smArt Management

May 17, 2016

Here's a presentation I recently gave to the Center for Games and Playable Media at UC Santa Cruz master's program students. If you manage remote workers and…

May 5, 2016

UPDATED 2016-05-05! I originally presented this as the keynote speech at Gameacon 2015 , and I've since presented it at the Albany IGDA and updated the content…

March 25, 2016

A complete guide to ready-made game assets This is an excellent read for anyone in game development, from indie to AAA. Utilizing online content stores like…

January 28, 2016

Excellent, detailed and well researched article on the use of color in games. Well worth a read! Link: Gamasutra: Herman Tulleken's Blog - Color in games: An…

January 27, 2016

This is a fascinating analysis of Dark Souls' environment concept art, concept art's purpose, and even some cool art history. Art leads and art directors will…

December 29, 2015

Hi all! As the year 2015 draws to a close, I decided to look back at the last year to see what tools and tech I still use on a daily basis to continue my happy…

February 12, 2015

Here are some practical tips for file management for isometric assets. More great art production info by Junxue Li! In a city builder game, the in-game graphic…

January 29, 2015

Junxue Li is back with another great art production overview, this time on designing isometric buildings: This title is a bit misleading, in fact this article…

January 19, 2015

WOW! Art directors, leads, and outsourcing managers take note -- this is a list of website style guides, pattern libraries and design manuals for inspiration…

January 15, 2015

How to build an animated SVG loading icon in 5 minutes! Fun, simple non game art tutorial. :) With the rise in popularity of SVG’s, now is the perfect time to…

December 22, 2014

Excellent introduction to Physically Based Rendering and what it means for artists. If you're a game artist that doesn't yet know what that is, or if you are…

December 3, 2014

Another solid art production breakdown from Junxue Li. "Art directing a match-3 map: A walkthrough" We’re making map art for a Match-3 game recently(working as…

November 21, 2014

Hi everybody! The Tools and Tech of the Globetrotting Freelancer talk that I gave this year at the External Development Summit 2014 in Vancouver is finally…

November 20, 2014

Great freelancer app tips from MakeUseOf! "How Apps Can Help Any Freelancer Or Small Business Owner Be Productive" If you're running your own small business or…

November 10, 2014

Here's a handy Gmail filter to auto-filter Twitter messages into nested folders. Thanks, Robert Headley! http://buff.ly/1xdOfFh Gmail filter to automatically…

November 7, 2014

Handy cheat sheet for precise coverprofile photo image sizes. A Creative's Quick Guide to Social Media Image Sizes http://buff.ly/1xdCLS5 Social media is a way…

November 6, 2014

Here's a handy set of 105 free game icons (public domain!) for your game! Good variety here with vector source. http://buff.ly/1sauNWz 105 game related icons…

November 5, 2014

Protip for artists and art studios: Don't attach files to unsolicited emails. a) respect my inbox size, and b) don't look like malware. Social media is a way…

October 10, 2014

This is Jon Jones style hyperfocused advice for all freelancers. It's 2hrs of info in 13 minutes. Please share! http://buff.ly/1yRLLBj Jon Jones, in his second…

October 7, 2014

You can now import 3D characters from Mixamo into Photoshop. Welcome to the new generation of Poser art! http://buff.ly/1vO0Ldt Mixamo is an online platform…

October 1, 2014

This is phenomenal, must-read advice for any indie starting up. "A playbook for cutting the corporate purse strings" http://buff.ly/1vuswrQ Two and a half…

September 30, 2014

I wrote a new article about clever uses for BitTorrent Sync! "Sync Stories: Ideas for Business Travelers" http://buff.ly/YO8AoI Sync Stories is a column…

September 29, 2014

This is a fantastic guide to UI design and process, including practical usage details and non-obvious drawbacks and solutions to varying approaches. Even if…

September 27, 2014

The detail level is overkill for my uses for art pipeline and process documentation and troubleshooting, but this could still be extremely helpful for some…

September 11, 2014

[UPDATE 11/26/2014] The video is now online! Check it out: [/UPDATE] Hi everybody! I just finished giving my presentations at the External Development Summit…

