Our Studio’s Unique Design Process
In today's digital age, where artificial intelligence reshapes our world and our work, there's an increasing demand for unlocking authentic, enduring studio’s approaches to design processes—a reverence for the creative process that transcends mere tools and stands the test of time.
At Menog Creative, we appreciate technology, but we also understand its limitations. While software is a powerful ally, creativity is not device dependent. It flows from the soul.
We've forged our own Ethos and Manifesto—a guiding light for our studio, our creative sanctuary. Here, you'll find more than just a design hub; it's our home, pulsating with energy, emotion, and an unwavering love for the craft. We invite you to join us on this journey, where our collaborations are not merely about designing or crafting; they're about living and experiencing. We relate to our work as living, breathing entities, and we're convinced that, in some mystical way, they are alive too.
Our Design Process has People at the Focal Point.
Our research is a living, breathing organism.
Realism doesn’t come from HD textures or photorealistic PBR materials; by adding simple elements from people you’ve actually met, you’re making relatable and realistic characters.
“Tank Boy” here, for instance, has a plug in his ear with many rings inside. I didn’t find this online anywhere, but there was a guy I knew from a punk rock band in college who had them. Adding elements of the real, will, you guessed it, make things look real, as if they existed. This is because, the guy, in fact, exists. I’ve captured a mannerism, a taste, a quirk, not just the look. This is what makes us human and relatable.
Could you imagine anything stranger than a Character Designer who doesn’t talk to new people often?
“An artist is only as good as his reference.”
We Take Field Trips to Fuel the Design Process
The bandwidth of the world is bigger than your internet connection, Pinterest album, or AI art database.
Located in the beautiful, varied, and culturally expanding country of Portugal, and Porto city; we’re 30 minutes away from all the main biospheres to get unique reference from. We curate our reference, we don’t let Pinterest or Google Images curate it for us.
We’re 30 minutes away from beach sites, mountain forest peaks, deserts, islands. Not only that, but we have a vast amount of professional photography tools, and a travel crew at the disposal.
The city of Porto itself has been featured as the European Capital of Culture, time and time again, since 2001.
Some may argue that Google Images or other photo reference would do just fine, just good enough, although, we know clients don’t want what’s good enough from us. Good is a known quantity, good is what we all agree on, as long as we stick to “good”, we will never have real growth. With a process like this, we may not know where we’ll be heading, but we know we want to be there, and we know we will deliver not just artwork, but a design solution, that you won’t just sit there and question if it’s the right for the project, but one you know will be the right fit. Truth be told, art and design can be quite subjective from person to person. Make no mistake, we don’t settle for the good enough. We always aim for the great.
We’re Philosophers at Heart
Our Artwork is a Living Forum to Spark Debate, not to just Stare At
The scope of debate is shrinking, it must expand. We want people to revisit the work and find new things to play with, every time they do.
With ‘Wicca’ here, the attempt of fusing cybernetics, spirituality, and urban culture, was to set the stage for a debate on whether science would advance in such a way that it’d get rid of the abstract need for hope, faith and other divine sources of inner strength.
Urban motifs like graffiti were picked as akin to modern day caveman art, this kind of expression has been with us forever, and is likely to stay until humanity lives to its last day on Earth. It’s still living with us, as it took a different form, “graffiti”. It was no random artistic choice, or a need to make the composition appealing, it was a deliberate, non-innocent practice.
The summoning of a pentagram, a highly spiritual symbol, through the means of tech, was the contrast we needed here to set the stage for the debate. Whether or not it’s worth having is a different topic altogether, whether some will like it or not like it, won’t matter - what matters is that at least we have something we can analyze, talk about, debate, but never ignore.
The project dictates the design tools we use, not the other way around
Whether it is done with 3D or 2D software packages, it won’t matter, process is more important than outcome, a blacksmith’s skill will not depend on the quality of his hammer.
