Silverfall - Designer #2 @ GameSpot

After a gap a second Silverfall Designer Diary is up at GameSpot with Monte Cristo's Jehanne Rousseau writing about this distinctive graphical look:

We worked in several steps: Define the graphical style with a technical prototype; work with illustrators; then work with 3D artists to create the moving game objects and characters.

In fact, the in-game graphical style was decided on long before the first illustrator worked on any particular beast or setting. The goal was to create something that would be new and appealing enough to ensure Silverfall would set itself apart from other games visually. The idea came about to create a black outline on the characters and monsters to better separate them from the background and setting. It gives the game a kind of comic book style, which is generally appreciated. We then made the first prototype with a small outdoor level and a dungeon to see how it would look.