Chapter 4 – Enemy hierarchies color shape telegraphy

Chapter 4: Enemy Hierarchies — Color / Shape Telegraphy

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Enemy Hierarchies — Color & Shape Telegraphy for Costume Concept Artists

1. Why Enemy Hierarchies Matter for Role Reads & Gameplay Telemetry

When players look at a battlefield, they should instantly understand who to fear, who to ignore, and who to deal with first—before they read any health bars, names, or UI icons. That split‑second recognition is what we mean by Role Reads & Gameplay Telemetry.

For costume concept artists, enemy design isn’t just about making a cool villain. You are designing a visual language that supports:

Class: What does this enemy do in combat? (Tank, striker, support, controller, etc.)
Rarity / Tier: How special or powerful are they relative to others? (Common grunt vs elite vs boss.)
Encounter Design: How will groups of enemies read together in motion and in space?

Enemy hierarchies are the structure holding all of this together. Color and shape are your fastest, loudest tools for telegraphing this hierarchy through costumes. The environment, animation, and VFX add more layers, but the costume is often the first thing a player sees.

This article will walk you through how to use color and shape telegraphy to make enemy hierarchies clear and robust—both in early concept work and in production where constraints, LODs, and implementation realities kick in.

2. Thinking in Hierarchies: Class, Rarity, and Encounter Role

Before you push color or shape, you need a mental model of how your enemies are organized.

2.1 Class: What job does this enemy perform?

Enemy classes are essentially combat jobs. Common examples:

Tank / Bruiser – Soaks damage, holds space, controls chokepoints.
Striker / Assassin – Deals high damage, often to single targets, sometimes from flanking angles.
Support / Healer / Buffer – Keeps others alive, increases their damage, or debuffs the player.
Controller / Disruptor – Manipulates space: crowd control, stuns, slows, knockbacks.
Artillery / Sniper – Attacks from far range, punishes exposed positions.
Summoner / Spawner – Creates additional units or hazards.

As a costume artist, your job is to design shape and color signals so that players can infer these jobs at a glance.

2.2 Rarity / Tier: How special is this enemy?

Within each class, enemies often come in tiers or rarities:

Common / Trash – Low threat individually, appear in groups.
Uncommon / Elite – Fewer in number, higher stats, new mechanics.
Champion / Named – Mini‑bosses, tougher variants with unique look.
Boss / Raid Boss – High spectacle, central to encounters.

Rarity needs to read even if players don’t know the lore or UI. They should feel that an elite or boss is special just from color, scale, shape density, and costume detail.

2.3 Encounter Role: How does this enemy participate in a group?

Besides their individual class, each enemy has an encounter role—how they function in a group of enemies:

Frontline – Stands between player and squishier enemies.
Backline – Hangs behind, often ranged.
Flanker – Moves wide to pressure sides or rear.
Objective Carrier – Holds a key, payload, or control point.
Hazard – Explodes, zones the player, or creates dangerous areas.

Your costumes need to broadcast this role when several enemy types share the screen at once. That means your hierarchy system must work from far away, under motion, and in chaos.

3. Shape Telegraphy: Building Hierarchy with Silhouette

Shape is your primary weapon. Even in grayscale, players should be able to tell who’s who.

3.1 Macro Shape: The Silhouette First

At distance, players mostly see overall silhouette and proportions. Ask:

Can you tell the difference between tank, striker, and support when they’re just blocked‑in shapes?
Is each class’s silhouette unique enough that you could cut it out and recognize it?

Some general patterns:

Tank – Wide, grounded, blocky, low center of gravity; heavy gear, broad shoulders, large shields.
Striker / Assassin – Angular, lean, triangular silhouettes with diagonals; dynamic poses, narrow waist.
Support – Medium or even slight build, but with extended shapes: backpacks, reliquaries, banners, drones, or staff silhouettes.
Controller / Caster – Softer curves or flowing volumes in cloaks and cloth, radiating shapes around head/hands.
Artillery – Long, horizontal emphasis: cannons, rifles, launchers; silhouette asymmetry from large weapon.

Treat these as shape families. Each enemy in a class can vary, but all should share a macro shape language.

3.2 Meso Shapes: Sub‑silhouettes and Gear Masses

Once macro silhouette is distinct, refine meso shapes—the big armor plates, belts, weapons, backpacks.

Here you can encode more specific hierarchy:

Common units – Fewer armor layers, clean simple masses, limited gear.
Elites – Add secondary masses: extra pauldrons, layered skirts, larger weapon profile, or sub‑silhouettes like horns, spikes, or banners.
Bosses – Multiple “shape islands” that still read as one entity; larger crowns/helms, environmental elements integrated into the body.

Think: shape density increases with rarity, but maintain clear read. Bosses can be more complex, but they should still have a strong, simple backbone silhouette.

