixing multiple cultures as “spice” before you understand them individually.
Mark areas of uncertainty in your sketch: “Unsure if this symbol is sacred” or “Need to verify if this hairstyle has specific meaning.”

The point is to prototype ideas while keeping questions visible, so you remember to verify later instead of accidentally shipping guesswork.

3.5 Step 5: Consultation & Feedback Loops

Once you have rough designs, bring them into structured consultation:

Share designs with internal consultants (DEI teams, staff from the culture) and/or external experts.
Provide your intent statement, reference bibliography, and specific questions.
Ask them to flag:
- Misused symbols or garments.
- Combinations that feel implausible or disrespectful.
- Stereotypes or tropes that feel tired or harmful.

Document feedback clearly:

“Remove this headpiece; it is reserved for specific ceremonies.”
“This pattern is fine but usually belongs to elders, not warriors.”
“Avoid pairing this sacred symbol with villain roles.”

Then iterate visibly: keep side‑by‑side versions showing changes made from feedback. This transparency is important for both internal alignment and, sometimes, public communication.

3.6 Step 6: Locking Designs with Context Notes

When designs are approved:

Attach a design note block to each costume that records:
- Cultural inspirations and sources.
- “Do” and “Don’t” usage notes (e.g., “Don’t use this pattern for joke skins”).
- Intent behind key elements.

These notes help production artists, marketing teams, and licensors avoid unintended misuse later in the pipeline.

4. Consultation: How to Work with Cultural Experts & Communities

Consultation is not a box‑ticking exercise; it’s a collaboration. Done well, it improves both authenticity and creativity.

4.1 Who to Consult

Ideally, you involve multiple perspectives:

Cultural practitioners – People who practice the traditions you’re referencing (tailors, craftspeople, dancers, clergy, community leaders).
Scholars – Historians, anthropologists, or fashion historians familiar with the region.
Internal staff – Team members who belong to the culture and want to participate (never assume or pressure).

Avoid treating a single consultant as “the spokesperson” for an entire culture. Communities are diverse; try to hear more than one voice when stakes are high.

4.2 Structuring the Engagement

Professional consultation should:

Be paid (or compensated in clear, agreed‑upon ways).
Have a scope (what questions, how many review rounds, timelines).
Respect boundaries (if a consultant says “this area is taboo” or “I’m not comfortable advising on this,” you take that seriously).

Provide materials in advance:

A clear brief about the game and its tone.
Your research summary and reference boards.
Draft designs with annotations.

Ask specific questions:

“Does this combination of garments make sense in context?”
“Are any symbols here sacred or restricted?”
“Would this hairstyle or head covering have specific gender or class implications?”

4.3 Listening and Responding

Consultation only matters if you’re willing to change designs:

If feedback contradicts a cool aesthetic flourish, resist the urge to argue. Explore new solutions that keep gameplay and aesthetic goals without violating cultural boundaries.
Treat corrections as a chance to enrich your visual storytelling: “If warriors wouldn’t wear X, what would they wear to show courage or status?”

Be honest about constraints too:

If the game needs silhouettes readable from far away, explain why some simplifications are necessary and invite the consultant to help choose which elements to prioritize.

4.4 Maintaining Relationships

Respect doesn’t end at ship:

Share final designs with consultants.
Ask if they’d like to be publicly credited and how.
Inform them if designs are reused, reskinned, or heavily modified later.

Long‑term relationships with consultants and communities make future projects smoother and more trusting.

5. Credit, Compensation, and Attribution

Cultural collaboration has a labor component. People’s time, knowledge, and heritage are being used to enrich a commercial product.

5.1 Paying for Expertise

Whenever possible, consultation should be paid work:

Hourly or project‑based fees for external experts.
Stipends for community orgs if they are involved.
Honorariums for public events, Q&A sessions, or workshops.

Even if budgets are tight, look for ways to materially recognize contributions.

