A useful Steam capsule brief explains what a player should recognize about the game before they read the store description. That may be its central character, distinctive setting or particular kind of tension. A pile of reference images alone rarely communicates that decision.
Begin with a short description of the game and its audience. Add the genre, tone and one or two features that genuinely distinguish it. Then connect those ideas to the assets available for the artwork.
Identify the central visual message
Choose a focal point that supports the game you are actually selling. A quiet exploration game and a frantic cooperative action game may share a fantasy setting but need very different compositions.
Try writing the intended impression in one sentence. For example: “A lone diver discovers an enormous abandoned machine beneath the ice.” This gives the artist a hierarchy to work with. It is more actionable than asking for something “epic” with no further direction.
Supply usable assets and permissions
Provide the title logo, high-resolution character and environment art, screenshots, renders and any layered source files. Explain which elements can be moved, repainted or cropped, and which must remain unchanged.
If a character is only available in a small screenshot, identify that limitation early. Reconstructing or illustrating the character can be a separate production task. Include permission details for purchased or commissioned assets so the artwork can be used in the intended placements.
Brief the set, not just one image
Store capsules and library assets have different jobs and proportions. Decide which deliverables you need before approving the main composition. A wide scene with essential characters at both edges may be difficult to translate into a portrait asset.
Use the current Steamworks store asset documentation as the specification source. Keep a dated export list with the project instead of relying on an old template pack.
Separate base artwork from campaign messages
Steam limits base capsule content to the game's artwork, name and official subtitle. Review Valve's graphical asset rules before requesting review badges, discounts or wishlist instructions in those assets.
Campaign graphics can have a different brief, subject to the rules of their placement. Make that distinction explicit so promotional copy does not become part of every export.
Agree the production boundaries
At COLONFILM, Capsule Starter is $390, Complete Steam Set is $590 and Launch Campaign is $790. These packages begin with usable supplied assets and one visual direction; new character illustration or 3D production is scoped separately.
Send references with a short explanation of what you like about each one: color, lighting, focal point or typography. Finally, identify one person who will consolidate feedback. Clear decisions at that stage help the artist develop a consistent set rather than chase several incompatible directions.
Send your source material for a written quote confirming the supported scope, final price and delivery schedule.
Explore Steam Capsule Art & Game Key Art for the scope and enquiry details. Continue reading: Steam Capsule Art vs Game Key Art: Why Adaptation Matters.