Visual Style Guide

This page presents a guide to the visual style and aesthetics of Project Daybreak. For the project's stance on using images and artwork specifically, see Image Policy.

Project Daybreak aims to set itself apart by presenting a largely self-consistent aesthetic style. This means that the project's visuals are curated to an extent to maintain that consistency. While there is no visual "canon" per se, visual representations are expected to fall within a certain standard of continuity and compatibility. Still, though a "definitive" version of Daybreak's visuals can be assumed to exist, visual canon is always subject to the ambiguities inherent to creative interpretation. One might say that all visual media is a representation of an elusive fictional "reality", but not an objective expression of that reality itself. This means there is some leeway in visual depictions, especially if they are meant to be illustrative (i.e. getting across a rough idea of what the subject would look like) rather than definitive (i.e. what the subject actually looks like in-universe). For more information on using images, see Image Policy.

Daybreak's aesthetic
Daybreak's aesthetic style takes after the project's overall theme of going back to the basics and then building on top of them. This means our visual style can be seen as a clear continuity from the original game trilogy's design direction, with some of our own flair added to the mix. We try to look at the principles behind Halo's aesthetic and then do something new based on those principles. This includes looking into some of Halo's visual inspirations, like 80's-90's sci-fi such as the Alien franchise, futurist illustrations such as those of Syd Mead, Bungie's own Marathon game series and in particular Craig Mullins' illustrations, and classic sci-fi anime from that era.

In general, visuals should emphasize visual readability and recognizability over clutter. Designs allowed to have their own distinct character and style, along with a sense of vibrancy without being overtly cartoony. On a general level, this means an emphasis on form and silhouette over secondary detail or "greeble", which should be used sparingly or in a fashion that complements the overall design rather than eclipsing it.

Most notably, there is no stark transition from "war era" to "post-war era" in aesthetics and technology like in 343i's canon; designs from Halos CE-3 remain in use for years, even decades onward, only to be gradually added on and supplanted. This means that many designs introduced in the 343i era are regarded as non-canon, as they represent a visual style that is a deliberate departure from the Halo aesthetic. Some of the in-universe items those designs represent may still exist in Daybreak's version, albeit with a visual overhaul, though many do not, as they have no longer have a reason to exist (e.g. the D79 Pelican or the BR85 battle rifle). Of 343i's work, Halo Infinite comes closest to what Daybreak seeks to accomplish- honoring Halo's roots while growing new branches.

The aesthetics of the major polities and cultures will develop, but only over time and to correspond with technological development - e.g. the post-war decades will be marked by mongrel human/Covenant technologies particularly in some sections of the surviving Outer Colonies.

Human
Human (especially UNSC) designs are utilitarian, boxy, and rugged, designed to give the appearance of functionality — in short, the "Big Green Style" we've come to associate with them. They lean heavily on retro science-fiction inspirations. The most obvious of these is the Alien franchise; concept art by Ron Cobb for the original Alien film served as the primary inspiration for the UNSC aesthetic in the original Halo, for example. Others include Blade Runner and Starship Troopers.

Right angles dominate the aesthetic of human tech and architecture, and forms are crude and unrefined on purpose; e.g. not every design-defining form interlocks together perfectly. Bevels and fillets should be used sparingly, especially in contrast to modern science-fiction design sensibilities. Smooth, slick, organic shapes are exceedingly rare and confined to specific pieces of new technology, such as the SPI armor family. Overall, most human designs (barring some exotic technologies) should look like something that could feasibly exist today with the materials available to us through relatively conventional manufacturing methods. This will begin to slowly shift toward sleeker forms as humanity adopts Covenant-derived manufacturing methods, though those will not replace the traditional UNSC design aesthetic in a long time.

For example, the look of UNSC starships is dictated by blocky segments and function-based modules, as opposed to hulls predominated by a single unified form. Tactile interfaces dominate, with touchscreens existing alongside mechanical buttons and levers; holography exists solely for display purposes and cannot be used in interfaces due to technological limitations. This semi-retro theme also governs the design of military gear, weapons and vehicles more than hyper-modern or "tacticool" aesthetics; it's still futuristic, but through a lens of 80's-90's science fiction and design sensibilities.

