Chapter 3: Livery & Numbering Systems

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Livery & Numbering Systems for Character Concept Artists

Why Livery Matters on Characters

Livery is the language of affiliation, authority, and role at a glance. On characters, it translates abstract world‑building—factions, regiments, companies, guilds—into visible signals: palettes, markings, insignia, and numbering that communicate identity before a single line of dialog is delivered. Strong livery systems help differentiate friendly vs. hostile groups, ladder rank and seniority, and create merchandising hooks, unlockable trim levels, and seasonal variants without fragmenting your style.

This article aims to give both concept‑side and production‑side artists a shared blueprint for designing, documenting, and shipping character livery and numbering systems that are readable in‑engine, scalable across rosters, and robust under camera, motion, and wear.

Core Concepts & Definitions

Livery: A codified visual system (color, pattern, insignia, numbering, and trim) that denotes faction, unit, and role.

Trim Levels: Manufacturer- or faction-defined packages that ladder from base to elite, each unlocking materials, finishes, and decorative density. Think of them as cosmetic SKUs with gameplay or narrative justification.

Faction Identity: The unique visual DNA of a group—shape language, palette logic, motifs, materials, and typography—that differentiates it from others in the world.

Numbering Systems: Repeatable schemes (digits, letters, runes, glyph sets) that label individuals, squads, classes, and production batches in ways that are lore‑true, readable, and localization‑safe.

Pillars of a Character Livery System

1) Palette Logic

A palette must encode faction identity and remain legible across lighting and post-processing.

  • Base / Accent / Signal / Neutral: Define a 60/30/10/spot ratio. Base handles mass areas; accent supports shape breakups; signal (high‑chroma or high‑contrast notes) flags interaction-critical zones (medic, commander, engineer); neutral (gray, natural fibers, matte blacks) tempers everything.
  • Faction Contrast Contract: Establish delta‑E/value contrast targets between rival factions (e.g., Desert Raiders mid‑value warm + high‑chroma accent vs. Frost Legion high‑value cool + dark accents). This preserves reads in PvP silhouettes.
  • Day/Night & Biome Variants: Provide a low‑light variant where signal color shifts toward higher luminance and a high‑glare variant with reduced specular and bolder edge piping.

2) Pattern & Motif Vocabulary

  • Limit faction motifs to a modular set (e.g., chevrons, sash angles, knot‑work, industrial stencils). Reserve one “reserved motif” exclusively for command/legendary to keep aspiration.
  • Create panelization rules: where stripes, tartans, or sash bands sit relative to anatomy and joint lines; ensure patterns don’t create moiré under mipmapping or motion blur.

3) Materials & Finishes

  • Bind trim levels to material upgrades: Base: twill/canvas, parkerized metal; Veteran: waxed cloth, brushed metal; Elite: technical weaves, ceramic plating, PVD finishes. Keep spec ranges consistent for faction identity.

4) Typography & Numerals

  • Choose a type system that reflects the culture: humanist serif for imperial; DIN‑like grotesque for industrial; constructed rune set for arcane sci‑fi. Provide Stencil, Solid, and Microtext cuts.
  • Define a canonical numeral set (Arabic, Roman, local runes) with forms for 0–9 and special glyphs (class, division, award).

Numbering Systems: From Lore to Readability

What Numbers Must Do

  1. Identify the individual (ID), 2) Express the group relationship (squad/platoon/company), 3) Survive distance and grime.

Common Schemes (Pick 1 and Stick It)

  • Unit‑First: Company‑Platoon‑Squad‑Member → E.g., B‑2‑4‑07 (B Company, 2nd Platoon, 4th Squad, Member 07).
  • Role‑Code + Serial: MED‑031, ENG‑204. Clear for gameplay reads.
  • Batch + Year + Index: YX‑23‑118 for clone/forge cultures.
  • Personal Call‑Sign: One big legible mark (“RAVEN‑6”) used for heroes and bosses.

