Inside Ubi Workshop – Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition

7:38 pm by Xavier

Hi Assassins !
This week we share with you an interview of Elise who worked on Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition.
 Elise Interview Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition

Hi Elise, can you present yourself in a couple of words?
I have been living in Montreal for 6 years now. I studied Graphic Design at UQAM. I worked for several years as a freelancer in several agencies and 3 years at Double-Echo. Double Echo worked closely with Ubi Workshop on the first edition of the Encyclopedia, I was lucky enough to be a part of the gig. When Ubi Workshop launched the project for the second edition, I couldn’t resist and joined them at their HQ to be a part of the team.
Assassins Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition Front Cover

What is your work on the Encyclopedia?
My work is to choose and create graphical elements that compose the book according to creation guidelines and brand visual identity: pick the right fonts, graphical elements, define right sizes… Once those choices are made, I start the book layout: find the right pictures and texts to combine them according to our design decisions. It is the best part for me as I see it as a game of combination, a kind of Lego bricks you pick and glue. You have to create a graphical balance which will give readers the natural reading flow between texts and illustrations. I have to be sure that all elements are in the right place.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part is to be able to finalize a project which several persons worked on during many months. It is great to see their reaction once they see the final pages combined with all the elements they produced. It is like the project slowly becomes alive. And it is even greater once you finally have the book in your hands!

What was the hardest part of your job?

There was no real hard part during the production process. Sometimes, I worked several hours to combine elements and find the right layout to learn that I can no longer use a specific artwork. I had to start over… but it comes with the job.


If one of our fans wanted to become a Graphic Designer, what would be your advice?
I would say you have to be curious, rigorous and have an eye for the smaller details… The most important thing is to always enjoy what you do and have fun while researching new ideas and concepts!
How would you convince our fans to buy the new Encyclopedia?
The new edition is a total must. We updated old articles to fit with the new AC game, Assassin’s Creed III, in which there are so many big events… The new concept arts are simply magnificent! They helped the production crew create and define the complete universe behind AC III. It is very rare and unusual to have access to this kind of elements: you have to take advantage of this! It contains all the new historical background articles, the new characters… and the new “Cartes Blanches” (concept arts created by renowned artits) which are stunning! Finally, the book is simply gorgeous: 384 pages, a new hard cover with a canvas feeling… it’s a really beautiful piece of art. The Assassin’s Creed Encyclcopedia is probably the most complete source of information on Assassin’s Creed’s universe. It is an absolute must for every hardcore fan or anyone who is new to the game!
Assassins Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition Extract 2

Assassins Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition Extract 3