UNSC infantry and uniform designs largely follow those from Halo CE to Reach, freely blending in influences from various sources depending on the context. Generally, designs such as those in Reach could be seen as a trend, though ultimately it is not necessary to establish particulars at this time. The original uniform and combat ensemble designs remain in use for some time into the post-war era, only being gradually supplanted as technological innovations slowly emerge in the 2560s and -70s.

In short, the UNSC is not a "realistic" extrapolation of what we'll have 500 years in the future according to our current developmental trends. Bungie's Robt McLees liked to say that about 200 years from now we got to the point where weapon is just a glass of water; you drink it and all your enemies die. Then we went back to the cool stuff. Thus, it's more about what makes sense within the boundaries of that aesthetic and the internal consistency of Halo's world. This doesn't mean that designs cannot or should not be somewhat justified by real-world logic, however. But it does pay to keep that underlying philosophy in mind when introducing new weapons, vehicles and whatnot to the setting.

The aesthetics in earlier eras of human history (i.e. pre-Insurrection) should be designed with the passage of time in mind. The further back you go in history (e.g. the Interplanetary War), the less overtly futuristic (or alien to our present-day reality) the aesthetics should get.

Human iconography is likewise simple and to the point, and sometimes almost crude; consider, for example, the insignia of the Pillar of Autumn and the In Amber Clad. While designs should be polished, they are not exactly slick and do not always conform to the bleeding edge of graphic design sensibilities. The UNSC in Daybreak uses the classic-style insignia (though we may in time transition to the Halo Infinite design as it is simpler and less visually busy), while the UEG is given an all-new emblem. The UNSC also uses the classic wordmark, rendered in all-caps in the Handel Gothic font, which is also used throughout Halo: Combat Evolved and can be found in various miscellaneous pieces of Daybreak content.

Covenant
Covenant aesthetics and architecture are characterized by sweeping curved forms and the abundant use of color.

A key to understanding the visual style of Covenant weapons, equipment, vehicles and ships is conceptualizing it through two distinct manufacturing methods: an underlying technological structure and an organic, curved cladding that covers most of that underlying structure. The understructure is, in principle, conventionally technological, albeit highly advanced, being in many cases reverse-engineered from Forerunner sources. Meanwhile, the cladding is colorful and shiny, usually with a bright iridescent sheen and a subtle underlying honeycomb mesh. This "organic" component is known as nanolaminate. Based on Shi Kai Wang's original ideas for the Covenant aesthetic, and married into Daybreak's lore through the two main separate manufacturing processes used by the Covenant; the first being more traditional assembly and manufacture, and the second being the Sangheili-sourced use of nanomachine-based assembly forges and fabricators which gives Covenant nanolaminate cladding its otherworldly, distinctly alien appearance. While Covenant forms are organic-based, they are also elegant and visually cohesive; care should be taken so as to not overdo the organic parallels by populating cladding surfaces with visual clutter such as excessive pseudo-organic "growths".

However, the sheer scale of the Covenant also allows for internal variety, both within and without the Covenant hierarchy itself. While they are prominent, especially in military contexts, iridescent nanolaminate and various alloys are not the only materials used by the Covenant, and many types of otherwordly textures and organic surfaces can be found throughout the Covenant meta-civilization. As well, outside of military contexts and sometimes inside it, rich material cultures should predominate among the member species and societies.

While their all-encompassing religiosity permeates Covenant design, most of the internal spaces on Covenant ships are predominantly functional, civilian locations (such as High Charity's tower districts or colony worlds and habitats) show more elegant design sensibilities with ornamentation and the incorporation of natural elements such as parks or even stone as a structural material. The terminals of Halo 2 Anniversary are a great look at a Covenant city, for instance. Many of the colors and styles of lighting the Covenant prefer are alien to us, encouraging creative exploration of light and color. Holography is ubiquitous, as are various advanced technologies. Gravitics in particular enables alien structural features such as floating platforms and spires, anti-gravity gondolas, plentiful gravity lifts and conveyor bridges as novel means of transit.

