Chapter 2 – Markings for team role readability

Chapter 2: Markings for Team / Role Readability

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Markings for Team & Role Readability — A Practical Guide for Prop Concept Artists

Equally written for concepting and production artists. Paragraph‑driven, pipeline‑ready.

Why Team/Role Markings Matter

In busy scenes, players parse who an object belongs to and what function it serves before they parse exactly what it is. Clear team/role markings let your world route attention: med vs engineer, civic vs military, pilgrim vs paladin, drone vs surveyor, basic vs elite. These markings live across icons, motifs, inlays, and colorways and should be consistent enough to survive distance, grime, and LOD. When done well, markings also reduce production friction: fewer bespoke textures, faster QA, easier localization.

The Readability Stack

1) Ownership First. A single emblem, color band, or material law establishes faction ownership. Without ownership, role markings float.

2) Role Second. Roles (medic, engineer, security, logistics, clergy, citizen, explorer) use shape‑and‑color pairs. If the hue fails (color‑blind, emergency lighting), the shape should still read.

3) Status/Tier Third. Rank, access, or proficiency (basic/pro/illicit; recruit/lead/specialist) get a counting system: bars, dots, chevrons. These are consistent across all props.

4) State Last. Live status (charged/spent, safe/armed, sterile/used) must be orthogonal to role so it never conflicts with team identity.

Icon Systems That Survive Gameplay

Design icons as functional abstractions with a master grid (e.g., 16‑pt) and three stroke weights (1×, 2×, 4×). Favor primitives that differ in silhouette: circle (care), square (infrastructure), triangle (caution), cross (aid), hex (technical). For each role, lock a shape + gesture:

Medical/Care (Circle + Cross). Circle frame with vertical/horizontal cross. Works in grayscale; add green/white or teal/white for friendly read.
Engineering/Maintenance (Hex + Wrench Gesture). Hex frame with notch implying fastener; supports tool callouts.
Security/Enforcement (Shield + Chevron). Shield silhouette with downward chevron; supports rank stacking.
Logistics/Supply (Square + Arrows). Square with bidirectional arrows; doubles as crate stencil.
Exploration/Survey (Compass + Dot). Diamond/compass with center dot; scales to beacons and tripods.
Clergy/Arcane (Halo + Ray). Radial ring with single upward ray; accepts inlays.
Citizen/Utility (Band + Dot). Horizontal band with single dot; minimal and mod‑friendly.

Keep each icon in vector, export atlases (1×/2×/4×). Minimum line thickness at target texel density should exceed 2.0 px at 4k to prevent shimmer.

Colorways for Role Readability

Create a faction base palette (3 primaries + 2 neutrals) and assign role overlays as small, high‑contrast accents (bands, tabs, seals). Use the same hue/value logic across all object classes.

Medical: High value, cool bias (white/teal), optional emissive pulse (slow breathe).
Engineer: Mid‑value neutrals with high legibility accents (amber/orange), matte finishes to reduce glare.
Security: High contrast, darker values (navy/charcoal) with crisp metallic trim; chevron bands.
Logistics: Mid neutrals (tan/gray) with black/white stencils and barcode fields.
Exploration: Earth neutrals + safety pips (signal yellow) for visibility.
Clergy/Arcane: Warm metals (brass, bronze) with enamel jewel tones.
Citizen/Utility: Desaturated mids; minimal accents for affordability.

Accessibility: Always pair hue with pattern: cross hatching, chevron angle, bar count. Prepare color‑blind‑safe alternates (e.g., medical teal ↔ medical violet) and ensure grayscale legibility.

Motifs & Inlays as Rank & Access

Bars/Dots (Count Logic). Use one axis (horizontal or vertical) per faction. Bars indicate rank; dots indicate clearance. Keep spacing on the master grid.

Chevrons (Direction/Authority). Point down for authority (security), up for advancement (rank). Thickness equals icon 2× stroke.

Banding & Sashes. Wrap handles/frames with colored bands. Where geometry prevents bands, use inlay grooves filled with enamel (fantasy) or resin (SF).

Seals & Tags. Lead crimp seals (single‑use), wax writs (ritual), RFID ties (corp), bead cords (clan). Seals encode state (unbroken/broken) and authorization (color or symbol).

Proof & Permit Windows. Small recess with swappable token (coin, rune tile, NFC chip). Production can swap the token texture without new geo.

Placement Rules (Make It Consistent)

Primary Icon: Place near the approach face (where a hand or eye approaches). On cylinders, center between grip scallops; on boxes, upper‑left or upper‑right depending on read direction.
Role Band: Align with handle axis or major seam to avoid UV distortion; reserve 12–20 mm in world units for readability.
Rank Stack: Opposite the opening seam or near the lock so rank reads at access points.
Status Indicator: Next to the actuator (button, latch) with shape/hue that does not conflict with role.
Serial/Owner Plate: On a flat area, right of primary icon. Include FAC, ROLE, TIER, and YEAR fields.

Document these in a single placement diagram so every prop maintains the same visual grammar.

Temporary vs Permanent Markings

Permanent: Engraves, reliefs, inlays, embossed bands, cast logos. Use for faction identity and role archetypes.

Semi‑Permanent: Paint bands, screen‑printed icons, enamel fills. Use for department changes and seasonal livery.

Temporary: Tape tabs, magnetic sliders, snap‑in tokens, chalk/grease pencil, cloth tags with bead codes. Use for events, quarantine, field triage, clandestine use.

Your asset library should include all three, allowing narrative progression without new models.

