Bill Davis (artist)

For the Irish artist, see William Davis (artist).
For other people with the same name, see William Davis (disambiguation).
Bill Davis
Davis in 2007
BornMay 1949 (age 75)
Venice, Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)artist, creative director
Known forAdventure games
SpouseBetty Tikker Davis

William Robert Davis, aka Bill Davis (born May 1949 in Venice, California), is an American illustrator, animation director and designer, graphic designer and painter. He was the creative director at Sierra On-Line and Rocket Science Games during the 1990s. Davis is the founder and creative director of Mother Productions, a graphic design firm which creates animation, motion graphics, logos and other graphic designs for on-air and online purposes.[1]

As the creative director at Sierra On-Line, Davis significantly advanced video game design by incorporating Hollywood production techniques. He introduced storyboarding, hand-drawn animations, and advanced animation methods, and he established the role of art director to enhance the coherence and artistic quality of PC games.

Career

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Davis attended the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1971 with a BFA degree and high honors.

Television

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Davis was a lead graphic designer for NBC and received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences for his animated title and segue films on NBC, The First 50 Years: A Closer Look in 1978.[2] He created over 200 "More to Come" on-air slides for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and he designed the logo for The Gong Show.[3] Later, Davis worked as an animation director and designer for Kurtz & Friends.

Sierra On-Line

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The Spring 1991 edition of Sierra Magazine featured Jones in the Fast Lane illustrated by Bill Davis. This game showcased the rotoscoping and storyboarding techniques that Davis introduced.

Bill Davis was appointed as vice-president of development and the first creative director of Sierra On-Line in July 1989.[4] Davis influenced Sierra's game design and contributed to setting new standards in the gaming industry, especially in the areas of game art and animation.[5]

By the late 1980s, Sierra On-Line, led by Ken Williams, adopted emerging technologies such as CD-ROMs, sound cards, and VGA displays. These technologies allowed Sierra to elevate the theatrical quality of their games, making them more similar to animated or live-action films. Bill Davis, recruited from Hollywood, was brought in to adapt the company's creative approach and production techniques to these new capabilities.[5]

During his tenure, Bill Davis introduced storyboarding — a method adapted from film production — into Sierra's game development process. This technique enhanced the planning and execution of game production, leading to more consistent and visually engaging games. It also facilitated the expansion of production teams without proportionately extending project timelines.[5]

Davis introduced traditional media such as painting and sculpting into Sierra's game design, moving away from the prevalent low-resolution digital creation methods. Under Davis, artists drew backgrounds and animations by hand before scanning them into games, achieving sharper, more realistic visuals. Davis introduced advanced animation techniques, such as rotoscoping and squash and stretch, to improve the realism and expressiveness of character movements in Sierra’s games.[5]

Davis also recognized the need for more structured management of art in game production. In response, he established the role of art director at Sierra to oversee and unify the visual components of games, which aimed to maintain a consistent style across various projects. Additionally, Davis responded to the increasing demands for high-quality animation by outsourcing animation work to international studios, a practice adapted from traditional animation that was relatively new to video games.[5]

Davis proposed cubist influences and a cartoonish style for Leisure Suit Larry's transition to VGA graphics.

He advocated for maintaining a consistent art style across different Sierra game series, marking a shift from previous practices where each game might have a distinct visual style. This approach aimed to strengthen Sierra’s brand identity through visual cohesion. Davis also sought to match specific artistic styles with the themes of different games.[5] For example, Davis explored using cubism for Leisure Suit Larry to match the game's quirky nature. He persuaded creator Al Lowe to adopt a cartoonish style for Larry, enhancing the game's wild visual humor. [6]

Other Pursuits

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In 1996, Davis left Sierra to become vice-president of development and creative director for Rocket Science Games.[7]

Personal life

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Davis lives in Oakhurst, California with his wife, Betty Tikker Davis.[8]

Games

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Name Year Credited with Publisher
Oil's Well (DOS) 1990 creative director Sierra On-Line
Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire 1990 creative director Sierra On-Line
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! 1990 creative director Sierra On-Line
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in the Sarien Encounter 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Mixed-Up Mother Goose (VGA) 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Police Quest III: The Kindred 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Castle of Dr. Brain 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Jones in the Fast Lane 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Hoyle: Official Book of Games - Volume 3 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Mixed-Up Fairy Tales 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards 1991 creative director Sierra On-Line
Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero 1992 creative director Sierra On-Line
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel 1992 creative director Sierra On-Line
The Dagger of Amon Ra 1992 creative director Sierra On-Line
Slater & Charlie Go Camping 1993 director, producer, art director, writer Sierra On-Line
Pepper's Adventures in Time 1993 original concept Sierra On-Line
Rocket Jockey 1996 executive producer SegaSoft
Obsidian 1997 studio creative director SegaSoft
The Space Bar 1997 executive producer Rocket Science Games, SegaSoft
Jewel Quest Mysteries: Trail of the Midnight Heart 2009 art director iWin
Jewel Quest IV: Heritage 2009 art director iWin
Jewel Quest Mysteries: The Seventh Gate 2011 art director iWin

References

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  1. ^ Fera, Rae Ann (2001-09-01). "Davis Births Mother". boardsmag.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  2. ^ "Emmy Awards 1978". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  3. ^ "Sierra Art Trails Featured Artist: Trowzers Akimbo". Sierra Sun Times. 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  4. ^ Smithe, Nancy (Spring 1990). "Bill Davis, Creative Director". Sierra News Magazine. 3 (1). Sierra Entertainment: 16.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shawn Mills (2017-11-10). "A Sierra Retrospective: Part 4 - Works of Art". Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  6. ^ Lorelei Shannon (Summer 1991). "Larry's New Look". Sierra/Dynamix News Magazine: 7.
  7. ^ "Rocket Science Games on new trajectory with strong studio team" (Press release). Business Wire. 1996-02-13. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  8. ^ "Emmy Award Winning Oakhurst Artist Bill Davis Creates Painting for Valley Children's Hospital". Sierra Sun Times. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

Further reading

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  • Mills, Shawn (2018). The Sierra Adventure: The Story of Sierra On-Line. Lulu Press, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1716867064.
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