Bob Rafei - Video Game Artist

Looking into specific artists or visual designers is not something I usually spend a lot of time doing. I enjoy analyzing and appreciating visual stimuli, especially for video games since I am looking at them quite often and because of the wide variety of art styles that can and have been used. Regarding the specific artists behind those styles however, seems unimportant; why does it matter who did it when I can spend time reviewing the final product? Nevertheless, there are a some artists that I do recognize based on the virtue of their work and one of these is Bob Rafei.

Bob Rafei was the first employee of Naughty Dog, a video games company founded in 1984 as Jam Software. He joined in 1995 and worked on Crash Bandicoot, helping to establish the visual style of the entire series. Bob was involved in many areas of development including background modelling, lighting and texturing to character rigging and animation. After Crash Bandicoot he worked on what has now become one of my favorite games of all time, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

The design of the main character as he matures through the series.

A colourful and vibrant 3d platformer in the early days of the PS2 era, Jak & Daxter is amazing, a technological marvel as well as an artistic delight. Even now, twelve years after release, the game looks gorgeous. It's combination of bright, highly saturated colors as well as stylized human-ish characters creates a veritable visual treat.

A screenshot of the HD version of the game.

Now, of course, a lot of different artists go into making an entire 3d scene or level so the praise may not be entirely his. A look at his concept work gives greater insight to his personal art and may be easier to explain my love of his work.

His website, http://www.bobrafei.com/, contains a wide selection of his art from many of the games he has worked on. A lot of the art are just concept design sketches and so don't really lend themselves to analysis of artistic merit but nevertheless, I shall attempt to do so.

A selection of poses from one of the main characters

This here is Keira. An ally non-player character from the game, she is very physical and expressive in her gesticulations, which lend to creating a sense of her character. I like the way Bob draws the poses using what are essentially overtly dramatic silhouettes which install a sense of movement and animation to the images. Some examples of this exageration of the pose is the third at the top, her legs crossed impossibly far and waist bent to an extreme, yet it doesn't look unnatural, it merely conveys a very specific emotion. Also, whilst a very common design choice, I still feel as though the addition of large eyes really does enhance the amount of emotion the character can display.

Another work of his that I enjoy is this environment that the game begins in:

The Green Sage's hut

This piece includes color and demonstrates a great use of bright, saturated colors that radiate a certain mood, namely one of safety. It also is great at showing the player the kind of world they are playing in. There is little technology and the bits that exist border on magic. It is warm, as evidenced by the trees in the back and the bright sky, as well as warm palette, and although not overly comfortable, it is a place of relaxation and contentment.

Overall I think Rafei did an amazing job on Jak & Daxter. His art direction of bright colors and clear preference of aesthetic over graphic fidelity allows the game to remain a great looking game. his individual artworks, although perhaps perfect on a technical, fundamental level, have plenty of character and zest and makes a believable and enjoyable world.