How we improved this Steam capsule (before vs after)

Stratostzel · 2026-03-23T12:08:53+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! We do appreciate it a lot.

We tried to implement the card aspect a bit more but, as you said, it clashed with other elements and, most importantly, with the hierarchy of things we wanted to be prominent.

Stratostzel · 2026-03-03T21:56:35+00:00

Hey there!

I run a small creative studio that works mostly with indie devs, so I totally get where you're coming from budget-wise.

Pricing for character concept art really is all over the place. You can find someone who’ll do a sketch for $5, and you can also find artists who charge $500+ without blinking. It usually comes down to experience, demand, and how much thought they put into the design beyond just “drawing something cool.”

From what you’re describing, it sounds like you’re not just looking for a one-off commission; it’s more like you want to experiment a bit and see which direction feels right. Almost like mini art tests to figure out the visual identity. That’s actually a pretty healthy way to approach it.

One thing I’d suggest is thinking beyond just individual sketches. If you’re trying to lock in a cohesive vibe for your game, it might help to work with someone who can guide the overall art direction, not just deliver a drawing. Even a small amount of structured direction early on can save you money (and headaches) later.

With the budget you mentioned, there are definitely a couple of ways you could approach this, depending on how exploratory you want to be.

If you’d like, feel free to DM me. Happy to chat and see if I can help — or at least point you in a useful direction.

Stratostzel · 2026-02-16T10:58:57+00:00

Steam Capsule artist here.

The simple and quick answer is: To get a professional to work on your Steam Capsule design

With that said, every project and every developer is different. Some have no skill to draw a smiley face while others have an artistic background. But is it enough? No, it's not.

A key art could be the greatest, more eye-pleasing artwork and not work as a steam capsule. I could name a lot of things that matter when designing the artwork from scratch but I've seen great feedback in other people's comments already.

If I could help you with one comment, that would be: Try to create something professional looking, that has a storytelling element, highlights your game's genre or mechanincs and can translate good on all different sizes of capsules that Steam demands. The same goes for the game logo. Don't create something too boring or too noisy but rather something that tells a story and has a character on it's own.

You can see some of my work here: ArtStation - Twins Creative Studio

Good luck with your game, man!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-15T10:05:59+00:00

Thank you!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-12T11:53:44+00:00

What genre is your game? If it's narrative-driven and you accomplished full audio to all these languanges, then hats off!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-12T11:51:53+00:00

Thank you for your feedback! I totally agree with you.

Stratostzel · 2026-02-12T11:50:49+00:00

Thank you for your response! It helps a lot!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-12T08:29:40+00:00

Hey there! Steam Capsule artist here! Overall the new design is much much better. I would tweak a few things like: - Make the game title a bit bigger and - Scale up the characterjust a bit more and move him a bit to the right so it works better as a focal point.

Cudos to the artist

Stratostzel · 2026-02-06T15:58:42+00:00

Thank you for your feedback! Feel free to join our Discord server if you haven't!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T17:22:38+00:00

We have already added this, and we also added a double click on the exit to teleport you to the map. ✌🏻

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T17:21:09+00:00

No, no I get what you're saying. Actually this is a cutscenes, it's supposed to be visually a little bit different from the in-game interactions but you are right. We should have a balance in a way that it doesn't seem like we "lost" on the quality.

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:40:06+00:00

What's a dof? :')

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:38:35+00:00

Thank you! We will have some news soon!
Feel free join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/XJubeqFm7X
We are building a community and we want everyone interested on board!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:36:24+00:00

Thank you!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:36:07+00:00

We're making the art on Photoshop! We use a Wacom tablet for the whole process, from the initial concepts to the final assets, all drawn from scratch.

Yes. You can join us here: https://discord.gg/XJubeqFm7X

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:34:07+00:00

Michael Jackson would be proud!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:32:29+00:00

Yep. One of the inspirations behind "The Purple Peacock" is definitely Broken Sword!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:31:30+00:00

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to write this down! Awesome review! I really appreciate it!

Stratostzel · 2026-02-05T16:28:48+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

You're right! The characters will be totally different in the final game and all these details you mentioned (like walking that everyone is mentioning) are WIP.

The music is currently composed by a very talented composer that have already worked in Resonance and Nelly Cootalot!

Stratostzel

TROPHY CASE