Placement & Scale

  • Primary Read (torso, chest rig, cape hem, pauldron) sized for mid‑shot.
  • Secondary Read (left forearm bracer, helmet flank, thigh plate) sized for close‑up confirmations.
  • Microtext (seam tape, zipper guards, mag pouches) for lore and product‑style detail; never required for identification.

Redundancy by Camera

Duplicate key numbers front/back and left/right when silhouettes frequently mirror or occlude (TPP shoulder swaps, FPP weapon block).

Localization & Cultural Concerns

  • Avoid glyphs that resemble offensive symbols in other markets.
  • Provide iconic (shape‑based) badges for number‑averse locales; keep numeric data in asset metadata/UI if needed.

Trim Levels: Designing Cosmetic Ladders Without Noise

Trim levels must feel earned and readable without breaking optimization or art direction.

Base

  • Two‑tone palette; matte materials; minimal piping.
  • Single emblem; small unit number (rear‑left only).

Veteran

  • Third accent color unlocked; limited metallic or waxed finishes.
  • Emblem with laurel/rim; larger front ID; one banner stripe on outer arm.

Elite/Legendary

  • Specialty materials (ceramic scales, inlay thread); edge lighting in shaders.
  • Secondary insignia (medals/ribbons), personalized call‑sign placement, and ceremonial pattern (e.g., sash, tartan panel) reserved for this tier.

Bind all of the above to strict area coverage rules (e.g., gold never exceeds 8% of surface area) to prevent bling creep.

Faction Identity: Building a Visual Grammar

Shape Language

Square‑heavy + low curvature for militarist; sweeping curves + droplines for ecclesiastic; triangular split planes for raiders. Keep consistent across garments, armor, and wearables.

Palette Personality

  • Militarist: desaturated base, high‑contrast signal (scarlet, signal yellow), matte metals.
  • Mystic/Arcane: jewel accents over dark velvets, iridescent micro‑sheen.
  • Industrial: hazard brights (stripe logic), enamel chips, baked‑on paints.

Motif Hierarchy

Faction crest → unit badge → role badge → personal marks. Reserve real estate for each so nothing fights.

Placement Maps: Where Livery Lives on the Body

  • Head/Helmet: Callsign or role glyph at temple; faction crest on forehead plate (avoid visor occlusion). Crown stripe signals command.
  • Torso: Chest center for emblem; rib panels for number bands; waist tape for microtext.
  • Arms: Outer bicep for squad patch; forearm wraps for ticker codes; left arm standardized for medical/engineer.
  • Hands/Gloves: Finger color tips can code class (sniper, medic); palm micro‑grip patterns hide microtext.
  • Legs: Thigh plate for large numeric; calf bands for unit color; knee caps for hazard chevrons.
  • Back: Cape hem, mantle panel, or backpack lid for big faction mark; parachute/rig flaps for mission tags.

Provide annotated placement orthos: front, back, side; label safe zones, no‑print zones (deformation), and decal anchor points.

Readability Across Cameras & Motion

  • Define minimum stroke widths for numerals at far LOD; test under motion blur and TAA.
  • Guard against moiré: avoid tight parallel striping on fabrics likely to be mip‑compressed; prefer broken or angled patterns.
  • Bake a contrast fallback LUT per faction for fog, sand, snow biomes.

Materials & Weathering Rules for Livery

  • Emblems on high‑wear zones (knees, elbows) must have chipped/abraded variants; numbers on rigid plates remain crisp.
  • Weathering should not erase identification entirely—set floor legibility (e.g., 70% of numeral shape must remain at worst wear state).
  • Use diegetic application methods: stitched patches, enamel pins, laser‑etched plates, hand‑painted stencils, dye‑sublimated capes. Each implies a culture and cost.

Production Considerations (Concept → Engine)

Decal vs. Texture Integration

  • Decals: flexible swaps for events/ops; separate draw calls but powerful for live ops.
  • Integrated: cheaper at runtime; less flexible; use for faction base crest.

