Chapter 4: Lore Graphics & Typography Systems

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Lore Graphics & Typography Systems for Costume Concept Artists

Focus: how to design believable lore graphics (crests, badges, labels, UI marks) and typography systems that survive repeat, placement, and scale across concept and production.

Why a typography system (not just a cool logo)?

Costume surfaces carry story data: rank, faction, role, warnings, rites, maker’s marks. A system ensures every mark reads consistently from macro hero shots to micro labels. It also lets downstream teams (surfacing, pattern, printing, UI) scale, swap colorways, and localize without redesigning.

System building blocks

  1. Primary marks — faction crests, house sigils, nation seals. Low frequency, high clarity; anchor on chest/back/flags.
  2. Secondary marks — unit badges, role icons, number sets, dates. Medium frequency; sleeves, yokes, belts.
  3. Operational text — warnings, maintenance labels, serials, maker’s tags. High frequency; small scale; requires strict legibility rules.
  4. Patternable micro‑graphics — micro text tapes, pinstripes with glyph repeats, watermark tiles; serve as grounds without buzzing.

Treat the set like a UI kit: every graphic has a spec sheet with size tiers, allowed placements, and color roles.

Type system: anatomy & metrics for concept artists

  • Stroke model: choose mono‑stroke (industrial, stencil) or contrast (ceremonial, calligraphic). Mixed systems create hierarchy (crest = contrast; ops text = mono‑stroke).
  • Metrics: define cap height (CH), x‑height (XH), stroke width (SW), letter‑spacing (LS). Express all as ratios of CH to scale easily.
    • Typical starting set: XH = 0.66·CH; SW = 0.08–0.12·CH; LS = 0.02–0.04·CH (ops text tighter than display).
  • Minimums: at the smallest in‑engine read, require min stem ≥ 2 px and min counter ≥ 2–3 px. For print, min stroke ≥ 0.25–0.35 mm (screen print) and min gap ≥ 0.25–0.30 mm.
  • Numerals: include tabular figures for IDs and stencil variants for diegetic painting.
  • Diacritics & alternates: pre‑design accents and uppercase alternates for ceremonial settings; keep ascender/descender clearance.

Lore scripts (invented writing) without losing legibility

  • Phonetic vs logographic: decide quickly. If the audience won’t read it, design shape‑based scripts that reduce to icons at distance.
  • Regularity: fix baseline, x‑height band, and stroke width even for alien scripts—legibility comes from consistency.
  • Repeat friendliness: design a core set of tileable glyphs and connector pieces that can form borders or tapes without visible seams.
  • Directionality: pick a reading direction and arrow the flow in your spec. For curved placements (chest arcs), provide pre‑warped baselines.
  • Localization policy: decide when to translate into Latin text (marketing, UI) vs keep diegetic script (costumes). Provide a Rosetta table in the handoff.

Color & value roles

  • Role palette: assign hues to Rank, Role, Risk (e.g., Command = gold, Medical = white/cyan, Ordnance = high‑chroma red). Lock contrast on luminance: ensure ≥ 4.5:1 for text on garment grounds.
  • Finish codes: matte (stealth), satin (dress), metallic/foil (ceremonial), retroreflective (safety). Specify per element in the spec.
  • Environment coherence: give night‑mode (dimmed) and desert/arctic/urban tone swaps for camo sets.

Placement logic: where graphics live

Safe anchors (single‑panel)

  • Center front chest, upper back, outer bicep centroid, collar stand labels, belt buckle face, gauntlet plates.

Caution zones (distort/collide)

  • Across princess seams, ribs/hem ribbing, zip plackets, armscye, hood overlap. Use engineered splits or move to safe anchors.

Scale ladders (on‑body)

  • Primary crest: 80–120 mm tall (film/TPP hero); 140–300 mm on back.
  • Sleeve/gauntlet badges: 45–65 mm diameter.
  • Operational tapes/labels: cap height 2.5–5 mm in print terms; or 12–16 px at target gameplay view.

If any counter‑space in glyphs dips below 2 px or 0.3 mm, simplify shapes or convert to icon.

Repeat integration (turning graphics into grounds)

  • Straight repeat tapes: unit code + icon + spacer. Example cadence: [UNIT-07] • [GLYPH] • [UNIT-07] • … with module width set to 24–32 mm (print) or a power‑of‑two in texture space.
  • Half‑drop motifs: interlock emblems to hide seams; keep 40–60% ground to avoid moiré.
  • Tossed micro‑icons: rotate ±20–30°; Poisson spacing at 0.8× motif diameter.
  • Watermark tiles: ultra‑low‑contrast (ΔL* 6–10) for security papers, capes, and lining.