May 20, 2014

Hi all! Quick tip -- don't use in-line images for art feedback! Ever. Seriously. This shows the correct way to Attach images instead of embedding them as…

August 27, 2013

Art management time! Has anyone created a wall grid full of printed art assets for basic tracking and visualization? How did you do it and what did you track?…

August 8, 2013

Hi all! I've just launched Video Game Infographics , a central resource for infographics, carefully tagged and categorized. Please share with your friends! :)

April 13, 2012

One of the most important concepts I've learned as an art producermanager is this: If you want to get a specific answer from someone, make your best guess --…

April 10, 2012

Hi all! With the spate of layoffs recently, I've been thinking of how to assess a studio's health so you can predict whether or not doom will come, and when…

March 31, 2012

Nothing exists unless it's written down, in one place. I prefer email, or a web-based forum system inside which all art feedback exists. When I start on a…

March 28, 2012

Art manager tip: When writing feedback, never use a hyperlink to an image. Links die. Also, many art studios' work PCs don't have internet access. Save and…

March 22, 2012

Hi, everybody! I've been using a system of directory naming for years for tracking all incomingoutgoing files with outsourcers I use, and I'm tweaking it and…

January 1, 2012

Just ran across an awesome new tool: Dropbox Automator! This is a pretty wild one. Essentially, you can create rules (or "automations") for Dropbox via this…

December 12, 2011

Hi, guys! I've been spending the last few months really digging into the most efficient ways to manage my business from wherever I happen to be while having…

November 2, 2011

People underestimate LinkedIn as a business intelligence tool. If you're interviewing, ask for names of who's interviewing you. If you're looking to contract…

June 23, 2011

Introduction to the series Here's the first of a multi-part series on how simple and realistic it is to start transitioning into cloud-based computing. I tend…

May 15, 2011

I'd like to introduce my readers to a wonderful tool I was introduced to some time back -- VisiPics! Ever wanted to clear out your reference folder of…

August 9, 2010

I was browsing Reddit earlier today, as is my morning routine, and I came across an article called How to hire an artist (archive link). This article has been…

February 17, 2010

Hi guys! I'm coming out of a post-Germany haze of sickness to link you to some handy tweaks for Google Calendar. I'm a total nut for Google Calendar and…

February 16, 2010

Hey, neat! I was featured on a list of 100+ Resources for Video Game Professionals. This looks to be a pretty solid list full of useful sites and really good…

December 17, 2009

This is extremely cool! Check out Google Browser Size . Essentially, this web tool will draw an overlay map of your website marking the different resolution…

November 26, 2009

The difference between success and failure in outsourcing can come down to documentation. Effective and thorough documentation is absolutely the most important…

November 18, 2009

Hello, everyone! As I told everyone at the MIGS 2009 "How To Love Outsourcing" speech, here are the slides: How To Love Outsourcing Sorry it took me until…

February 23, 2009

Artists: Getting paid is important. If it's a small studio, they simply may forget to mail off a check in a timely manner. That sucks. It's usually not…

February 8, 2009

Another big post this weekend! I'll explain how I spec out a contract, divide the work into meaningful divisions, and how I handle asset revisions. I'll even…

February 7, 2009

I often run across questions people ask regarding outsourcing animation. I seem to be one of the few people that has outsourced animation successfully. I've…

February 4, 2009

Ever bookmark a website full of great information, only to revisit it later and discover the link is dead? Worry no more! HTTrack Website Copier is here, and…

January 29, 2009

This may be outlandishly obvious, but for some reason it never occurred to me until this week. Here's a tip for Art Managers and Artists both! Art Managers…

July 8, 2008

I've been doing some thinking and experimenting with the way I structure contractor feedback and I have some slight tweaks I'd like to share. Here's my new…

June 17, 2008

This is a followup to my Project: Outsource Everything post, nearly a year later. To be frank, almost everything I planned to do succeeded beyond my wildest…

May 15, 2008

I'm on a major feedback-writing pass this week and I had seven feedback maxims I'd like to share: Make subject lines COUNT. Be as descriptive and meaningful as…

March 19, 2008

Agh, sorry for my slowness to respond to comments lately... I've been crunching on something big ever since GDC. I only have time for a short post relating to…