Besides their techno-organic makeup, Covenant weapons and vehicles are alien in shape and form, preferably bearing as little resemblance to their human counterparts as possible. The extent of their foreignness varies, though some good examples are the tuning fork shape of the Spirit dropship, the odd pilot placement on the Banshee, or the decidedly non-gun-like designs of the plasma rifle, plasma pistol and needler or the novel handle orientation of the energy sword, which clearly derives from the Sangheili's bilaterally symmetric hands. Even the carbine, despite being shaped something like a rifle, has a bizarre ammunition feed system. Likewise, their functionalities are often novel and do not readily map out to niches seen in corresponding human arsenal; examples being the Covenant's use of a mortar tank as what amounts to their MBT, or the sheer alienness of the needler. Some later works have toned this down somewhat, with for example the rather conventional "long gun" aesthetic favored in Covenant mainstay rifles after the plasma rifle, but in Daybreak such conventionality should be the exception rather than the norm. The creative weirdness inherent to how the Covenant designs things should be embraced in all its glory.

One interesting feature shared by virtually all Covenant vehicles and vessels is their complete lack of transparent glass canopies. When enclosed, as with the Wraith, or when the forward view is blocked by structural elements like on the Banshee, Ghost or Shadow, a projection of the outside view is provided on a holographic screen in front of the operator. The same is true for spacegoing vessels, where the only parts open to space are typically hangars, which are sealed off by atmospheric retention fields.

The post-war era also sees a diversification in how technologies are designed and applied among the ex-Covenant. Different factions, for example, will come to have unique aesthetic styles, starting with basic variances like alternate colors and patterns but eventually moving on into more functionally different directions as technology trees diverge from the Covenant norm. Even before the Covenant's fall, some degree of regional variety is evident between manufacturers, planets, and domains. On some worlds out of the way of the Arterial Network, the Covenant's advanced technologies are often not as widespread and more traditional solutions are employed alongside them; though even these would be informed by the Covenant's underlying philosophies. On such worlds, it is also not impossible to see advanced technologies such as plasma weapons or gravitics mixed in with more conventional ones, like combustion engines or powder-based firearms; this is especially common in the Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae home spheres.

Covenant species
The Covenant species also have "definitive" or "mainline" designs as an overall guideline for Daybreak, though it should be noted that this is not to discourage variety:


 * Sangheili are most closely based on the species' depiction in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. They are slim, tall and proud. In particular, the definitive Sangheili combat harness follows the Halo CE-2 design even more closely than the one in Halo 2 Anniversary, or other games. Most Sangheili harnesses use a blue-green or green-gray bodysuit featuring a fluid, organic design and a scale-like texture. Their combat harnesses are defined by sharp, tapering forms which give the Elites a streamlined, shark-like appearance. Their bodies are sleek and sinewy, like those of sprinters, which also informs their movement. Overall, the sleek silhouette is a major factor defining factor in the Elite warriors' visual depiction. Elements that break off that silhouette, such as large, bulky helmets or pauldrons should be carefully considered. As one distinction, their feet are more akin to the "toes" shown in later media than than hooves in the first two games. As with other Covenant equipment, Sangheili harnesses are shiny and iridescent in coloration.
 * San'Shyuum are more or less based on the design shown in Halo 2 Anniversary.
 * Unggoy are are mix of depictions. Anatomically, they occupy a gamut between the beady-eyed "ugly cute" appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 and the considerably more demonic-looking designs in Halo 3 and Reach; the Halo 2 Anniversary designs are quite viable. Unggoy armor is likewise a mixture, with all designs from Halo CE to Reach and even ones inspired by 4 and 5 being technically viable. Especially the CE designs like the classic curlback Grunts.
 * Kig-Yar are likewise a mix, which is partly due to the eclectic nature of the meta-species itself in Daybreak's canon. All of the depictions from CE to Reach are "canon", and that does include the unique designs and skin colors from CE. There are also various subspecies and ethnic groups we haven't seen visualized, such as the feathered Qibrin, who were also the T'vaoans' main source population. Some form of the Ibi'eshans from Halos 4-5 may be incorporated, though likely not as a mainline Kig-Yar phenotype.
 * Jiralhanae are a mixture, and most Brute designs from the games can be thought of as applicable for different situations or as different ethnicities/phenotypes. Halo 2/Halo 2 Anniversary and Halo 3 are the main references, while the Brutes seen in Halo Reach can be assumed to represent one of the species' many locally divergent populations. The flat, almost humanoid faces of Craig and co. from Halo Infinite would be the exception rather than the rule.

