Forge & Fleet
A mobile idle naval RPG about building your ship, strengthening your crew, and battling your way across the seas.
Overview
Forge & Fleet is a mobile idle naval RPG developed by Frog Spawn Studio, our two-person indie studio. Players craft gear, upgrade their ships, and combine crew and skills to take on increasingly challenging enemies and compete against other players.
Its stylised art brings personality to the ships, characters, and interface, with clear silhouettes and bold shapes designed to read well on mobile screens
Tools
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Clip Studio Paint: sketching, finished artwork, UI assets, and icons.
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Blender: 3D modelling and visual reference.
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Unity: game engine.
My Role
As a Director at Frog Spawn Studio, I lead Forge & Fleet’s art direction and visual production. My work spans ship designs, character artwork, UI, icons, and cosmetic assets, establishing a consistent visual style throughout the game.
I develop artwork from initial concepts through to finished game assets, balancing character and detail with readability at small sizes. Alongside art production, I handle marketing artwork, community communications, and business responsibilities within the studio.
Ship Rarity Progression
I designed Forge & Fleet’s ship artwork to communicate rarity through silhouette, colour, materials, and detail. These selected examples show the progression from a compact vessel to more elaborate designs, with changes to the hull, sails, and decorative elements giving each tier its own identity.
Throughout the progression, I kept a consistent viewing angle and clear shapes so the ships remain readable during mobile gameplay.
Rare
Depthforge
Primordial
UI & Icon Design
I create Forge & Fleet’s UI artwork and icons to give the interface a consistent naval identity while keeping information clear on a mobile screen.
The icons use bold silhouettes, consistent outlines, and simplified details so players can recognise them at small sizes. Across the interface, I use colour, framing, and visual hierarchy to distinguish interactive elements and make important information easy to find.
General Icons
Active
General Boss
Stages
Loadouts
Crafting
Currencies & Resources
Premium Currency
Scrap
PVP Wins
Echo
Research
In-game Screenshots
Design Process — Rudder Development
I sometimes use AI-assisted brainstorming to explore visual directions (as i was a engineer and learning art for games all on my lonesome), then develop ideas through my own sketches and finished artwork.
This rudder example shows the progression from my initial shape sketch to the finished game asset. I refined the silhouette, established the colours and materials, and added details that fit Forge & Fleet’s visual style while remaining readable at mobile size.
Gear Artwork
A selection of ship equipment I created for Forge & Fleet. Each piece needs to work as part of the ship while remaining recognisable on its own.
Across the equipment families, I use shape, colour, materials, and decorative details to communicate rarity and give each design its own character within the game’s visual style.
