In their Own Words: Darren White

Inspired by a passion for video games that began over 20 years ago, veteran Art Director Darren White is excited for players to experience his newest work, Need for Speed Heat. 
With the launch of EA’s ultimate street racer versus cop fantasy game, we spoke with Darren about his career journey and his advice for prospective gaming artists.

1. What is your role at EA?

I work at EA as an Art Director, most recently on Need for Speed Heat. My role involves setting the style and maintaining a consistent visual quality throughout the game.

2. How did you begin your video gaming career?

At school, my strongest subjects were Math, Physics and Art. With this creative/technical mix I was encouraged to choose a career in architecture, but seven years seemed like a life sentence at the age of 18. I ended up taking a degree in Industrial Design at Loughborough University and in the final year I was introduced to 3D graphics and animation as part of the CAD/CAM (computer-aided design & computer-aided manufacturing) module. This was the mid-90’s so the DOS based tools were far from being as user friendly as they are today and, frankly, I was terrible.

After University my father encouraged me to apply for a Graphic Design job that he’d found in the back of a newspaper, I reluctantly agreed and a week later was heading up to Welwyn Garden City to interview for the role. It turned out that the 3D work shown in my portfolio was exactly what they needed and I was offered the role. On the first day they realized how poor my computer skills were but fortunately I wasn’t the only new starter in this predicament, and we received a crash course. Before long I was holding my own and really enjoying the work, creating simulation graphics and animation for clients such as the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force, but I yearned for something more creative. One lunch time a colleague was playing the original Tomb Raider and I knew instantly what I wanted to do for a career. I bought Edge magazine and applied to every art job on the back-page adverts. Shortly after, I managed to land a role at a Havas Interactive studio in London called Impressions and haven’t looked back since.

3. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The people and the team I get to work with every day. I work very closely with the Art Directors for VFX, lighting, world, vehicles, UI/UX, characters, animation and cinematics. They are all incredibly talented and really push for quality and style in their respective areas. We have a shared vision for the game and the most rewarding part for me is seeing all the pieces come together towards the end of the project, the culmination of all the art team’s hard work.

4. What advice can you give to someone who aspires to a career in your field?

Often when I speak with aspiring artists and graduates, I find that they have all done a bit of everything and have very diverse portfolios. I started off as a generalist in the industry 22 years ago --animating, rigging, modelling, texturing, lighting, etc.-- but nowadays those roles are less common, and you only tend to find them at smaller companies and mobile studios. For AAA games, a knowledge and understanding of all art disciplines is very important but the roles are more specialized.

My first piece of advice is to hone in on the discipline that excites you the most and develop that area more. If you want to be an animator, don’t spend time modelling and rigging a character just so you can animate it, find a decent stock rig online (always credit the source) and spend your time honing your animation skills. Go online and immerse yourself in the work of specialists in your chosen area. There’s a fantastic online community where you can go to get inspired. Post your work, get feedback, work hard and improve.

My final piece of advice is the cliché quality over quantity. An Art Director is more likely to call you in for an interview if he sees a reel with two minutes of your best work rather than five minutes of everything you have ever done.

5. How do you unwind and unplug outside of work at EA?

I like to go to the gym and run and swim for exercise. I enjoy watching Formula 1 and think the sport’s future looks incredibly exciting with this new wave of young drivers coming through.

I have a long drive to work, so I listen to audio books. I’ve just finished Shoe Dog, the autobiography of Nike’s founder Phil Knight, which I really enjoyed as I’m a bit of a self-confessed sneakerhead.

Snowboarding is my biggest passion and I try to get out as much as I can. I began teaching my two eldest daughters last year and they loved it so more excuses to unwind on the slopes now.

Interested in a career as an Art Director? We have several open roles globally at EA Mobile, DICE, DICE LA, FIFA, Motive Studios, plus more teams. Find out more information and apply here! 

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