5.2 Credit in the Game and Materials

Credits can appear in:

Game credits (e.g., “Cultural Consultant – [Name]”).
Art book acknowledgments.
Dev diaries, behind‑the‑scenes videos, or blog posts.

When you publish concept art online or in portfolios, include:

A brief note about cultural inspiration.
Acknowledgment of any consultant(s) if they’re comfortable being named.

Example:

“Costume design inspired by 18th‑century X region ceremonial dress. Developed in collaboration with [Consultant Name], a textile artist and researcher from [Community].”

5.3 Attribution of Source Material

When your research draws on specific artworks, photographers, or archives:

Record and, where appropriate, credit your sources.
Avoid tracing or directly copying contemporary fashion designs or photographs without permission.

In internal documentation, list:

Museums and collections consulted.
Books and articles used.
Any special permissions obtained.

5.4 Respecting Community Wishes Around Credit

Some individuals might prefer:

Not to be named personally (for privacy or safety reasons).
To credit a community org instead of themselves.

Always ask how they want to be recognized, and honor their choice.

6. Concept vs Production: Different Responsibilities, Same Ethics

Both concept and production artists interact with cultural material, but at different stages.

6.1 Concept Artists: Setting Direction and Guardrails

Concept artists:

Define the initial visual language for cultural references.
Decide which sources to draw on and how stylized the result should be.
Create guideline sheets that others will follow.

Responsibilities include:

Building robust research packets (not just pretty moodboards).
Writing clear notes on what certain elements mean and how they should/shouldn’t be reused.
Flagging high‑risk motifs (sacred symbols, religious garments, funerary wear) and recommending usage guidelines.

Deliverables might include:

Faction or culture style guides.
Do/Don’t pages (e.g., “Do use this pattern as border trim; don’t put it on a joke costume”).
Variant proposals that show how to evolve designs for skins/tiers without breaking cultural logic.

6.2 Production Artists: Preserving Intent Under Constraints

Production artists translate concepts into in‑game reality:

3D modelers, texture artists, and technical artists.
Outsource supervisors ensuring vendors follow style guides.

Responsibilities include:

Preserving key cultural signifiers even when simplifying models or textures.
Checking that LOD versions still respect color and pattern placement.
Watching for unintended changes that creep in during implementation (e.g., color corrections making a mourning garment look festive).

If you must alter a design because of technical constraints:

Check back with the original concept and any notes on cultural meaning.
Ask: “Does this simplification accidentally change the significance?”

Example: Removing a specific textile motif because it’s too detailed might be fine; removing the only element that signified social status or grief might not be.

7. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

7.1 “Culture as Aesthetic Buffet”

Mixing elements from multiple cultures purely for visual novelty (without understanding) can:

Turn living cultures into decoration.
Create nonsensical combinations that break immersion.

To avoid this:

Understand each culture individually first.
If you create hybrids, be transparent and thoughtful about the logic (e.g., a diaspora community in your world that has blended traditions over generations).

7.2 Exoticizing and Othering

Using a culture primarily as “exotic villain flavor” or “mystical background” reinforces harmful stereotypes.

Check your designs:

Are characters inspired by a culture only ever enemies or NPCs with no agency?
Are cultural markers exaggerated for “weirdness” or fear?

Strive for range: heroes, mentors, everyday citizens, and complex characters.

7.3 Sacred Symbols Used as Cool Graphics

Some symbols, garments, or body markings are deeply sacred or restricted:

Specific religious vestments.
Funeral attire.
Tattoos reserved for certain rites of passage.

Without research and consultation, it’s easy to misuse these as “cool patterns.”

Avoid this by:

Treating every unfamiliar symbol as potentially significant until proven otherwise.
Asking consultants explicitly about symbolic weight.

7.4 Over‑Fixation on Trauma

Some cultures are repeatedly represented only through their suffering (slavery, colonization, war), while their everyday joy, humor, and fashion innovations are ignored.