UV & Atlas Strategy

  • Reserve atlas space for shared faction badges; keep numerals as dynamic decals or masked overlays to reduce SKU explosion.
  • Maintain trim sheet slots with neutral zones for stencils; document texel density targets (e.g., 512px/m for cloth, 1k/m for armor plates).

Rigging & Deformation

  • Keep critical numbers off extreme bend zones; if unavoidable, warp‑aware guides for 3D and a pre‑made bend‑corrected decal.

Shader Hooks

  • Masked color swaps per channel (base/accent/signal) to support seasonal palettes.
  • Edge highlight parameter (Elite only) bounded by area rule.

Accessibility & UI Tie‑Ins

  • Color‑blind safe alternatives: pair color with shape or pattern (cross for medics, wrench for engineers).
  • Mirror livery metadata into UI (roster, killfeed icons) for reinforcement.

Documentation That Downstream Teams Love

Include in your final packet:

  1. Faction Style Page: palette chips (hex/RGB), finish swatches, do/don’t grid.
  2. Placement Orthos: labeled zones, scale guides, safe/no‑print regions.
  3. Numbering Spec: grammar (UNIT‑SQUAD‑ID), examples, prohibited forms, line‑height, tracking, and min stroke.
  4. Trim Ladder: Base → Veteran → Elite pages with material callouts and area percentages.
  5. Decal Sheet: crest, unit badges, role icons, numerals 0–9, A–Z (or rune set), punctuation, microtext phrases.
  6. Shader Mask Map: channel allocations with small test spheres for QA.
  7. LOD Read Tests: cropped engine screenshots at target distances.

Workflow: From Brief to Shipping

  1. Faction Thesis: one‑paragraph identity statement + shape & palette adjectives.
  2. Palette & Motif Draft: 3 routes that solve the thesis differently; test against rival faction for contrast.
  3. Number Grammar: pick scheme; mock up on a base mannequin; verify camera reads.
  4. Trim Ladder Build: apply to one character across three tiers; audit area coverage.
  5. Placement Pass: distribute marks; solve conflicts with straps, armor seams, and UI overlays.
  6. Material & Wear: assign finishes per tier; author two wear states; ensure legibility floors.
  7. Decal & Atlas Plan: choose decal vs. integrated per element; define file structure and naming.
  8. Engine Prove‑Out: shader mask test, distance readability, motion blur pass.
  9. Packet & Handoff: export orthos, masks, decals; write implementation notes and a 10‑minute reference montage.

Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

  • Signal Overload: Too many brights kill hierarchy. Enforce the 60/30/10/spot rule.
  • Moiré & Mush: Dense tartans or micro‑hatching fail under mipmaps—test at game res early.
  • Lore Drift: If your monk faction suddenly has hazard stripes, your grammar broke. Keep a style bible and review gates.
  • Trim Creep: Protect elite materials/areas with hard caps. Don’t hand out gold for free.
  • Localization Pain: Hard‑coded text on textures creates SKUs per language. Prefer iconography or decals.

Mini Case Studies (Abstracted)

  • Imperial Paladins: High‑value cool base, gold trim ceilings at 8%, roman numerals on chest, laurel crest reserved for officers. Decals for campaigns.
  • Industrial Rangers: Olive drab base, hazard yellow signal, stenciled DIN numerals on thigh and pack lid; microtext maintenance codes on straps.
  • Nomad Freeband: Earthen base, sash color denotes role; personal call‑signs hand‑painted on pauldron; runic numerals etched on bone toggles.

Closing Notes

The best livery and numbering systems feel inevitable: they look like they were always part of the world. When your palette ratios, trim tiers, glyph grammar, and placement maps align, players can identify faction, role, and status in under a second—freeing the art to support gameplay and the story to land with clarity. Build the grammar once, protect it fiercely, and let it scale across your roster and seasons without losing the plot.