3.3 Micro Shapes: Detail Rhythm and Edge Energy

Micro shapes—buckles, stitches, tiny spikes—rarely read at gameplay distance, but they support close‑up shots and UI portraits.

For gameplay telemetry:

Use micro detail to reinforce not replace macro/meso reads.
Higher rarity can have finer texture rhythm, but avoid random noise.
Group small details into patches that follow the overall forms (e.g., more detail around chest emblem, gauntlets, or helmet).

A useful rule: More important enemies get more deliberate micro detail, not just “more stuff everywhere.”

3.4 Shape Scaling and Proportion Hierarchy

One of the most effective tricks is using relative size within a faction:

Tanks are taller or wider than grunts.
Elites are 10–20% larger or bulkier than their common counterparts.
Bosses may break normal scale entirely.

Even in stylized games where everyone is chibi or super‑deformed, you can tweak:

Head‑to‑body ratio.
Limb thickness.
Extremity sizes (huge hands for brawlers, elongated legs for runners).

These consistent proportion shifts become part of the faction’s visual grammar.

4. Color Telegraphy: Building Hierarchy with Hue, Value, and Saturation

Color is your second big lever. It can carry role, rarity, and faction identity—especially when shape alone can’t solve everything.

4.1 Faction Palette vs. Role Palette

First, define a faction palette (shared across all enemies) and then carve out role palettes inside it.

Faction Palette – 3–5 key colors reflecting lore, culture, and environment. These root the enemies in the same world.
Role Palette – Per‑class accents or dominant hues that signal role.

Example: A cult faction with a base palette of bone, rust, and deep violet:

Tanks – Heavier use of rust reds; dark value pads on chest and shoulders.
Strikers – Sharper, cooler violets; lighter accents and thin red lines.
Supports – More bone/linen fabrics; soft violet glows; less rust.
Controllers – Saturated violet arcane elements; patterned cloth.

This way, you get both unity and clarity: everything feels like one faction, but roles are still readable.

4.2 Hue Coding for Role

Most players carry cultural associations with hue. You can lean into or subvert these, but be consistent.

Common hue associations in games:

Red – Aggression, damage, rage, explosions, critical states.
Blue – Shields, mana, slow/freeze, control, calmness.
Green – Poison, nature, healing, decay.
Yellow / Orange – Energy, lightning, speed, warnings.
Purple – Magic, corruption, void, mind‑control.

You don’t need to map 1:1, but decide system rules:

All healers might use a specific green or teal accent.
All stuns/controls might use a specific blue‑purple blend.
All explosive hazards might always carry high‑chroma orange‑red signifiers.

Crucially: Don’t assign the same hue signal to conflicting gameplay meanings within one faction. Keep hue logic clean.

4.3 Value Hierarchy: Light vs Dark for Threat Read

Value contrast (light vs dark) is a powerful way to push hierarchy:

Common units – Mid‑value uniforms with lower contrast; they blend into background more.
Elites – Higher contrast outfits; bright accents on dark armor or vice versa.
Bosses – Strong value anchors; large dark masses with bright cores or bright bodies with dark frames.

Also consider background environments:

In a dark dungeon, bright costumes stand out; dark enemies disappear.
In snowy or bright environments, darker silhouettes become more readable.

Design value plans that keep critical role reads visible under typical lighting and camera conditions.

4.4 Saturation: Power and Rarity

Saturation is perfect for signaling rarity and power state:

Common – Muted, dusty, or slightly desaturated colors.
Elites – More saturated accents on key forms (pauldrons, helms, weapons).
Bosses – Deep, rich saturation in limited areas (core, weapon, emblem, eyes).

Avoid making the entire boss neon. Instead, keep saturation focused:

A single glowing core.
Vivid emblem or cloak.
Weapon edge with high chroma.

This makes the boss feel powerful without visually overwhelming the scene.

4.5 Color as Redundant Telemetry

Remember: color must work with shape, not instead of it. Always back up color cues with:

Unique silhouettes.
Distinct gear shapes.
Clear animations and effects.

That way, even players with color blindness or bad screen settings can still parse enemy roles.

5. Combining Color and Shape Across Hierarchies

The magic happens when color and shape layer together in a consistent system.

5.1 A Simple Hierarchy Model

Imagine a faction of corrupted knights. You define:

Class Shape Rules:
- Tank – Wide, shielded silhouette, large shoulder mass.
- Striker – Lean, angular, asymmetrical weapon.
- Support – Medium build, staff silhouette, flowing cloth.
Class Color Rules:
- Tank – Dominant dark steel, rust red accents.
- Striker – Dark steel + sharp violet edge highlights.
- Support – Bone cloth, pale gold trim, faint teal glow.
Rarity Rules:
- Common – Low saturation, limited metal shine, few accents.
- Elite – Increased saturation in accents, layered armor, bigger silhouette.
- Boss – Distilled, bold shape; focused glow or high‑value core; custom emblem.