We try to have a relationship with the subject matter but also the tools and the way we communicate with it. If we’re crafting a post-apocalyptic character, you’re likely to find us in the nearby urbex site, or abandoned house or factory, gathering items that were left behind, coming back into the studio, and making a mockup of what said post-apocalyptic character could look like.
If we’re crafting an experience for a skate or surf simulator game, in need of UI/UX, you’d likely find us gathering skate, lifestyle, or surf magazines and using the elements as collage to make it faithful to the grunge aesthetic present in this subculture. We’ll shoot our textures and effects by renting vintage cameras, such as Super8 or retro Kodak’s, and get a real analogue feel and properly pay homage to the project.
Tools and processes are a way to establish a dialogue with the audience, and this alphabet of visuals is one which they will understand.
Our Collective is your Strategic Design Partner.
We Strategize through Analytical lenses and deep dive on your project brief.
Example Mind Map used for “Tank Boy” Character Design above.
The process is collaborative and iterative, which is a great way to build a path towards a successful outcome. We always have ample time for feedback, while we attempt to build a style-scape along the way and get rid of the endless revisions process, which just may make both designer and client frustrated and tired in the end.
We are one with the creative process.
As Designers, we are not afraid to get our hands dirty - in fact, for us,
that’s a necessity.
We take Privacy Seriously.
We understand the liability of outsourcing and hiring external partners.
All of the times Miguel Nogueira hires anyone to assist as he provides the creative direction, he’d enforce a reliable VPN system and state of art Antivirus to all co-workers, from logistics, finance and art sectors of the company.
Junior artists, start-ups, and emerging designers often ask about this, and as such, I’ve reached out to our security providers to get exclusive discounts on the tools we use at the studio.
Note: The below links may sometimes provide affiliate links which will never add to the original cost, I’m constantly in touch with partner brands to ensure the best deals for my readers as a thank you for the follow.
BitDefender: A full Antivirus system, it has been the cornerstone of the cyber security industry for over a decade and I haven’t changed to any other myself, nor do I intend to. Even the free version will provide a serious layer of security to your machine and internet connection.
In addition, BitDefender has provided a 50% discount for their award-winning antivirus suite: “GravityZone Small Business Security”.ProtonVPN and NordVPN: The first having Swiss-level encryption and a reliable partner, providing numerous of extra benefits on their plans, such as encrypted cloud drive storage and email aliases for your business, whether you’re a junior freelancer or startup. Using my ProtonVPN referral link will ensure you a free month on sign up of the Proton Mail Plus.
NordVPN however, I’ve found it better on mobile machines, both Android and iOS will benefit of NordVPN above all others, it auto connects before any wi-fi connection kicks in and protects all of your data, and it automatically shuts off when you’re in a secure area, such as your home or personal office space, thus, saving on battery and needless layers of encryption when you’re at a safe space. It did save my mental bandwidth when I was out traveling, through airports and busy cafés, where cyber attacks are most prone to happening and vulnerable connections are most present. NordVPN and MenogCreative have also partnered to offer you a 73% off plus 3 months free if you use our exclusive affiliate link!
If you’re on a budget, you may consider SurfShark, its speed is admirable, however, it is a big more of a battery hog than the previous suggestions.
If you have a general inquiry for our creative services or want to talk about an upcoming project need, please contact us at: contact@menogcreative.com
About the Author:
Crafted by Miguel Nogueira, an acclaimed award-winning concept artist hailing from Porto, Portugal, Menog Creative brings you the expertise and passion needed to navigate the intricate world of artistic design.
Our versatile services encompass concept art, character design, keyframe illustration for film, prop creation, digital sculpting, and various problem-solving tools. We've had the privilege of collaborating with renowned brands such as Sony Housemarque, AMD, Blink 182, Electronic Arts DICE, Embark Studios, and Google.
Don't hesitate to connect with us. You can reach out at contact@menogcreative.com