Shaddy Safadi: Adapting to Change in the Digital Art World
Shaddy Safadi has seamlessly transitioned from a concept artist to animation director, forging a path that blends artistry, technology, and innovation. As the founder of One Pixel Brush and a veteran of the industry with credits on iconic games like The Last of Us and Uncharted, Safadi offers a unique perspective on the ever-evolving digital art landscape.
Now, as the Creative Director of One Pixel Brush, he leverages cutting-edge advancements to enhance the solutions he offers to clients. But his evolution wasn’t just about adapting to industry shifts—it was about analyzing the results of every new piece of tech and having a clear-eyed view of how it could help get results for clients.
Building Something of His Own
After working at Naughty Dog as a concept artist and contributing to some of the most renowned games in the industry, Safadi decided to take that leap and create One Pixel Brush. “I knew I wasn’t cut out for climbing the corporate ladder. I wasn’t a standout employee—I was doing okay work and had shipped some amazing games, but I had failed to build any credibility or influence after six years. I decided I’d rather be the ‘king of poop mountain’ than a foot soldier in someone else’s empire.”
“It takes time for people to recognize that you’re something new. So, you have to believe it yourself first. Just act like you are—until you actually are.”
That gamble paid off. Years later, Naughty Dog hired One Pixel Brush to work on The Last of Us Part II—a full-circle moment that validated his decision. But success didn’t happen overnight. “It takes time for people to recognize that you’re some new title that you initially just made up. So, you have to believe it yourself first. Just act like you are—until you actually are.”
Understanding the Human Element in Concept Art
For Safadi, concept art is more than just aesthetics; it’s about understanding human nature and the psychology behind the client’s needs. “People are much more emotionally reactive than they are rational or logical,” he explains.
When working with clients, he emphasizes deciphering not only what they say they want but also what they are trying to achieve. “We often take big risks, giving clients something that is above and beyond what they thought they wanted. After all, it’s not necessarily their job or expertise to know what would work best for their intellectual property, which is why they hired us in the first place.
Their unique fearlessness in pursuing ideas often leads to results that clients love far more than anything they would have imagined. That’s challenging to accomplish if you’re an individual freelancer or if you work in-house at a studio, as you might jeopardize your job by taking those kinds of chances. For us, it’s worth the risk to provide a client the best possible idea.”
“The challenge for artists is interpreting client requests and making something compelling.”
“Clients often ask for something ‘dramatic’ or ‘unique,’ but the reality is they want something that fits within established boundaries,” he explains. “In the world of military shooters, ‘dramatic’ often just means ‘badass.
The only way to achieve something unique is to have a unique brief, or a unique story need that justifies a unique visual. This is something very few creative leaders understand. You need to give your artists PERMISSION to create something unique, starting with a unique brief or story.If you don’t do that, you’ll end up with cool and badass… which is still okay too. Great cooking is an art, but most people don’t want something unique at every meal; they just want something good and familiar. There’s nothing wrong with that, and commercial art is similar.
If you can create something delicious AND unique, that’s amazing, but the stars rarely align to make that happen because you need a truly bold vision, primarily from… you guessed it, the brief or the story, NOT the artists.”
Technology: The Ever-Shifting Landscape
Understanding the emotional impact of art is essential, but so is adapting to the rapidly changing tools that shape how art is created. Concept art has always evolved, but in recent years, the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. “When concept art first started—think back to the original Star Wars era—artists designed ships and environments using only markers and pens.
Then, Photoshop changed the game; we still drew, but digitally on tablets. Next came photo-bashing in Photoshop, where real-world photos and textures were integrated into digital work. Then, 3D became essential, Blender became the industry standard, and building concepts mostly in 3D became the norm. And now, AI is here, and it’s disrupting everything.”
“The key is finding where humans still provide irreplaceable value—like storytelling, emotional nuance, and decision-making.”
Shaddy doesn’t shy away from the challenges AI presents. “The first time I saw AI-generated art, I called my dad and said, ‘I think I need to get into real estate.’” But instead of resisting, he adapted. “The key is finding where humans still provide value. Most decks we receive from clients now feature AI art, but they are still hiring us because, thankfully, unless the AI art is exactly what they want, changing it even slightly requires a professional.”
At One Pixel Brush, this means shifting focus: “We’re more than a concept art studio now; we’re a 3D-focused studio. We still create concept art, but we’re expanding to provide a visual slice of our clients’ games, short films, animations, and animated concept art. AI might generate beautiful images, but it has limitations in what it can accomplish, and wherever those gaps exist, we step in and expand. We had a client who needed an avatar for their online game.They had a Midjourney image they loved, but they wanted her posed in various ways. So, we used the same budget they would have spent on designing her, but creating a 3D model, autorigging her, posing her in 3D.
For the same budget that would have gotten them four decent colored renderings, they received four decent colored renderings, a rigged 3D model, and the ability to animate the character if they chose. Not to mention, future poses would cost nearly nothing since the character already exists in 3D. That’s often how we adapt, rather than focusing on what we used to do, we think about how to provide the most value by combining our existing skills with the new ones we’re developing.”
Creating Christo the Civilized Barbarian
Beyond his commercial work, Shaddy Safadi has embarked on a deeply personal project: Christo the Civilized Barbarian, an animated short that exemplifies his philosophy of using technology to bring unique ideas to life. The film, blending humor, adventure, and rich world-building, serves as proof that an artist can be fully in control of their vision.
" With today’s tools, an individual artist can achieve what once required entire studio.”
“With today’s tools, an individual artist can achieve what once required entire studios,” Shaddy explains. “Big studios are slow-moving, and the industry is ripe for disruption. Just as Pixar surpassed Disney at their own game until they were bought out, independent creators can now accomplish things that were once impossible. Just this past month, “Flow,” a film made in Blender for $3-4 million, won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature over many films costing over $100 million by Pixar and Universal that were great in their own right, but this indicates without question that a revolution is beginning.”
Skeptics told him that creating 3D animation alone was impractical—that lip-syncing would be too complex. However, he found ways to overcome these limitations. “I discovered tools like iClone that allow me to record my own facial expressions directly onto a 3D character using my iPhone. Suddenly, what used to require a massive pipeline could be done at my desk.”
Shaddy’s approach is defined by this resourceful, unconventional mindset: “I want to demonstrate that you don’t need Disney’s resources to tell a compelling story.” It is also central to his IAMAG workshop, where he examines the transition from artist to independent creator, proving that success isn’t dictated by the status quo.
Christo - Trailer
IAMAG Masterclasses ‘25
At IAMAG Paris 2025, Shaddy Safadi delivered a masterclass that explored the transition from being an artist with a personal project to an artist who can make that project a reality. Drawing from his firsthand experiences, he shared insights into leveraging an array of known, unknown, and underutilised technologies to bring creative visions to life.
In addition to the masterclass, attendees had the opportunity to engage with Safadi in exclusive 1-on-1 “Ask Me Anything” sessions. These sessions offered a rare chance to gain personalised advice on career growth, industry trends, and the evolving role of technology in art.
For those who missed the event, replays will be available on the IAMC25 online platform, featuring two new talks each week starting one week after the event. Don’t miss your chance to catch Safadi’s insights and more from IAMAG Paris 2025!