Now, any combination (Support Elite, Striker Boss, etc.) can be designed by mixing and scaling these rules.

5.2 Telemetry Across Distance Bands

Consider how your system reads at different distances:

Long Distance (2–3 character heights and beyond) – Only macro silhouette and value masses read. Role and rarity must be visible at this stage.
Mid Distance – Meso shapes and color accents become readable. You see class‑specific gear.
Close Distance – Micro details and surface materials matter; supports narrative and believability.

If players can’t distinguish tanks from supports at long or mid distance, revisit your macro shapes and color blocking.

6. Encounter Design: Designing for the Group, Not Just the Individual

As a costume artist, it’s easy to focus on single character splash illustrations. But telemetry is exercised in encounters, where multiple enemies share the screen.

6.1 Cluster Read: Who Pops in a Crowd?

When five to ten enemies are in a scene:

Can the player instantly find the most dangerous one?
Can they see where healers and controllers are hiding?
Can they visually separate frontline vs backline?

One way to check this is to do a quick crowd thumbnail:

Drop your enemies as small silhouettes on a canvas.
Add simplified color/value blocks.
Zoom out until everything is tiny.
Identify who still reads as special or priority.

If everything looks equally important, your hierarchy isn’t doing its job.

6.2 Camera and Genre Constraints

Different genres impose different visibility constraints:

Top‑Down / Isometric ARPG – You mostly see head, shoulders, and some weapon.
- Prioritize helmet shapes, shoulder masses, weapon silhouettes, and color accents on the top half of the body.
Third‑Person Action – You see full figure but often from behind or at 3/4.
- Make sure silhouettes distinguish front, side, and back views. Back silhouettes (capelines, banners, backpacks) are key.
Side‑Scroller / Platformer – Strong side silhouette is everything.
- Keep major role cues visible in strict profile; avoid relying on front‑facing shapes only.

Design your hierarchy rules to survive your actual gameplay camera, not just a neutral concept view.

6.3 Reading the Wave: Spawn Patterns and Phases

Encounter design often features waves or phases:

Small grunts appear first.
Elites arrive mid‑fight.
Boss or champion appears at the peak.

Planning costumes with this pacing in mind helps you design visual crescendos:

Early waves – Simpler shapes, duller palettes, fewer glows.
Mid waves – One or two visually distinct elites that stand out.
Final stage – Enemies with bold silhouettes and concentrated color signals.

Your design choices help players feel the pacing curve, not just read it in a UI wave counter.

7. Concept vs Production: Different Priorities, Same System

Both concepting and production artists contribute to enemy hierarchy, but in slightly different ways.

7.1 Concepting Side: System Architect

As a concept artist on the front end, you are:

Defining shape libraries for each class and role.
Setting the faction and role palettes and explaining their logic.
Creating tiered variants (Common/Elite/Boss) that demonstrate hierarchy.
Providing callouts that explain what’s non‑negotiable (e.g., “Support always has teal vials and a staff silhouette”).

You might produce:

Faction enemy lineup sheets – All classes at common tier, side by side.
Hierarchy sheets – One archetype shown at all rarities.
Color‑key explorations – Testing hue/value plans against environment backgrounds.

Your focus is on clarity and repeatable rules, not just one hero painting.

7.2 Production Side: System Maintainer

As a production costume/character artist, your reality is:

Poly budgets, texture memory, shader limits.
LOD and platform differences.
Outsourcing handoffs and consistent implementation.

Your job is to protect hierarchy clarity under those constraints:

Simplify shapes while keeping class silhouette intact.
Preserve key color accents even on low‑res or mobile assets.
Work with tech/art to ensure lighting doesn’t crush role colors.

You might:

Adjust UV layouts to keep priority areas (helm, chest emblem) high resolution.
Ask for or design simplified patterns that survive distance and mip‑mapping.
Collaborate with VFX to reinforce role cues (e.g., healer vials glow even at LOD2).

The concept system gives you the rules, but you’re responsible for ensuring they ship intact.

8. Practical Workflow: From Idea to In‑Engine Read

8.1 Step 1 — Define the Enemy Taxonomy

Before drawing detailed costumes, write a simple taxonomy for one faction:

Classes: Tank, Striker, Support, Controller, Artillery.
Rarities: Common, Elite, Boss.
Encounter Roles: Frontline, Backline, Flanker, Hazard.

Map each combination you actually need. Avoid designing types that will never be used.

8.2 Step 2 — Shape Blocks and Silhouette Banks

Create silhouette banks:

Rapid black‑shape sketches of tanks, strikers, supports, etc.
Keep them tiny; focus purely on proportion and big shape language.