Construction for engine (real‑time)

  • Decal vs bake: keep primary marks as decals for swaps; bake secondary/micro to the material.
  • Texel density: lock (e.g., 1024 px/m). Author marks at scale so min stems ≥ 2–3 px at intended view.
  • Mip management: avoid 1‑px alternation in albedo; push micro lettering into normal/roughness; use dithered distance fades for tiny ops text.
  • Compression: use BC7 for sharp marks; keep alpha premultiplied for stenciled crests.
  • TAA/upscaler tests: capture turntables at 1/3/6/10 m; ensure no shimmer on tapes and borders.

Construction for print/fabrication

  • Method fit: screen (limited colors, crisp), DTG (detail, softer), sublimation (panel mapping), vinyl/heat‑transfer (small runs). State min strokes/gaps and trapping (0.1–0.2 mm) in the spec.
  • Engineered panels: split across seams with match points and bleed (5–10 mm). Provide grain arrows and size‑set scaling rules.
  • Finish notes: foil/metallic/reflective placements: add keep‑out radii around seams and high‑flex zones.

Hierarchy patterns: turning type into uniform logic

  • Rank: cap badges, crown marks, shoulder cords; gold/silver/black variants.
  • Role: chest/rib labels, sleeve tapes, equipment tags.
  • Unit: back banners, scarf ends, cloak borders.
  • Individual: serial numbers, kill marks, pilgrimage dates—designed as modular badges that slot into fixed docks.

Create a placement matrix (rows = garment zones, columns = mark types) so every outfit has a predictable layout.

Typography styles by culture (portable recipes)

  1. Imperial Ceremonial — high contrast, flared serifs, geometric crest frames; finish: gold foil + enamel.
  2. Frontier Industrial — stencil sans, tabular numerals, hazard chevrons; finish: matte + retroreflective tapes.
  3. Scholar‑Monastic — uncial caps, knotwork frames, rubrication dots; finish: embroidery, linen labels.
  4. Coastal Guild — rounded grotesk, rope/braid frames, ship registry numerals; finish: woven jacquard tapes.
  5. Arc‑Mage Order — split‑stroke glyphs, concentric seals, sigil repeats; finish: pearlescent ink + subtle normal emboss.

Each recipe includes: alphabet, numerals, five icons, crest frame set (circle, diamond, shield), tape module.

Worked micro‑systems (blueprints)

A. Faction Crest + Kit

  • Primary: circular crest 100 mm CH; outer stroke 1.8 mm; inner icon grid 8×8.
  • Secondary: shoulder badge 55 mm; simplified icon.
  • Ops tape: 28 mm module; text height 5 mm; alternating icon every 3 modules.
  • Repeat: watermark tile 64×64 px for lining; ΔL* 8.

B. Pilgrim Serial Set

  • Numerals: tabular, CH = 12 mm (print), SW = 1.2 mm.
  • Check digits: contrasting lozenge frames.
  • Placement: belt keeper and gauntlet edge; also as decal for engine swaps.

C. Hazard & Maintenance Pack

  • Pictograms: fire, acid, arc, crush; designed at 2.5 mm min printable size.
  • Borders: 45° hash repeat at 6 mm cadence; warning triangle base 22 mm.
  • Policy: never overlap pictograms with seams; if crossing, break with seam‑aware chevrons.

Layout rules of thumb

  • Breathing room: keep 1–1.5× cap height margin around logos inside panels.
  • Do not bisect faces: avoid zips/plackets slicing icons; if unavoidable, engineer a zip gutter.
  • Curved baselines: for chest arcs, set baseline to garment curve; increase tracking +5–10%.
  • Counter‑shimmer: reduce value contrast of micro borders; let normals do the work.

Documentation & handoff

  • Spec board per outfit: hero/back/sleeve placements with mm/cm and px equivalents, plus size‑set rules (keep on‑body scale constant across S–XL).
  • Rosetta sheet: Latin ↔ lore script mapping; case‑sensitive; punctuation.
  • Asset pack: vector sources (AI/SVG), tile PNGs (powers of two), decal textures (BC7), normal emboss variants.
  • Naming: IP_Outfit_Faction-Graphics_Tier-Role_Scale_v###.ai/.png.

Quick reference

  • Design a system, not a one‑off.
  • Guard minimums: stems/counters ≥ 2–3 px or ≥ 0.3 mm.
  • Place with intent: safe anchors; avoid seam collisions.
  • Make it repeat‑ready: tapes/tiles that don’t buzz.
  • Spec everything: sizes, colors, finishes, localization.

Your lore reads through type. Build rules once—then let every costume speak fluently in that language.