Wear & Damage: Keeping Readability Alive

Design markings to survive grime. Put ownership in relief/engrave so it reads under mud. Put role in high‑contrast paint on protected planes. Place rank marks away from contact edges. Author wear masks that erode status paint faster than faction emblems—so props age into their owner, not out of it.

Genre Applications (Same System, Different Flavor)

Fantasy. Role colors expressed as dyed cords, enamel inlays, and bead tallies. Medical = white bone + teal enamel; Security = ebonized wood + iron chevrons; Engineer = brass with amber resin windows. Seals: wax writs; Proof windows: rune tiles.

Hard Sci‑Fi. Role bands as powder‑coat stripes; icons as laser‑etched panels; rank as chevron cutouts. Medical = matte white + teal; Security = navy + brushed metal; Engineer = safety amber bands. Seals: LOTO hasps; Proof windows: QR/NFC tokens.

Soft Sci‑Fi. Role expressed with soft accents and emotive LEDs. Medical = gentle teal breathe; Engineer = amber heartbeat; Security = solid blue lock. Inlays: translucent light pipes.

Cyberpunk. Official bands + street overlays. Security icons sticker‑bombed or defaced; rank replaced with hand‑painted chevrons. Temporary tags dominate; counterfeit permits common.

Historical. Role via heraldic tinctures and guild crests. Rank by knotwork bar counts or embroidered tabs. Seals: lead crimps; inlay: champlevé enamel.

Post‑Apocalyptic. Role as scrap‑paint colors and rag tags with bead codes. Rank by notch counts; ownership by brand‑burns or stencils. Temporary markings crucial; permanence is rare.

Whimsical. Roles with toy‑logic faces and big bands. Medical smiles with cross pupils; Engineer with gear eyes; Security with shield eyebrows. Rank as star stickers.

Production Bible: Making Markings Cheap & Reliable

Decal Atlases. Build one Faction Roles Atlas per faction with: primary emblems, role icons, rank bars, status pips, hazard bands, barcode/QR fields. Export multiple sizes (256/512/1024) to match prop scale classes.

Trim Sheets for Bands. Straight UV islands for banding; tile lengthwise. Include wear variants baked into roughness.

LOD Policy. Tier A (ownership emblem, role band) persists to LOD2; Tier B (rank chevrons) persists to LOD1; Tier C (microtext, barcodes) drop at LOD1+.

Texel Density. Declare per category: handheld 512–1024 px/m, medium 256–512 px/m, large dressing 128–256 px/m.

Shader Channels. Put 70–80% of marking information in roughness/height for stability. Reserve albedo saturation for role accents only.

Naming & Variants. FAC_ROLE_Object_Function_TIER_V# → CSD_MED_FieldKit_IV_T2_v04.

Batching Tips. Use Material Parameter Collections (UE) or Material Property Blocks (Unity) to recolor role accents without duplicating materials.

Documentation That Downstream Teams Love

Provide a one‑page role guide with: palette swatches (with % coverage), icon sheet (grayscale and color), placement diagram (with world‑unit margins), wear recipe, and a before/after grime pass. Include a callout key: Ownership (A), Role (B), Rank (C), Status (D), Serial (E) with arrows on orthos.

Common Failure Modes & Fixes

Color‑Only Roles. Dies in grayscale. Fix: Pair hue with unique shapes/patterns.
Authority Soup. Too many emblems. Fix: One ownership emblem; rank/role subordinate.
UV Stretch on Bands. Fix: Straighten UVs; use trim sheets; keep band width constant in world units.
Illegible Microtext. Fix: Replace with bar/dot counts; reserve microtext for hero shots.
Wear Deletes Identity. Fix: Engrave ownership; protect role bands; place rank away from edges.

Review Gates (Checklists)

Green‑Light (Concept).

Ownership emblem chosen; role icon/shape defined; rank logic selected.
Palette with accessibility alternates approved.
Placement diagram sketched for three prop classes (handheld/container/fixture).
Temporary + permanent marking strategies picked.
Wear recipe drafted.

Alpha (Production).

Decal atlas exported (sizes & mip rules). Trim sheet assigned.
Orthos with world‑unit band widths and icon clear zones.
LOD tiers marked on callouts.
Roughness/height carries majority of ornament.
Grayscale QA passes under three light scenarios captured.

Mini‑Briefs (Plug‑and‑Play)

Med Field Kit (Hard‑SF). White base, teal cross‑in‑circle, amber status pip, two chevrons for senior tech. QR permit window on latch; LOTO hasp compatible.

Reliquary Pump (Fantasy). Brass body, teal enamel cross within halo, bead cord rank (three beads), wax writ seal over valve. Rune window glows only when sanctified.

Street Router (Cyberpunk). Gray ABS shell, asset tag ghost, orange engineer band half‑peeled, rank as hand‑painted bars. Temporary tape label for “ILLICIT.”

Clan Still (Post‑Apoc). Plate‑overlap pot, yellow logistics bands, bead code tag for water ration role, notch tally rank, lead seal broken (spent).

Toy Clinic Drone (Whimsical). Smile‑face med icon, gentle teal breathe, star stickers = rank. Rubber bumpers; snap‑fit seam.

Final Thought

Team and role readability is a contract with the player and a gift to production. Anchor ownership in durable marks, pair roles with shape‑and‑color, express rank with count logic, and keep status orthogonal. Place everything on a consistent grid and let wear tell the truth. When markings survive distance, grime, and kitbashing, your world speaks fluently—no subtitles required.