The Art of Destiny - A Book Report *IMGS* (Destiny)

by Leviathan , Hotel Zanzibar, Monday, March 09, 2015, 16:34 (3545 days ago)

These words are mostly meant for those on the fence as to whether or not to purchase the Art of Destiny hardcover that came out late last year, but I do highlight a few interesting notions the book hints at and also ramble into a discussion of the game's art direction here and there, mostly at the end. Included are some shots of the artwork inside but it's only a small percentage of the total contained therein. About 90% of the images link to larger versions.

On Approach

The book is a boon for the senses (well, at least for sight, touch, and smell - the book isn't very tasty and it doesn't sing you to sleep at night). The dust jacket is soft but textured like a fabric unlike the plastic gloss that graces most sleeves today. The cover art is a variant of the game's cover, but better. The original colors and details that the promotional imagery distilled out are intact here. The City is easily visible, the sky's colors are natural and gradual in their descent (as opposed to the almost entirely-blue background of the game's cover), and a number of jumpships and Hawks dot the skies. There's an especially good view of the Hawk on the back cover (which is a continuation of the same art).

Olfaction Overload

Opening the book implodes your nose with an overdose of strong inks and glue. If you liked sniffing sharpies in elementary school like me, you'll find yourself creepily nose-diving into the binding here. It is truly one of the most potent books I've ever had the delight of having. It smells like walking into a painter's studio in art school; I love it. Apologies to those of you who deprive your sense of smell.

Behind the Curtain

This is actually one of my favorite parts of the book. Beneath the dust jacket is a white hardcover, embossed ever-so-slightly with a gloss arrangement of Guardians. In some light, you barely notice anything; another look and a light bounces off the hero of your favorite class.

I did not alter the contrast here to show how subtle the graphic is.

It can be easily missed...

Until the right light hits it. Warning: without the dust jacket, this empty white will be an easy target for dirt and scruffs!

A Cryptarch's Treasure

The endpaper uses the Darkness-infused maps we've become familiar with in Destiny's graphic design.

On the other side of a colorful title page, we see the "opening image in the Destiny pitch book". Interesting!

There's a few short-but-sweet notes from Chris Barret and Lorraine McLees before the book dives into the foundation of Destiny, starting with its concept-ing adventures in fantasy and myth...

...and following those root ideas until science fiction begins to creep back into Destiny's fundament (fundament - a word I learned from the Grimoire). You can see the beginning of the City and the Traveler, which appear to have been one thing back then - a giant, spherical spaceship we would have docked at - before they became two disparate things and settled back on the ground to find a bit more of that castle-look that was there in the beginning. There's a lot of before-seen images in this section, but some new ones too.

The "Warlock Clubhouse".

I want to know what's behind that door! It's a cool door! Tell me!

Staten and Barret's GDC talk goes into more detail, but this still gives a good synopsis of that early work and in higher quality.

Continued in Post 2