March 5, 2008

One really interesting trend I've found in the last couple years is that artists are *far* more motivated to keep working if their contracts are structured so…

December 20, 2007

I made a forum post this week on what information I provide to the studios I outsource my animation work to, and I thought I'd repost it here. The speccing…

December 19, 2007

Based on the last ~15 months of contracting out concept art, I've refined my style a bit and just made a dramatic change in the way I parcel out work. I used…

August 3, 2007

If you get to be a manager of external artists of any kind, MAKE A NEW ACCOUNT FOR INSTANT MESSAGING that only your contractors have access to. No friends. I'm…

July 12, 2007

I've been trying to come up with a simpler and easier way to structure my feedback on assets I receive that makes it easier for the contractor to focus on one…

July 4, 2007

I'm in a unique position in my job where I have a modest budget to spend on outsourcing art for my game. I have complete control over where, how and when I…

June 26, 2007

A good chunk of the articles I write are inspired by people that ask me specific questions about stuff I do on a daily basis. Then I realize my answer to them…

May 18, 2007

Ever wished you were better at writing emails you want a response to? Here are a few handy tips: Get to the point. No one likes reading rambling emails…

May 10, 2007

Here's to thinking out loud! I've decided that I need to have a clean and clear concept art repository. As it is, everything is really spread out and too…

May 10, 2007

Here's the introduction of a new series of little thoughts that won't really fill out a full post. Everyone likes to get involved. If you have people in your…

May 10, 2007

Something I've learned is never to skim emails. Sit down and read them. Assess what they mean. Understand their ramifications. Build a quick and rough mental…

May 9, 2007

I'm dealing with contractors that are rigging models now, and I was thinking, what would be the best way to illustrate the problems I find? "Just look at the…

April 27, 2007

Here's a simple lesson I've learned: If you're going to change the file naming conventions on your game, start doing it right immediately and make no…

April 26, 2007

I've been doing a lot of thinking and a fair amount of work lately building perfect modular kits for my contractors so they can get started quicker and have to…

April 24, 2007

Here's a fun one: How do you keep track of a team of external artists? First, define what needs to be tracked: Who's working for me? What do they do? Are they…

April 23, 2007

Want to know how to make more money as a contractor? Here are some tips. Be fast. Show me you can produce good work quickly. Don't drag your heels and always…

April 23, 2007

I have a handy tip for building a contract made up of lots of very small quick-to-make items with a fast turnaround, like icons. I only do this with long-term…

April 7, 2007

Here are a few valuable things I've learned about dealing with contractors. If it takes more than ten words to describe it, take a picture. This applies most…

April 4, 2007

I just made a forum post responding to someone that was asking about basic rates for animation. I mentioned that more details needed to be provided, and I…

March 24, 2007

MIT's Sloan School of Management Open Courseware MIT recently released most (if not all) of their courses online for free. I discovered today that that…

March 22, 2007

One of the biggest production bottlenecks on my project is my ability to implement art into the game. I'm essentially serving as art director (jointly with our…

February 9, 2007

I've noticed in the past that when I send back a list of requested changes to my contractors, if there's more than one change, sometimes they'll forget one or…

February 2, 2007

I was giving a friend of mine advice on how to really capture the imagination and interest of a contractor and (hopefully) negotiate a lower rate, and I broke…

January 31, 2007

The project I'm on is a small-scale MMORPG. As is typical in this type of game, your character is always on the hunt for newer, better pieces of armor. That…

January 19, 2007

Here's a peek into what I do day to day and the things I'm learning, from broad concepts to specific ideas. I don't know how informative it'll be, but I'd like…

December 2, 2006

I found this over on LifeHacker today and thought it was pretty sweet. Here's the direct article link: A Primer on Electronic Communication Basically it's a…

July 11, 2005

Here's an article I wrote last year that was extremely well-received but not very widely spread. Thought you professional developers that read me would like to…

June 23, 2005

[2014-12-04 UPDATE!] Post resurrection! I've updated the material in this post for a rapid-fire 13 minute long speech for the IGDA MicroTalks in Austin. While…