In costume design:

Don’t only depict a culture through ragged clothing, chains, or scars.
Remember that communities have festivals, fashion trends, and glamour too.

7.5 Assuming Monoliths

No culture is a single static thing. There are:

Regional variations.
Urban vs rural differences.
Historical evolution.

Avoid treating one outfit as “the” definitive costume for all time and space. Indicate variation—within reason—when it helps build a richer world.

8. Practical Habits & Tools for Everyday Work

8.1 Build a Personal Reference Library with Metadata

As you work on multiple projects:

Save references with source labels (museum name, photographer, book, year).
Tag images by culture, region, era, garment type, symbol.

This gives you:

Faster recall of where things came from.
A way to avoid re‑using the same tired reference everyone else uses.

8.2 Keep a Research Journal

Maintain a simple document where you log:

Key facts learned (“In X culture, this color is associated with mourning, not joy.”).
Sources and citations.
Feedback from consultants and how you changed designs.

This journal becomes a teaching tool for newer team members and a record if questions arise later.

8.3 Use Checklists Before Locking Designs

Before final approval, run through a small checklist:

Have I identified the specific culture/time frame I’m referencing?
Have I used at least one primary or high‑quality secondary source?
Have I checked for sacred/restricted elements?
Has someone from or familiar with the culture reviewed this if stakes are high?
Is the character’s role in the story reinforcing or challenging stereotypes thoughtfully?

8.4 Cross‑Team Communication

Work with:

Narrative/Quest teams (to align character backstory with costume choices).
Level/environment artists (to harmonize cultural cues across spaces and people).
Marketing (to ensure promotional art and skins don’t undercut the sensitivity work done in core design).

Cultural collaboration is a team sport.

9. Exercises for Costume Concept & Production Artists

9.1 For Concept Artists

Culture‑Focused Study Sheet
Pick one specific culture and time period. Create a one‑page sheet with:
- 3–5 key silhouettes.
- Notes on layering logic and materials.
- 5–10 small thumbnails of everyday outfits vs ceremonial outfits. Add short annotations on meaning or context for each.
Do/Don’t Exploration
Design two versions of a costume: one that intentionally falls into common pitfalls (stereotype, sacred symbol misuse), and one respectful, well‑researched version. Use this to train your eye and discuss with peers why one works better.
Consultation Simulation
Share a design with a friend who has lived experience with the culture (if they are willing) or with another artist who has done deep research. Ask them to critique it specifically on cultural representation, then iterate.

9.2 For Production Artists

LOD Cultural Signifier Check
Take a culturally inspired costume model at different LODs and screen sizes. Identify which signifiers disappear. Adjust textures or geometry so key signs (e.g., status markers, symbolic patterns) remain readable.
Pipeline Documentation Audit
Pick one culturally rich asset in your project. Trace its documentation trail: concept sheet, model sheets, internal wiki. Are cultural notes and restrictions clearly visible? If not, propose improvements.
Color & Post‑Processing Review
Examine how post‑processing and lighting change the perceived mood of culturally inspired costumes. Make sure mourning colors don’t turn neon, sacred whites don’t become dull grey, etc. Suggest adjustments.

10. Closing Thoughts

As a costume concept artist, you have enormous power over how cultures are seen by millions of players. Cultural collaboration and sensitivity are not separate from creativity—they enhance it.

By building solid research practices, working with the right sources, consulting with communities and experts, and giving proper credit, you:

Create deeper, more believable designs.
Help your studio avoid avoidable harm.
Contribute to a game industry where more people can see themselves represented with nuance and care.

The guiding question for every culturally inspired costume can be:

“If someone from this culture saw this character—without any explanation—would they feel mocked, flattened, or thoughtfully honored?”

You won’t always get it perfect. But with a deliberate process, honest consultation, and respectful credit, you can keep moving closer to designs that are both visually striking and ethically grounded.