Check read:

Does each class read uniquely with no inner detail?
Can teammates pick the tank out of a lineup instantly?

8.3 Step 3 — Color Block Explorations

Once silhouettes are working, do fast color block passes on top:

Limit to 3–4 colors per design.
Define faction base and per‑class accent colors.
Test saturation and value hierarchy for rarity.

Drop these into mock gameplay screenshots or greybox environments to see if they hold up against the actual scene.

8.4 Step 4 — Tier Variants and Rule Documentation

Pick one enemy archetype and build:

Common – Basic silhouette and colors.
Elite – Enlarged silhouette components, stronger accents, added shape cluster.
Boss – Distilled, iconic shape; rich but focused color; possibly integrated environment motifs.

Write 1–2 clear rules per tier, e.g.:

“Elites always have a color‑blocked pauldron and a secondary icon on helm.”
“Bosses always introduce a new, high‑chroma accent color that no other unit uses.”

This documentation is gold for both concept and production teams.

8.5 Step 5 — In‑Engine Telemetry Checks

Work with game designers, tech art, and lighting to check:

Distance readability – Spawn enemies at multiple ranges.
Lighting variations – Dark caves, bright deserts, moody dungeons.
Colorblind modes – Use filters to simulate different color vision types.

Iterate:

Increase contrast on critical areas.
Simplify busy silhouettes.
Adjust glows and emissives.

Your enemy hierarchy isn’t done until it works in motion under real gameplay conditions.

9. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

9.1 “Everything is a Hero Design”

If every enemy is treated like a boss, visual noise explodes. Avoid:

Over‑detailed common units.
Unique silhouettes for enemies that don’t matter.

Solution:

Reserve complex shapes and rare colors for elites and bosses.
Make a simplicity baseline for grunts.

9.2 Color Spam Without Logic

Random color choices lead to confusion:

Supports and tanks sharing the same accent color with no rule.
Hazard enemies colored like non‑hazards.

Solution:

Define a simple hue‑to‑mechanic mapping.
Document and enforce it across the team.

9.3 No Consideration for Backgrounds

Gorgeous designs can vanish in certain levels. If your faction has a green‑dominant palette and a major forest level, enemies may become unreadable.

Solution:

Test designs against key backgrounds.
Add contrasting trims, silhouettes, and emissive accents to offset the environment.

9.4 Ignoring Colorblind and Accessibility

If your entire role system depends on red vs green, many players won’t be able to parse it.

Solution:

Pair color with shape, iconography, and placement.
Use distinct silhouettes, emblems, and gear shapes as redundant signals.

9.5 LOD and Platform Breakage

High‑fidelity costumes can collapse into blobs at low resolution.

Solution:

Design LOD‑aware shapes: fewer, bigger masses that still read.
Keep key accents large enough to survive mip‑mapping.

10. Exercises for Concept and Production Artists

10.1 For Concept Artists

Three‑Tier Enemy Study
- Pick a simple archetype: “Fire Cultist.”
- Design Common, Elite, and Boss versions.
- Enforce consistent shape and color rules; test them as thumbnails.
Role Palette Matrix
- Define a faction palette.
- Create 4–5 roles (Tank, Striker, Support, Controller, Artillery).
- Assign hue/value/saturation strategies to each and design 1–2 costumes per role.
Crowd Read Test
- Place 10–15 enemies on one page.
- Ask friends/teammates to circle who they think is the healer, boss, and most dangerous.
- Adjust designs until most people agree instantly.

10.2 For Production Artists

LOD Silhouette Check
- Take an existing high‑res enemy model.
- Shrink it to typical in‑game size or view LOD1/LOD2.
- Note which role cues disappear and adjust shapes or color blocking.
Lighting and Post‑Process Pass
- Capture screenshots of enemies in multiple lighting conditions and post‑process setups.
- Evaluate where telemetry breaks (e.g., emissive too strong, armor too dark) and propose adjustments.
Colorblind Simulation Review
- Apply colorblind filters to your renders.
- Ensure that role and rarity can still be distinguished with shape and value alone.

11. Closing Thoughts

Enemy hierarchies are not just a design document—they’re a visual contract with the player. When players can look at a crowd and instantly know who to fear, who to chase, and who to ignore, you’ve built a successful Role Read and Gameplay Telemetry system.

For costume concept artists, that system lives in disciplined use of color and shape. By defining clear class, rarity, and encounter roles—and then enforcing consistent shape and color rules across the entire enemy roster—you help designers deliver encounters that feel fair, readable, and satisfying.

Whether you’re sketching first silhouettes or optimizing final textures, keep asking the same question:

“If I mute the UI and freeze the game on a frame of chaos, can a new player still understand who’s who just from the costumes?”

If the answer is yes, your enemy hierarchy is doing its job.