Beyond these overarching guidelines, contributors are allowed to interpret the Covenant species in various ways, particularly when it comes to region-specific phenotypes and ethnic groups. However, portrayals should generally take into consideration the Project Daybreak's overall goal of fleshing out the Covenant as more than just video game enemies, so designs that look less like demons from Doom are definitely preferred. This is not to say aliens should be presented as aesthetically pleasing to general human sensibilities, but with the main goal of depicting them as alien rather than bestial or demonic.

Forerunner
The Forerunner aesthetic favors simple, monumental forms and interlocking geometric shapes. Their creations are not only futuristic and advanced, but should also exude a sense of deep time, with various subtle hints at their extreme age. There is a serene, almost zen quality to Forerunner spaces; they do not exist to dazzle you with technological prowess but create an eerie, mysterious, at times nearly religious feel, much in the same way abandoned public places might. They are dominated by a pervading stillness and sense of vacancy that only 100,000 years of abandonment could create. Depending on the context, Forerunner structures can be calm, imposing, or even domineering. Even at their most technical, Forerunner spaces tend to have an elegant quality. They are foreign but some things about them are somehow familiar.

Forerunner architecture leans heavily on early to mid-20th-century architectural inspirations, such as Futurism, Brutalism and Art Deco. The use of architectonic elements such as abstract murals, stained glass windows, beamwork, trusses and cantilevers gives Forerunner structures a grounded sense of reality, rather than being entirely otherworldly and fantastical; however eerie and abandoned, one should get the sense that these spaces were once occupied by a civilization now long-lost. Another key inspiration is architect Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture; Forerunner relics are designed to exist in harmony with the surrounding nature and terrain, hinting at the underlying philosophies that gave form to them. This also grounds the structures in their environment and enhances the sense of place.

Materiality should also be emphasized. Forerunner relics are tactile, showing variety in the materials and textures used as well as being imbued with the patina of time; dirt, incrustation, weathering, etc. upon surfaces of ancient metal and stone. While the degree of wear and tear depends on the state of the installation in question (on some, it can be very subtle), it is rare for structures to appear fully pristine. Forerunner structures also have a varied color palette, ranging from cold metallic grays to beige, warm bronze, brown and golden hues. Stonework is also used in some structures and relics, especially older ones. As an overall rule, the older the structure or construct, the more brown hues appear over blue-gray metal.

Most of the advanced technology behind the structures isn't apparent on the surface, and sparingly-used technologies such as holographic displays and interfaces form a meaningful contrast to otherwise tactile architecture. "Tron Lines" should be used sparingly, and to indicate specific points of interest rather than being applied ubiquitously; for lighting, favor discrete, often ornament-like light fixtures over continuous lines in most instances. White, blue-white, or yellow-tinted lighting are more common than primary colors such as blue or orange, for example. Likewise, floating elements should be used with care, often being functional (e.g. anti-gravity gondolas) or highlighting elements of importance, such as the control platform in the Ark's Citadel. Hard light is only used in specific applications, such as light bridges, some interfaces, and decor in select locations.

The Forerunners themselves have not as of yet been visually interpreted in Daybreak, and their exact appearance will likely remain a mystery for some time. Since the Forerunners were human, or at least so closely related there is little distinction, their manipular forms would be decidedly human yet visibly distinct from any human ethnicity today. Mutations would introduce more divergent features, though most mature Forerunners would likely retain a human-like, though still "foreign" or eerie appearance. Regardless, this is mostly hypothetical at the moment as we have no current plans of definitively establishing what the Forerunners looked like.

Forerunner constructs
Forerunner robots — Sentinels, Enforces, etc. — largely take after their Bungie-era counterparts. Their various appendages and manipulating arms and tools are physically attached and still visibly mechanical, as opposed to floating without physical support; as mentioned previously, floaty bits should be used with discretion. As with Forerunner structures, discrete lights should be favored over Tron Lines.

The Promethean constructs do not exist, at least not as such; if versions of them were to exist at some point, they would be reimagined from the ground-up, both in terms of visuals and lore. 343i's Forerunner designs and lore went into a direction that is much more macabre, organic and slick than anything we associate with the Forerunners. A Daybreak reimagining of the Prometheans or analogous constructs would likely take after the aesthetic of Bungie's cut designs for the Guardian in Halo 3, with an impassive, faceless and enigmatic appearance.